Leaking Porsche Rear Main Seal

At Perfection Auto Works, Porsche is one of our favorite makes of car. Mike got his start repairing Porsches so they will always have a sweet spot at the shop. If you are a fan of the newer models starting around the era of the Boxster, you probably have heard about oil leaks coming from the engine’s rear main seal. While it’s true that leaks can be common, they don’t have to be expensive if you service your seals on a regular basis. On the flip side, neglecting the seal until it leaks can be expensive because it’s so deep inside of the engine bay.

Porsche Rear Main Seal Background

Early Porsche Boxster owners noticed that their cars were leaking engine oil far sooner than was expected. Some cars reportedly only had 30,000 miles on them. A leaking engine is certainly cause for concern. But as the internet often does, the issue was amplified to megaphone volume. As the hysteria grew, confirmations of rear main seal leakage in 996 911’s, the cayman, and other boxster owners took place. Some mechanics were even speculating that it was due to faulty metal used for the engine. But in fact, the seal itself is a low cost part which is designed to be replaced when your Porsche is serviced.

When to Replace the Rear Main Seal

One of the reasons the rear main seal replacement is a big deal is because the repair is labor intensive. We have to remove the back bumper, exhaust system, transmission, and flywheel before we can touch the seal. If you come in to Perfection Auto Works specifically for the seal replacement, please expect us to keep the car all day due to the amount of labor involved. This is a very necessary Porsche repair because you can’t run your car without oil.

But earlier we mentioned that there is a less expensive way. The key is to leverage preventative maintenance. When we are fixing other problems on your Boxster or 911 in the vicinity of the rear main seal, it’s worth replacing the seal to avert a return visit solely to fix a rear main seal engine oil leak.

Prevention of Oil Leaks

Regular replacement of the seal is the best preventative option to stopping oil leaks originating at the rear of the engine. This type of prevention requires a little strategy but it can save you literally a thousand dollars in mechanic labor. We love the repair work but we value being honest to our customers even more.

Tucson is a dusty place. The stop and go traffic combined with hot temperatures require frequent oil changes. Clean oil will prevent sludge from forming. The sludge from dirty oil places unnecessary pressure on your engine which can also add premature wear to your engine seals.

Porsche makes a very fun car to drive. If you are returning from a spirited driving session, let your car idle for a minute before turning it off. This will allow the parts to slightly cool down before going completely idle.

Lastly, if you notice an oil leak, don’t wait to have your Porsche repaired. The quicker that we can fix the problem, the less long term damage will be created.