Well, I got the newly converted car driven over larger and larger distances. Inevitably the oil temperature came up and the internal thermostat opened up. And out gushed oil. It looks very much like the 2 seals that go between the case and the oil cooler are leaking. I had to take the cooler off to weld the modification for the oil line bend, and I put it back with new seals. Again it is a six from a 1985 Carrera.

Any ideas about how to avoid this? I think I can pull this without dropping the motor, but not sure. Only obstacle is the tin over it. Suggestions most welcome.
Thanks.

Shouldn't leak with new seals unless one went in crooked?

The coolers do fail and when they do, they leak profusely. I changed one on my old SC Targa years ago and I think I have put two in our 73 911E over the years. The last one failed because mice built a nest over the top of it and the mouse piss corroded it. I changed that one with the engine in the car. The MFI cars allow pretty good access to the back (front) of the engine.

Charlie

If you want I will ship you our Stompski pressure tester. It's super easy to use and will confirm if the cooler is good or not.

Thanks. I presume I pull the cooler and test it? Wayne Dempsey mentions the possibility of the seals going cocked and recommends oiling them. Not sure I did that, but the engine was on a stand at the time. Wondering if my tig failed somewhere too. Problem with oil leaks is there is usually oil all over and finding them when you cannot see everything can be tricky. I will let you know as the story develops. If anyone else has advice please chime in. I may have to import the mouse piss.

Yes. You have to pull cooler completely to test.

Are you sure it wasn't just overfilled and leaked from the vent hose on top of the engine?

Pretty sure. That happened when I had a piece of paper towel plugging the hole, but then I added a catch can which is pretty empty. Wishful thinking on my part too.

That's another reason I am thinking about not using the engine cooler and just plumbing it all to the front of the car like Mark did.

I had a leaking oil cooler when I installed my 3.0L. I was able to replace it with the motor in the car.

I can see the attraction of just the engine cooler for a small engine. It's a clean, simple setup. But with the 3.2, it was going to need fresh air from the front anyway. But it adds at least $1k to plumb and cool it at the front.

The other thing that you should look at is the engine case behind the oil cooler.
Porsche sent out a tech bulletin about oil leaks in that area.
Here's what I found on my brothers 3.0 . I believe it applies to the 3.2 as well.

Also, as a last resort check the case through bolt cap nuts. There's o-rings under the washers.

Links :

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/911-engine-...ne-rebuild.html

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/911-engine-...ne-jb-weld.html

Yeah, I thermostated in an extra mocal heater, but it is by the passenger axle in the back with double fans. Whether that is enough is open to question. I went that route after looking at the Wills build. Then he tells me it looks a bit hot sometimes. But I don't always drive in AZ.

Found the leak. It was the fitting to the oil tank rather than the cooler itself. Dumbs m,mistake in original setup. Photos later.