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Oil leak anyone?

287K views 2K replies 266 participants last post by  mataa 
#1 Ā· (Edited by Moderator)
My passenger side vents on the under-engine shield were moist with oil and a few drops were on the floor. Oh, no is my first thought and I'll skip all the rest. I went out on a limb and purchased my Macan used with 26k miles, so who really knows what the history is here?

I briefly looked over things before calling for an appointment at the dealer. All I could tell is that it was a leak, probably on the passenger side front of the engine. It seemed to be low-pressure, so I just checked the level daily until I could get to the dealer.

Their best guess was that the front bottom bolt of the valve cover was not tight and that's where the leak was. Everything is clean and I'm still watching this. Parts are on order to tear into it if needed. They just did an oil change not even 2k miles ago, so even the service guy is confused by this one. It seems like they would have noticed this leak...my wife sure did!

Does anyone else have a valve cover leak?
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#3 Ā·
I do recall a thread quite a while ago (possibly as much as a year) where someone had a leaky valve cover gasket. Maybe you can find it using the search feature?
 
#4 Ā·
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.
 
#1,469 Ā·
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.
 
#5 Ā·
My car is in the Porsche shop as as type this for the same reason. I purchased the car 2nd hand in July with 47k miles on it and put on 2k miles since then. My low oil light came on right after a round trip to Tahoe (600 miles) so I had a mechanic replace the filter/oil when he pointed out the leak. Cam seal or valve cover gasket? Will soon find out.

I've got 49.3k miles on the car so I'm glad this was discovered now...
 
#7 Ā·
It also nice to get this fixed on their dime, but does it make you worry about the "next leg down"? I guess I've been lucky all these years with cars. No big problems and nothing I couldn't fix myself.

I landed with a 2 page parts list. They also did the seat recall, fuel leak recall, pcm update (due to reboot issue), and some other "module" recall. Nearly a month in a loaner, so I can't complain much. These are complex machines so I guess issues are to be expected. Heck, my quite simple 150 always has something wrong-Many of them by design!
 
#8 Ā·
I was working the garage while Frau Photon was working hard to get the tires down to the wear bars before they get changed next week when I noticed a few drops of oil on the floor. When she returned I made a quick glance under the car in the same vent area as before and saw a fair amount of oil on various parts and things, again.

I suppose I'll be calling Porsche of Boise Monday. If you were performing this exercise, how long would you go before loosing faith in the "system"? I'm sure they will take care of me, but oh how this gets old and the Frau is starting to think her BMW is the bomb.
 
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#9 Ā·
I took delivery of a 2017 CPO Macan S in Nov--for which I declined the CPO coverage but still under factory warranty. I've smelled burned oil everytime I parked. Took it to the dealer yesterday and they found a leaky valve cover gasket.

I chose Porsche because of their overall better reputation for reliability over other Germans brands. Even when covered, it gets old quickly when you have to take your vehicle to get it serviced so often. It's a trite saying but I've never had to do this with any of my Hondas.
 
#10 Ā·
Slow engine oil leak?

Had the car on a lift yesterday for a routine oil change and noticed engine oil everywhere on the bottom of the engine. Probably a slow or small leak, as no oil on my garage floor yet.

Checked the oil filter, it is installed tight and no leakage from the seals. Must be further up. Oil level prior to oil change was full. Oil pressure when driving is normal.

Have an appointment booked with the dealer in a few weeks, but wondering if anyone has experienced the same?

Is this a big concern? Or will trying to diagnose and fix make things worse? (Not entirely comfortable with dealer removing/opening up engine if it came to that...)

Some pictures from below the car...

 
#31 Ā·
Had the car on a lift yesterday for a routine oil change and noticed engine oil everywhere on the bottom of the engine. Probably a slow or small leak, as no oil on my garage floor yet.

Checked the oil filter, it is installed tight and no leakage from the seals. Must be further up. Oil level prior to oil change was full. Oil pressure when driving is normal.

Have an appointment booked with the dealer in a few weeks, but wondering if anyone has experienced the same?

Is this a big concern? Or will trying to diagnose and fix make things worse? (Not entirely comfortable with dealer removing/opening up engine if it came to that...)

Some pictures from below the car...

