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| Sent the day working on the Boxster... JM-Stamford,CT - 4 years ago |
I did not really intend to be out there all day, but it worked out that way.
First, tried to track down source of oil leak. As Stefan might remember, when I bled the clutch slave last fall, I came out from under the car covered in oily crud. There must be an oil leak of long standing - but since there is nothing on the floor below the car, I figured it could wait.
Today, I got under the car to look for leaks. Basically, there are none. Not even an RMS area. There is some very light sheen on the edges of the oil pan, but nothing to write home about. But on the vertical side of the engine next to the bleed screw and all the way up near the oil cooler, there was caked on crud. The O2 sensor wire was caked, the wiring harness leading to the clutch slave was caked and the air intake pipe between the throttle body and the MAF was caked too. The top of the transmission had a lot of oil crud too. So I cleaned it all off with carb cleaner and electric parts cleaner. There appears no obvious source of the oil. I suppose it could be the oil cooler seal? But there would be evidence around the base of the cooler? No? It could be from the bad AOS - but the stuff was caked last fall at Gundo's. It could not have been seeping that long?? So other than watchful waiting - any ideas?
Second, I lubed the top mechanism. Dang good thing too. I found that the "red cup" on the passenger side was off the metal ball. Upon inspection, found that the nut had fallen off the rear of the metal ball and that the ball was barely hanging on to the top mechanism. A half hour of fiddling, we found the nut in the drainage tray. Maybe another hour later - I figured out how to get wrenches on the thing and get it tightened. This time with blue locktite. I am very lucky to have found this before the top bound up and --- carnage. +1 for inspection and maintenance.
Third, in the process of tracking the oil leak, I found a plastic bracket that does not appear to do anything. I will try to get pictures posted.
First, tried to track down source of oil leak. As Stefan might remember, when I bled the clutch slave last fall, I came out from under the car covered in oily crud. There must be an oil leak of long standing - but since there is nothing on the floor below the car, I figured it could wait.
Today, I got under the car to look for leaks. Basically, there are none. Not even an RMS area. There is some very light sheen on the edges of the oil pan, but nothing to write home about. But on the vertical side of the engine next to the bleed screw and all the way up near the oil cooler, there was caked on crud. The O2 sensor wire was caked, the wiring harness leading to the clutch slave was caked and the air intake pipe between the throttle body and the MAF was caked too. The top of the transmission had a lot of oil crud too. So I cleaned it all off with carb cleaner and electric parts cleaner. There appears no obvious source of the oil. I suppose it could be the oil cooler seal? But there would be evidence around the base of the cooler? No? It could be from the bad AOS - but the stuff was caked last fall at Gundo's. It could not have been seeping that long?? So other than watchful waiting - any ideas?
Second, I lubed the top mechanism. Dang good thing too. I found that the "red cup" on the passenger side was off the metal ball. Upon inspection, found that the nut had fallen off the rear of the metal ball and that the ball was barely hanging on to the top mechanism. A half hour of fiddling, we found the nut in the drainage tray. Maybe another hour later - I figured out how to get wrenches on the thing and get it tightened. This time with blue locktite. I am very lucky to have found this before the top bound up and --- carnage. +1 for inspection and maintenance.
Third, in the process of tracking the oil leak, I found a plastic bracket that does not appear to do anything. I will try to get pictures posted.
| errg.... JM-Stamford,CT - 3 years ago |
I went to do the oil change Sunday.
Oil - check
Filter - check
O-ring - check
drain plug washer - ______________
good thing I checked before draining the oil.
I looked - the washer is $0.16 - they sell it separately at FCP Euro. But not for the BMW. That filter (also Mann) comes with the o-rings and washer. (There are 2 o-rings on the BMW filter.) So why do you need to order the sixteen cent item separate for the Boxster? I deliberately ordered from them for that reason given my prior experience with the BMW.
If I order it now, there is a $5.00 shipping charge. Errrg.
So the oil will wait a week and I will hit up autozone or advance or napa or whatever for a friggin' washer. Wanna bet they only sell a box of ten different sizes?
Oil - check
Filter - check
O-ring - check
drain plug washer - ______________
good thing I checked before draining the oil.
I looked - the washer is $0.16 - they sell it separately at FCP Euro. But not for the BMW. That filter (also Mann) comes with the o-rings and washer. (There are 2 o-rings on the BMW filter.) So why do you need to order the sixteen cent item separate for the Boxster? I deliberately ordered from them for that reason given my prior experience with the BMW.
If I order it now, there is a $5.00 shipping charge. Errrg.
So the oil will wait a week and I will hit up autozone or advance or napa or whatever for a friggin' washer. Wanna bet they only sell a box of ten different sizes?
One common hard-to-see leak is the oil filler tube, which can crack on the underside (never seems to crack on the visible part). In this case you might even have a vacuum leak, which would manifest as high fuel trim at idle that corrects itself at higher RPM. You would know about that if your built-in entertainment system was also automatically logging your OBD-2 data. 
| It is clean now.... JM-Stamford,CT - 3 years ago |
So we will see. But the fill tube is on the passenger side? No? The oil cleanup was only on the driver's side.
I had most of the intake apart to clean it in connection with the AOS, and the top of the engine was dry.
Whatever it is/was started around the oil cooler and went down from there.
Maybe there was a leak in one of those gaskets that stopped? Maybe it was something old that eventually dried from the top of the engine? (Seems unlikely)
I just do not see an obvious culprit. But there was a ton of grime and crud there. You saw me after the clutch bleed. Now I can almost eat off the block - almost.
I will be in there again soon enough to do the oil and air filters. Will see what happened.
Infotainment - just what I need....
I had most of the intake apart to clean it in connection with the AOS, and the top of the engine was dry.
Whatever it is/was started around the oil cooler and went down from there.
Maybe there was a leak in one of those gaskets that stopped? Maybe it was something old that eventually dried from the top of the engine? (Seems unlikely)
I just do not see an obvious culprit. But there was a ton of grime and crud there. You saw me after the clutch bleed. Now I can almost eat off the block - almost.
I will be in there again soon enough to do the oil and air filters. Will see what happened.
Infotainment - just what I need....
Boxsterra - 3 years ago |
Starts on the passenger side but that's not the part I'm referring to. It crosses into the engine compartment and makes a diagonal left and connects to the engine in the middle-ish, front-ish.
It is possible that it's the oil cooler but I doubt it unless that was removed at some point.
Definitely will be easier to tell after it was cleaned and run. Take pictures.
It is possible that it's the oil cooler but I doubt it unless that was removed at some point.
Definitely will be easier to tell after it was cleaned and run. Take pictures.
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