15 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHOil Leak
Reported or suspected cause
small crack in a spark plug tube
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that report identifying a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Reported cause
Turned out to be a small crack in a spark plug tube.
Leading evidence: 'small crack in a spark plug tube' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'small crack in a spark plug tube' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check around' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I checked around with a few of the shops, and they seemed the most thorough.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that suspect a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suspected cause
If it was the green cam plug it would not have stopped .
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
15 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
1 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Outcome without a verified action link
Drove it about 100 miles that day, no further issues.
01 996
61K
Just completed IMS and RMS.
The car sat for a week in the garage, and I pulled it out, and let it idle for a few minutes, flat surface. I pulled out and and within 1/4 mile I hit it hard. At around 1 mile I stopped at a light and could see the oil coming up behind me. Smelled it too.
Pressure reading showed close to 5 bars.
Drove it gingerly back home
The oil was a slight drip onto the left exhaust. Pics below.
It sat for a a few minutes, I started it back up. Pressure normal. No leak.
Drove it about 100 miles that day, no further issues.
Any thoughts before I call the mechanics?
Absolutely sure it was oil not antifreeze?
Looks a little far forward to be engine mount, how even are the tailpipes?
Not near the chain tensioner? If it was the green cam plug it would not have stopped .
Did you put the little green plug back in after removing the cam locking tool?
Also is it possible it was just residual oil on the manifold that dropped during the procedure - it burned off when the car warmed up and there was never actually a leak?
I vote spark plug tubes as well. The other summer I had one start to leak, it went from hardly a weep to full leak fast!! Changed them all, plugs and coils and all good.
Performance Auto in Malvern. I checked around with a few of the shops, and they seemed the most thorough.
I'm no mechanic though.
IMS/RMS was around $2700, but I did some other work too.
Had the same smoking a couple months ago on a 99 911 I bought to fix up..would only smoke when you ran it hard and/or hard right hand turns. Turned out to be a small crack in a spark plug tube. High RPM or high G's make the leak go from a small seep to a cloud of smoke !!
^Then what^? The oil is still "cool" for at least 10 min on these engines - there are close to 10qts. of oil after-all. It probably takes close to 10 min. for the water/coolant to reach 180 degrees. It probably takes takes another 10 minutes after that for the oil to reach operating temp. This is when you're seeing the pressure start to drop. As long as you're around 1.5 at idle and the pressure follows the revs after that (usually around 3 bar at 2500 rpm) you're probably fine
In the photo there appears to be green crud above the stains on the headers. Coolant leak ? Someone is going to need to get in there with a small,powerful LED inspection light and start poking around. Sometimes you only notice the cause when the car is up on a lift from the 'right' angle.
WAG - Heat X O rings but that is an example of how futile keyboard diagnosis can be ! Time to get dirty hands.
