14 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHHow much oil leaks when an RMS is going bad?
Reported or suspected cause
just fine
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
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Reported fixes
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Discussions that report identifying a cause
1
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Reported cause
Thus when the RMS leaked in my 2003 Turbo and the oil was beginning to work its way back I had the RMS replaced even though the clutch was fine and indeed proved to be just fine when the transmission was removed from the car to replace the RMS.
Leading evidence: 'just fine' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'just fine' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check car out and yes it has some residue' (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.
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Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Checked the car out and yes it has some residue but it's been that way for as long as I can remember it.
Replace even though the clutch was fine and indeed proved
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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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
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
Thus when the RMS leaked in my 2003 Turbo and the oil was beginning to work its way back I had the RMS replaced even though the clutch was fine and indeed proved to be just fine when the transmission was removed from the car to replace the RMS.
Check garage floor and again a little bit of stickiness
Suggestion or failed attempt
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Discussions that contain suggestions
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Suggestion · Original poster
Also checked my garage floor and again a little bit of stickiness but not anything I would call a leak.
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.
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Suggestion
If the oil stinks -a you confirm- it is more than likely gearbox oil, NOT engine oil.The mainshaft seal fails slowly so you have time.BUT check the gearbox oil level and prepare for a gearbox-out adventure and "while-you-are-in-there" list
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.
Suggestion
If the oil stinks -a you confirm- it is more than likely gearbox oil, NOT engine oil.The mainshaft seal fails slowly so you have time.BUT check the gearbox oil level and prepare for a gearbox-out adventure and "while-you-are-in-there" list
Replace even though the clutch was fine and indeed proved
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
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.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
Thus when the RMS leaked in my 2003 Turbo and the oil was beginning to work its way back I had the RMS replaced even though the clutch was fine and indeed proved to be just fine when the transmission was removed from the car to replace the RMS.
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.
Suggestion
Thus when the RMS leaked in my 2003 Turbo and the oil was beginning to work its way back I had the RMS replaced even though the clutch was fine and indeed proved to be just fine when the transmission was removed from the car to replace the RMS.
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.
Suggestion
My info is an RMS leak won't get severe but it can start to make a mess not only of the pavement under the car -- at home you can use a large drip tray to catch this -- but from the engine/transmission back.
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
just fine
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
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
Thus when the RMS leaked in my 2003 Turbo and the oil was beginning to work its way back I had the RMS replaced even though the clutch was fine and indeed proved to be just fine when the transmission was removed from the car to replace the RMS.
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.
14 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.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261027T013556Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
Had my car in the shop today and I'm being told I need a new RMS.
Checked the car out and yes it has some residue but it's been that way for as long as I can remember it. Also checked my garage floor and again a little bit of stickiness but not anything I would call a leak.
How much oil is too much in order to say that a repair is needed?
Of greater concern is the amount that finds it's way onto the friction plate of the clutch.Surely a new uograded RMS was fitted when you fitted the LN IMSB ?
Are you sure it is engine oil and not gearbox oil from the front seal of the gearbox ?
I'd have to look back on my records as it's been several years but I would hope they would have replaced it back then.
Not sure what the source is myself but I'll get under it tomorrow and see. If it was gearbox oil though wouldn't it have that awful smell? I don't smell any of that in my garage but I'll check it and see what I find.
Per Schnell Gelb's posting, the Main Input Shaft seal is frequently and an often overlooked culprit, especially on high mileage 996s. But gearbox oil and engine oil each have distinctive odors...to an experienced Tech.
When is an oil leak serious? Too many factors to accurately answer in abstentia. But fluid leaks seldom cure themselves.
relinuca
Don't worry about it, the leak is very minor. Have them change it when times comes for a clutch job. The seal has to pi$$ out oil to get to the friction surfaces.
I've wondered about this issue as well. Last fall while I had my car getting fixed for other issues, they mentioned the RMS was starting to leak. I noticed a few drops of oil in the garage and at work when it was parked. Interestingly enough now that it's been stored for the past 5 months there have been no drops on my garage floor. I drive it this past weekend and still nothing. Maybe it sealed itself ? But I think I'll consider it if/when the clutch needs to be replaced.
I'll take a look at it tonight. When I posted the message last night it was too late to look further into the issue. My plan is to clean the engine and see if there really is a major leak and then figure out the source of it.
And yes my car is quite high in mileage so I expect things to be happening but I just wasn't sure at what point do we say, "This is bad!"
That's what I was thinking too. If I had a puddle under the car in the garage then absolutely I'd look at fixing it but what I found underneath was just a sticky residue that to me didn't seem any different than what the car has been doing for a while.
I had the clutch changed about five years ago so it might be a while before it happens again.
I've heard of instances where the seal will expand when sitting for a while and temporarily address the leak but as someone else mentioned the rarely go away for good.
If the oil stinks -a you confirm- it is more than likely gearbox oil, NOT engine oil.The mainshaft seal fails slowly so you have time.BUT check the gearbox oil level and prepare for a gearbox-out adventure and "while-you-are-in-there" list
Regarding when to address an oil leak my auto tech buddies told me that when the oil makes a mess of the driveway under the car or worse makes a mess of the hardware under the car -- hardware like hoses, wiring harness, rubber suspension bushings, etc. -- that is a good sign it is time to address the leak.
My info is an RMS leak won't get severe but it can start to make a mess not only of the pavement under the car -- at home you can use a large drip tray to catch this -- but from the engine/transmission back. In the case of the 996 since the transmission is ahead of the engine the engine oil can possibly oil parts of the engine, get on the exhaust, and that ain't good.
Thus when the RMS leaked in my 2003 Turbo and the oil was beginning to work its way back I had the RMS replaced even though the clutch was fine and indeed proved to be just fine when the transmission was removed from the car to replace the RMS.
Bear in mind the RMS leak may be an iMS end flange/bolt leak so when the RMS is replaced the IMS end flange and its bolts should be replaced too.
Mine does the opposite: it leaks if the car sits, and then it stops leaking if i drive it frequently. I've experienced the same with fluid leaks on other cars. I think driving the car can cause the seal to swell slightly and seal tighter; then as it sits it dries out and shrinks a bit, increasing the leak.
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