Just discovered that my manual 2007 Turbo has a leak from under the engine. The fluid does not smell like engine oil. I wonder what it is?

There is a screw with a black gasket ring next to it, and there is the leakage. This is on the right side of the car centerline if looking from the back. On the left side there is an exact similar screw with a gasket ring and they are dry.

Must be some kind of hydraulic oil or braking fluid? Can I still drive (at least to the service)? It's been leaking for some time now and I've been driving every day, no smoke from the back, no noticeable effects, but I have noticed the leak yesterday and now am worried.

 

Pic?
might be power steering fluid. Remember, they share fluid btwn the cluth accumulator and the pwr st. See if you have leakage around the clutch resevoir under the front bonnet. Sometimes the first sign of a failing accumulator/slave.

 

Thanks, Chris

No, I forgot to make a photo of this leak.

Where do I check under the bonnet and why would I do that if the leak is in the back of the car? (Is there some overpressure that blows gaskets out everywhere or something?)

Clutch was changed fully (including flywheel) 5000km ago.

 

The clutch and the pwr steering share their fluid so to speak. If the clutch accum is going, you will be blowing fluid out the clutch resevoir. It's in the front by the windshield under the plastic. If one is malfunctioning, they both will overflow/leak. Been there, done that...

 

OK, will check in a few hours as I come home.
Boy am I glad to have a warranty! Tomorrow morning I drive to Porsche Center and have them take a look at this.
Thanks, Chris.

 

You won't find any leakage from the front reservoir. It only feeds the hydraulic slave and rear reservoir also attaches fluid, but if you have enough pressure to leak at the front then you would have already blown out the other lines. The leak at the back is the exact location under the hydraulic reservoir and pump. There are four lines from the top of the reservoir on the passenger side (2x feed slave, 2x feed PS) 1 each for input and output. There is the larger feed line running from the pump (below the reservoir) that feeds the slave as well (three lines to the slave, 1xfrom master cylinder/front reservoir, 1xpump reservoir return line, 1xlarge brass coupling line from hydraulic pump). The only other likely candidate to leak is the o-ring that seats the reservoir on top of the pump, but it is held on by three bolts and would not be prone to much movement. I will be posting the GT2 Slave DIY shortly which shows these parts and when i was removing the pump/reservoir there was some fluid spillage that collected in that exact same spot. I don't know what flows through that pipe, it may be a cooling line for the engine, but not sure. This is just FYI since I would let Porsche sort it out unless you just want to know. Please update once you find out.

 

Mine leaked from both locations.

 

Interesting...perhaps the overpressure from the accumulator pushing out both ends. I would be curious to know if it is Pentosin or maybe coolant forming under the block. Would he have a leak without a slave or accumulator failure as well? 2007 is pretty young to have line failures, but who knows. Definitely something to keep an eye out for

 

That's what I think it was, primary accumulator failing at both ends. Fixed under warranty.

 

Thanks zippsub9, thanks Chris

OK, checked the small power steering reservoir in the front - overflowing and leaking.

The car is at Porsche Center, the guy said "clutch" as soon as he heard about overflow at the front and the leak in the back. He said it is either a defective membrane (less expensive) or the whole cylinder (more expensive). Will know later today, but with my luck it is the expensive repair. I have 3rd party garantee, but not sure if it covers this kind of failure.

The clutch was changed 5000km ago, now the question is if this failure is going to happen every 5000km?

What is the permanent solution for this, a GT2 conversion?

 

No, it's usually just the clutch slave and accumulator, not the clutch itself. 1200$ range repair. Mine occurred just post warranty and I was actually grandfathered in so to speak.

 

1200 with labour?
What does "grandfathered in" mean?

 

Peskarik,
GT2 slave conversion will fix this and get rid of the actual part that is failing. The job to change either the slave or accumulator is about 4 hours of labor since Porsche will drop you tranny. They can both be replaced without dropping, but it can be somewhat painful. If they don't cover it under warranty let me know. I just converted mine to the GT2 Slave and have a working accumulator, line, hydraulic slave, and all the other OEM stuff to replace yours. You could take those parts to the dealer and that will save about $750 in parts (Hydraulic Slave $600, Accumulator $150) Most Porsche Labor rates are about $110/hour but depend upon location.

"Grandfathered in" is when something expires (i.e. warranty) or changes (i.e. laws) and you are given credit and allowed to either be covered under the expired program or given a waiver from having to comply with the new rule or law.

 

Just for clarity sake, this will only replace your OEM setup....More to follow on the GT2 Slave conversion if that is a route you wish to take. I will be posting a DIY and provide all the information for obtaining the kit to fit on 997.1TT, I have not researched .2 transmission casing to see if the bracket will work yet. Bottom line: If you purchase the kit and do the DIY you will be spending less that the cost to replace your current setup.

 

Thanks, zippsub9!
Right now the car is at the Porsche Center. The guys called me and said they will replace something in the front (as this is cheaper) and clean the leak in the back. This will cost with work about 500 bucks. Then I drive and see if the leak comes back, then they will replace the slave. I agreed to this, I need the car back asap.
I am not sure I want to do the GT2 conversion, as I drive a lot in the city and also in hilly terrain, and heavy clutch probably be too much, but I do not really know how heavy the GT2 clutch is, I've never tried GT2.
What is the cost of GT2 conversion in terms of parts cost and labour hours?

Regarding "grandfathering" you mean even though the car is out of warranty Porsche still covers the repairs under warranty as slave failure in reality should be a recall on Porsche's part?
Porsche is not paying for my repair, and my 3rd party warranty does not cover clutch repair either.