Hi, I just bought a '86 944 and have an oil leak from the front of the engine. When the engine is turned on, there is a small but steady stream of oil coming from the front of the engine and it stops when the engine turns off. Does anyone have any ideas? The person I purchased the car from says that he replaced all the seals and had the timing belt replaced about six months ago, and the car has about 500 or so miles since then. Thank you for your help

Brad

 

I bet when he replaced the front seals, he put a wrong sized seal in it, forgot one of the mylar seals, or something. It will probably require a full front end seal job again, which is about 8-10 hours labor, and requires pulling the timing belt and balance shaft belt.

 

Thank you for your help, Ive already lined up someone to do the job. However, since it is a small leak coming straight down and I am closely watching the oil level, is the car safe to drive? Thanks again

Brad

 

Without seeing how bad the leak is in person, that is hard to say. I know when my rear main went, i was leaving a 6x6 inch puddle underneath the car after parking it. I made sure i checked my oil every day though. You have about 6.3 quarts in there, if you keep an eye on the dipstick, you might be ok. I wouldnt do any long distance driving though.