oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

356 Porsche-related discussions and questions.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Fred Thatcher
356 Fan
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:40 pm
Location: 36 miles west of St louis Mo near Interstate 44

oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#1 Post by Fred Thatcher »

Gentlemen I need your Help and opinions.
I recently rebuilt my 65 C with 114000miles because it had an oil leak.
Attached are the before re-build pictures.
It still leaks. I have hilited those areas in question.
I would Sincerely appreciate your input and comments or experiences.
Thank you
Fred
Attachments
IMG_9039 copy.jpeg
possible leak.jpeg
IMG_9036.JPG

User avatar
Vic Skirmants
Registry Hall of Fame
Posts: 9278
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:02 pm
Location: SE Michigan
Contact:

Re: oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#2 Post by Vic Skirmants »

Cracked case; sorry.

User avatar
DonCichocki
356 Fan
Posts: 521
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 4:29 pm
Location: Lafayette, NJ

Re: oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#3 Post by DonCichocki »

Or, oil cooler cracked. The crack in mine wasn't visible to the eye only when you pressurized it to 80 psi.

Geoff Fleming
356 Fan
Posts: 1971
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:50 pm
Location: Union, New Jersey

Re: oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#4 Post by Geoff Fleming »

It looks like a previous crack was welded in the same area. ( May just be the photo.)

After thoroughly cleaning and de-greasing the area where the crack is, you might try using a low-temperature welding rod along the surface. ..or have someone who is familiar with this work do it.

User avatar
Wes Bender
356 Fan
Posts: 4861
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:54 am
Location: Somewhere in the Gadsden Purchase, USA

Re: oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#5 Post by Wes Bender »

Walt at Competition Engineering in CA can probably make the case like new.
Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.....

User avatar
Fred Thatcher
356 Fan
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:40 pm
Location: 36 miles west of St louis Mo near Interstate 44

Re: oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#6 Post by Fred Thatcher »

Many thanks for your input.
I would like to learn from anyones experiences.

Any ideas as to the exact location where the cases usually crack?
Has anyone ever di-ginded the crack and then used JB Weld?
Has anyone left the case intact and then welded the cracked area with welding rod ?

Do I need to SEPARATE THE CASE to fix?

All responses are very welcome
Thank you Fred

Geoff Fleming
356 Fan
Posts: 1971
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:50 pm
Location: Union, New Jersey

Re: oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#7 Post by Geoff Fleming »

You should not have the crack welded with the engine intact. There are low temperature rods that can be used and these do not require the normal high temps required by welding but use the heat from a propane torch. Grinding out the crack and using JB Weld might work, it is surprisingly strong epoxy. The main factor is if the crack is penetrating deep into the internal channels that feed the oil cooler. In that case, you are dealing with pressurized oil which would probably undo the patch.
Shops that specialize in this type repair, such as Competition Engineering, weld the crack, then re-face the case halves so there is no problem when re-assembling the motor. If a local mechanic just welds the crack, the case half may suffer some warping and this will effect the re-assembly. When Comp. Eng. is finished with the repair, it is virtually invisible; they do a very professional job.

User avatar
Wes Bender
356 Fan
Posts: 4861
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:54 am
Location: Somewhere in the Gadsden Purchase, USA

Re: oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#8 Post by Wes Bender »

There isn't really a quick (i.e. cheap) fix that will stand the test of time. Better to bite the bullet (or save up your hard earned coins) and have it fixed right the first time. CE would be my choice.

Wes
Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.....

User avatar
Mark Todorovich
356 Fan
Posts: 482
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 3:42 pm
Tag: Drive em
Location: St. Louis, Mo.

Re: oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#9 Post by Mark Todorovich »

These are some pictures of Fred's motor during assembly. I took them ,it looks like the spots that look bad before cleaning are in view and look good in these photos. Probably no way to tell what's up until we gat it back to this stage.
Attachments
IMG_0627.JPG
IMG_0626.JPG
IMG_0625.JPG
Mark Todorovich 4243
52 Coupe
56 Speedster project now underway
63 Cab?

User avatar
Curt Dansby
356 Fan
Posts: 462
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:50 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: oil leak from top of case near oil cooler

#10 Post by Curt Dansby »

Hi Guys

There is a good article in this vein by Richard Miller in Volume 29/1 from May/June 2005
https://porsche356registry.org/system/m ... 1396814909

A more complex process is also covered in a Chuck House article in Volume 27/4 Nov/Dec 2003

Curt

Post Reply