Do you have an update on the results from the dealer looking at it? I just completed an oil change on my own for the first time and experienced this as well, only it looks like it might be even worse than yours. I posted a full description with pics in the oil change thread asking if anyone else had seen this. Here's a link to my situation on page 37: https://www.macanforum.com/forum/engine-technical-discussion/24482-diy-oil-change-37.html

I hope it's not serious, but there's a lot of oil, so I'm concerned. Curious what you found out about yours.

Thanks!
 
#12 Ā·
I had the same leak. It took 3 months and 4 visits to resolve. They had to replace the gasket between the front of the engine and the heads/block. Iā€™d have to dig out the paperwork, but cam guides come to mind.

I noticed drops of oil one day about 2k miles after an oil change. My hope is the oil leak wasnā€™t there at the oil change and it came on suddenly at 32000 miles.
 
#14 Ā·
Hmmm, I own a BMW and now a Macan. Neither ever leaked any oil.
 
#15 Ā·
It really is luck of the draw sometimes. Our X1 hasnā€™t had a single issue but is a year newer with 15k fewer miles.

Iā€™m less sensitive to these things since every rear main on every Chevy would leak at some point. Itā€™s just a fact of life I guess. I just worry that it will break on my dime next time.
 
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#18 Ā·
Our X1 hasnā€™t had a single issue but is a year newer with 15k fewer miles.
Just wait. If it's a 6-cyl, at 50-60k miles, your oil filter block gasket *will* leak. If the car is a turbo you need to remove the intake to get to the last bolt. More genius German engineering. And at about 60-80k miles, your plastic cam cover *will* leak as well. I've owned two of these, and my friends have had five, and every single one had these problems.
 
#19 Ā·
Hmmm, sounds like a scare tactic. I would say any dealer would love to fix it under warranty and makes big bucks from Porsche.

I have had quite a few warranty repairs and dealers were happy to do the work and charge Porsche. Today just had the brake booster replaced on my Macan at the dealer due to squeaky noises.
 
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#29 Ā·
I reported oil leak last month, diagnosed as coming from timing cover. Parts ordered (lots), and scheduled for fix on 7/19.
Just turned 46K miles ('15 "S"), and this is first problem other than usual recalls/updates. I'll report after fix.
I can only remember having oil leak once...1976 Capri II V6 (My first German import).
 
#32 Ā·
Was changing the oil on my macan and I found this small drip on the passenger side where the front axle exits the transmission:



Is this a leak or is it something else? I am thinking it could possibly be overflow from topping off the oil but then I wouldn't expect it to look so dirty. Any thoughts? The vehicle has 60,000 miles.
 

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#33 Ā·
The rest of the area looks pretty dry. Wipe it clean and see if it re-appears in 5-6 days. You are out of warranty, and unless you have an extended warranty, it would be cheaper to add oil every now and then, than pay for a repair (if it is an engine oil leak). All depends how much is dripping.
 
#34 Ā·
...you are aware there's an oil filter housing O-ring issue with these, right?

Some companies selling 'oil change kits' mistakenly include an incorrect O-ring.


I have no association with Pelican Parts, however their website lists the correct O-ring to use.

I believe there have been other discussion threads about the O-ring.

Perhaps you installed the incorrect version of the O-ring?


;)
 
#40 Ā·
...you are aware there's an oil filter housing O-ring issue with these, right?

Some companies selling 'oil change kits' mistakenly include an incorrect O-ring.


I have no association with Pelican Parts, however their website lists the correct O-ring to use.

I believe there have been other discussion threads about the O-ring.

Perhaps you installed the incorrect version of the O-ring?


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Yep, fully aware of the o-ring issue. Ordered mine from Pelican and confirmed that the o-ring coming off was the correct size. The issue in my case is not a leak around the filter housing or the drain plug - I have oil covered hoses and wiring on both sides of the engine, coming from somewhere higher up, which also happens to make my oil pan look like the OPs. Full details and pics in the link I provided above to the oil change thread. There is a video included from an Indy shop stating that theyā€™ve seen this on multiple Macans, and that itā€™s coming from somewhere near the front timing cover.
 
#35 Ā·
I previously had a leak that was attributed to an improper O-ring. Took it to the dealer for diagnosis and fix. Havenā€™t had a problem since. They told me it was a common mistake during oil changes with those not familiar with the proper parts....


2016 Macan Turbo
 
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