[acronymous]

Not sure why Porsche originally said the engine had to come out, that is nuts.....

This is entirely a guess but remember that Porsche has a long history, right back to the 356 series, of making removal of the engine a simple starting point for engine related work. The Macan engine is certainly designed to drop out but the time and complexity of doing the job has expanded from less than an hour to a day or more. In theory removal of the engine is the best approach but .... !!!

Jules

 

[embdenb]

You do not need to remove the engine to do the "full fix" (remove and reinstall the entire timing cover with all new screws and gaskets).
There is a forum member who did this, with the engine in the car, by removing the front bumper, and the radiators, to gain full access to the front of the engine.
Not sure why Porsche originally said the engine had to come out, that is nuts.....

With the equipment available at the dealer, It might actually take less time for the technician to pull the engine than to remove all the bits and pieces necessary from the front of the engine.

 

[Cadences]

Hey Folks,

We purchased our 2017 Carmine Red Macan GTS during the 2020 pandemic and I noticed a slight oil leak on the driver side during one of my first DIY oil changes. Cleaned and was monitoring.

Last month took the Macan GTS in for 60K maintenance and had the independent shop (Barnaba) check the leak. Suspicion confirmed. Timing Chain Cover leak. We filed the extended warranty claim and was approved for the repair. All of the bolts are being replaced with new ones. It is NOT an engine out repair but the entire front clip has to be removed.

I went to the shop to take pictures and speak with the mechanic yesterday. They were very knowledgeable and let me take pictures. One interesting thing I observed is the weight difference in my hand between the old bolt and the new bolt. The old bolt was light as a feather while the new bolt was noticeably heavier in my hand. I'm confident the repair will resolve the issue but am annoyed that Porsche doesn't acknowledge this as an issue. Maybe down the road. Keep your receipts guys and check your engine bays (especially under the engine) for leaks.

So far we love the vehicle (it's my wife's daily) and hope to keep it for a very long time. I'll be poking around the forum for DIY repair advice so hope to see you guys around.

 

[VAGfan]

While your mechanic is "in-there", it would be wise to also change the waterpump, thermostat, serpentine belt, and the tensioner/damper for the belt.

 

[acronymous]

With the equipment available at the dealer, It might actually take less time for the technician to pull the engine than to remove all the bits and pieces necessary from the front of the engine.

Yes, somewhere in this forum there's a link to an Independent commenting on the issues that can arise from removal/replacement of an engine. Basically, there's a number of these aluminium screws involved in the job and if they're not replaced with new ones or torqued incorrectly it equals more trouble. Luckily Porsche have gone for the 2 screw fix in most cases but they've effectively got a monopoly on engine R/R.

While your mechanic is "in-there", it would be wise to also change the waterpump, thermostat, serpentine belt, and the tensioner/damper for the belt.

.... and possibly the timing chain? In theory these last for the lifetime of the car but while they might be pretty good, no chain lasts forever.

Jules

 

[Cadences]

While your mechanic is "in-there", it would be wise to also change the waterpump, thermostat, serpentine belt, and the tensioner/damper for the belt.

Yes, I did ask what else should be done while "in there" and we agreed to change the belt. Everything else was fine.

 

[VAGfan]

Water pump and thermostat are cheap insurance....I would hate to pull the front off again in 20,000 miles....

 

[SOLDSAZ]

Hey Folks,

We purchased our 2017 Carmine Red Macan GTS during the 2020 pandemic and I noticed a slight oil leak on the driver side during one of my first DIY oil changes. Cleaned and was monitoring.

Last month took the Macan GTS in for 60K maintenance and had the independent shop (Barnaba) check the leak. Suspicion confirmed. Timing Chain Cover leak. We filed the extended warranty claim and was approved for the repair. All of the bolts are being replaced with new ones. It is NOT an engine out repair but the entire front clip has to be removed.

I went to the shop to take pictures and speak with the mechanic yesterday. They were very knowledgeable and let me take pictures. One interesting thing I observed is the weight difference in my hand between the old bolt and the new bolt. The old bolt was light as a feather while the new bolt was noticeably heavier in my hand. I'm confident the repair will resolve the issue but am annoyed that Porsche doesn't acknowledge this as an issue. Maybe down the road. Keep your receipts guys and check your engine bays (especially under the engine) for leaks.

So far we love the vehicle (it's my wife's daily) and hope to keep it for a very long time. I'll be poking around the forum for DIY repair advice so hope to see you guys around.

I too had the dreaded timing cover leak on my 2016 Macan S. First try the dealership replaced the timing cover bolts with updated steel timing cover bolts in June 2022. Afterwards I took it to an Independent for a oil change and they said it was leaking and they estimated they could fix it for $8500. I took it back to the Dealer and they requested assistance from PNA. Porsche paid 80% of parts and labor and I paid 20%. Considered myself lucky due to it had 61,600 miles on it and I was the 3rd owner. Had a nice Cayenne Coupe to drive as a loaner. Thank you Porsche North Scottsdale!

