Hello all,

I have what I believe is an oil leak from the passenger side turbo on my 997.1 TT. Somehow the Porsche dealership missed it when they did the PPI before I bought it two months back...

Regardless, I'm trying to figure out exactly where it's leaking from and what my options are. I get a puff of smoke when starting after it sits for a while - but not everytime, it's inconsistent.

These pics may not be the best... I'll have to get it in the air in the next few days for some better shots.

Any input would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Dion

 

That's the turbo oil tank. There are a few fittings on it, one with an o ring to the turbo, another to vent the tank and another oil line that you can see in the first picture.

I had to remove one oil tank on a job I was doing, as well as the vent lines on both turbo oil tanks. There are a set of double o rings on the vent line and they should be replaced (I was replacing the whole line) and the O ring between the tank and the turbo has to be replaced as well as the oil feed line O rings. Any one of those could be a leak, though the vent line would be the least likely place I think. Your supply like does not look like the source. I cannot see the oil tank to turbo connection, but if the leak starts at that level,m then that might be your source.

Additionally there is a pressure line that enters the turbo above that area that is also secured against leaking with a double set of O rings, that also could be the source depending on how high up the leak is coming from.

It may be tough to see exactly where it is coming from without pulling some stuff off the car, If the leak is coming higher up then you need to look elsewhere.

Ed

 

I agree with Ed's comments, this is an easy fix relatively speaking. I would replace all the o-rings related to the turbo interfaces, if you want to try something really easy, just change the one on the drain (turbo to tank joint) and check it again. Whoever did your inspection was blindfolded lol. On the face of it, I wouldn't worry about this, just replace the o-rings. Good luck

 

Thanks for the input guys. While I understand how these leaking seals could result in the drops of oil on the garage floor, I still haven't wrapped my mind around how they may or may not contribute to the intermittent smoke seen on some cold startups... one shop owner here suggested it could be the CHRA (center housing rotating assembly) which seems pretty extreme given everything else seems to be performing well.

As for the o-rings, when I looked at this diagram, http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-p...section=202-05, it looks like #19, 22, & 29 are the oil o-rings and #15 are for coolant... does that seem correct?

Dion

 

Yes those are the O rings for the feed, return, oil tank and vent lines

I would get a lighted mirror and inspect the are to determine how high the leak source is.

Hopefully it will be clear which one is leaking, though replacing all is probably something I would do after I figured out where the problem is.

Ed

 

Your occasional puff of smoke on start up is quite normal and not related to your leak

 

Thanks for the input guys... the parts have been ordered.

On that note, can anyone point me at good DIY instructions for the rear bumper removal and turbo plumbing disassembly/reassembly? I can probably figure out how to take apart the plumbing, but some torque specs for putting it back together would be helpful.

 

@therock88 Has one on here i Believe.

 

All the pipe connections are 10nm (7.5 ft/lbs). The bolt connecting the oil tank to the turbo is also the same.

Depending on what you will be removing, the important thing you will find is the order of removal. If you get into the lines directly to the turbo (have you determined the leak source yet?) is the bracket that holds the turbo may be in the way of the oil pressure line that heads to the rear (front if you consider the back of the car the front of the engine) of the engine.

Here are some pictures of the engine out of the car in that area in various stages of removal:


Nothing removed (except the engine out of the car)

Air pipe off

Most of the top of the engine off

Same as above Cyl 4-6 side.

Close up of everything off (I was pinning cams, so the cam cover is off in this shot


Ed

 

Thanks for the info and pictures Ed - they definitely help me visualize what I'll be working on.

 

Hello guys… just resurrecting this for a bit of a consult. I posted in Rennlist but I have this identical issue to the OP.

shop told me today that it was $2500 including all lines, o rings and a new oil reservoir because the “bolt was missing”???? Is this crazy? How many hours is this job?

 

Are they doing a full engine drop for that? I believe the turbo oil line itself is an expensive part and most easily replaced with the engine out.

 

hey did you fix it? My 997.1 has same issue happened last week after install new exhaust and repainted rear bumper, got quoted from local shop in vancouver, The small turbo box is CAD$3000, and that’s not including other replacement parts and labor cost. Need some advice, I don’t want to get robbed.