Re: I concur on both counts ...

I have a 2001 Boxster (base/5 speed) w/ 54k miles. I have 2 issues that have been developing lately.

1) "Clunk" in drivetrain. Hard starts (moving away rapidly from a stop) result in a a clunk sound and slight jerk/interruption of power coming from rear of car. A hard shift (rev to 5 or 6k, shift rapidly, apply heavy throttle) will do the same thing - esp. shifting from first to second or second to third. Backing up and then going forward will also make the clunk if you don't do it gently. Gentle starts and shifts don't make the clunk.

2) Oil leak. Over the last couple of months I noticed the car had begun leaking a few drops of oil when left overnight. The drops appear centered on the car, just ahead of the rear wheels. The oil is near black and quite thick and tacky. I don't think it is motor oil.

I'm now thinking that the 2 issues are related/one and the same. CV joints? Something internal to the gearbox?

I'm going to jack up the car to inspect the leak area, rotate the axles back and forth and see what I can see - any suggestions on what to else to do/look for?

Any ideas on what the problem(s) might be?

Thanks,

SRG

First one could be front motor mount, second? You will have to look under the car, could be cv boot, could be RMS. You'll have to get the car up and take a look around, if RMS, you'll have a drip of oil on the motor-transmition connection on the bell housing.

Steve

Steve
Guards Red 1999
I'm not a race car driver, but I play one in 2nd and 3rd gear

Front motor mount was replaced w/ Pedro enthusiast one a few months ago. Could be loose or broken already?

Just looking under the car w/o jacking it up - the leak/drip does appear to be coming from the motor-transmition connection on the bell housing. How would RMS leak connect to the clunk? CV boots were fine at last oil change (4k mi. ago).

SRG

... the front engine mount will go after about 45,000 miles and will give you those clunks you describe.

The RMS leak, which is very common in those cars will appear as thick, black oil because it is drying up by engine heat.
If it is an RMS leak, the oil droplets would appear like these (each photo is from a different M96 engine:

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The worse case would be an IMS bearing leak which would look very similar, but generally has a foul odor to it.

If it's just the IMS seal, use a little heavier oil than what you're using now and that will help.
If it's the foul smelling oil... STOP the car and have the IMS bearing retrofitted.

In either case, to completely fix either one of the above, the transmission, clutch and flywheel must be removed, so there's quite a bit of labor cost involved.
Good luck.

Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/09/2011 10:55AM by Pedro (Weston, FL). (view changes)

OK, got the car up and had a look.

The oil leak is just as Pedro's photos above. Plus a drop hanging from the left side front O2 sensor.

Last nights drips total 8 to 10.

The CV boots look fine and the rear wheels don't seem to have any excess play anywhere.

The front engine mount looked OK, but w/ the car on jackstands I placed a jack under the motor - jacking the jack lifted the motor right up, leaving the rest of the car behind. Broken engine mount.

O well, I know what the problems are now. Broken front engine mount and RMS leak.

I bought this car at a dealer. Part of the purchase was a extended drivetrain warranty - who thinks they are going to cover the RMS leak?

SRG

Quote
SRG
OK, got the car up and had a look.

The oil leak is just as Pedro's photos above. Plus a drop hanging from the left side front O2 sensor.

Last nights drips total 8 to 10.

The CV boots look fine and the rear wheels don't seem to have any excess play anywhere.

The front engine mount looked OK, but w/ the car on jackstands I placed a jack under the motor - jacking the jack lifted the motor right up, leaving the rest of the car behind. Broken engine mount.

O well, I know what the problems are now. Broken front engine mount and RMS leak.

I bought this car at a dealer. Part of the purchase was a extended drivetrain warranty - who thinks they are going to cover the RMS leak?

SRG

Could you post the text or a scan of the drivetrain warranty that was offered by that dealer?

My guess is that it will cover the RMS unless Porsche itself wrote this particular warranty, as they are not known to be magnanimous with their disbursing of funds. You could "get lucky"!

Regards, Maurice.

Talked to the people at the dealership today. RMS leak is covered, so would IMS bearing failure. All covered item subject to $500 deductible.

They haven't seen the car yet - so of course they must confirm any problems.

I didn't get as far as to ask what their suggested "fixes" would be.

I am wondering - depending on what they do - should I put a new clutch in, new or upgraded IMS bearing?

We'll see what happens. In the meantime, I'm going to replace the front engine mount myself first, then let the dealer look at the oil leak.

SRG

2000 Boxster Tiptronic with 92k miles. I have a similar leak, but I don't think it is the RMS. I recently rebuilt my transmission and I think it is leaking ATF to the same area as shown in the images above. The oil smells distinctly like ATF to me, not engine oil. Anyway, in the process of chasing the leak I (apparently) over-tightened one of the bolts at the motor-transmission connection. I am having trouble locating these parts (A and B in the photos) in the manual or parts diagrams, so I am hoping someone can let me know these part numbers so I can find the correct bolt to replace here. Thanks for your help!

The tranny mount results in a more pronounced movement and clunk, because there are two that handle nearly all the twist of the motor. The motor mount, being in the center, does little to resist the twist.

The fluid is likely different - gotta go look for where it's coming from. Diff, pan, RMS, other.

Grant

Grant

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