 

[OBECALP]

Ok, just got back from the dealer. Took a few weeks, but they think they have it nailed down now. The service record is a few pages long, but in the end it sums up to be a leaking cam seal.

Now the hard part....7k miles left on the warranty. Not sure if I should hold this one or cut it loose. I have a stack of new tires in the garage to put on and it's customary for me to sell my car right after I get everything in order.

SELL, SELL, SELL.

 

[OBECALP]

I too had the dreaded timing cover leak on my 2016 Macan S. First try the dealership replaced the timing cover bolts with updated steel timing cover bolts in June 2022. Afterwards I took it to an Independent for a oil change and they said it was leaking and they estimated they could fix it for $8500. I took it back to the Dealer and they requested assistance from PNA. Porsche paid 80% of parts and labor and I paid 20%. Considered myself lucky due to it had 61,600 miles on it and I was the 3rd owner. Had a nice Cayenne Coupe to drive as a loaner. Thank you Porsche North Scottsdale!

Nice.

 

[TropicalLightning]

The "dealer" used the word "catastrophic" (potentially!) because most modern ICEs are of the interference design. Simply put,
that means that if the engine loses its timing (between the crankshaft and the camshaft(s)), the result is likely to be collisions between
one or more pistons and one or more valves, since the coordination between the shafts has been lost - and what would have been
normally a situation in which a piston reached TDC (top dead center) and the cylinder's valves were all closed, the piston may arrive
"early" or the valves may be operating a bit "late".


I don't know why the dealership suggested the engine had lost its timing. If it was meant to be a SWAG, then it was unprofessional.
In any event, without proof this was the situation, it was, at best, irresponsible to suggest such a thing.


Was the "check engine" fault cleared? Has it returned? Is there another Porsche dealer within reasonable driving distance? A dealer
service department needs to perform some diagnosis and/or troubleshooting in order to identify the root cause for this warning display!


Good luck! (again...)

Providing a long overdue update on this, in case its helpful to someone else in the future.

As the car was driving fine and life happened (new kid, new job, etc), I dragged my feet on the issue until an inspection was due at the end of February, so the check engine light had to be addressed. Took the car to another indy shop that was highly recommended by other Porsche owners as someone who could find solutions that others couldn't. Long story short the following seems to have addressed the issue. Once again the code was P1025.

• The indy shop swapped the the two fuel pumps (not replaced, as they still seemed to be working fine) and cleared the code. Then instructed me to return the dealership to have them reset the fuel pump adaptations as he did not have the software to do that (apparently its still only available at dealerships)
• Went to the dealership two days later to have the adaptations reset, the CEL remained off
• Went through a drive cycle (put roughly 100 miles on the car) in order to ensure that it would be ready for inspection

Thankfully, I passed inspection, and roughly 200 miles and 2 weeks since the code was cleared and the car is still driving well.

All in it cost <$400, ($160 for the Fuel pump swap, $210 at the dealer for the adaptations).

Just want to say thanks again for all the feedback on this forum... without it, I likely would have just sprung for the engine out job assuming there was no other choice.

 

[47985924]

Hi there, not sure if this is oil leak, leak from other areas or normal? Attached some photos while I was doing the oil change today.

Thanks you!

 

[narbie99]

that is an oil leak. Either timing cover or valve cover

 

[Robert M]

What year and trim level is your Macan? That isn't normal. The leak is getting all over and oil is getting flung around. It's going to cause a much bigger problem later. If your car is any of the 6 cylinder models from earlier times it is likely the timing cover issue.

 

[scornwel]

How many miles?

 

[dtrykow]

479. No oil leak is normal. Don’t be surprised if you need TCC bolts replaced and both valve covers resealed……. Like me. And the jury is still out with mine if the dealer got it 100%. Dave T.

 

[47985924]

What year and trim level is your Macan? That isn't normal. The leak is getting all over and oil is getting flung around. It's going to cause a much bigger problem later. If your car is any of the 6 cylinder models from earlier times it is likely the timing cover issue.

Thank you. Almost 51K right now, 2018 Macan S. Didn't see this issue last year though.

 

[47985924]

How many miles?

Almost 51K right now

 

[47985924]

479. No oil leak is normal. Don’t be surprised if you need TCC bolts replaced and both valve covers resealed……. Like me. And the jury is still out with mine if the dealer got it 100%. Dave T.

How much cost on it? Should I take to dealer or Indy to do an inspection?

 

[dtrykow]

Warranty. My started leaking at 7K miles. It took 2 different dealerships to find and fix it. Dave T.