Need Help Installing Oil Separator

[doug_d (Cameron Park, CA)]

howdy, my '98 w/ 72k miles started bellowing smoke the other day. figured i'd change the oil separator and see what happens. i got 996-107-023-03 (vertical style oil sep) and 996-107-145-06 (upper "J" vent tube). the engine cover is off and passenger side tire removed. i've got the two bolts loose and can see all of the connections. i've taken some pics to share when i'm done.

am i ready? just remove and replace? any tips? order of removal?

looking at the lower section of the oil separator that plugs into the crankcase, i wonder if i should i drain the oil? i think it's not necessary, but would rather avoid a mess.

thanks, doug

[mrmickeymouse]

Did you get a chance to see if you have any oil residue in your throttle body [TB], where the breather comes into it; visible- excessive.

Scott

[doug_d (Cameron Park, CA)]

don't let this worry you, but i'm not even sure what the tb is. :eek: metal part about the center of the engine with a (throttle?) cable going to it?? the upper vent hose does have oil in it, so i assume the tb does too.

are you asking to verify the oil separator diagnosis? or other things for me to check?

thanks

[mrmickeymouse]

I am sorry, I thought you were upto your elbows in it and had a diagnosis already done.

I was asking to see, if you were sure it was the separator, to me the symptom would consist of a lot of smoke [oily], and a throttle body with oil in it; you may have some excess carbon/dirt deposits but not an bath of oil.

Yes, the area you mentioned is the TB, I hate to see you pull your separator and it be something else. You have not expounded on any engine noises or check engine lights [CEL].

If you need a TB location or picture E mail me.

Scott

[doug_d (Cameron Park, CA)]

thanks scott.

frankly, i didn't "diagnose" the problem...i was just taking an inexpensive shot at fixing it as i know that the oil separator is a common problem. turns out the accordian tube/hose at the bottom was torn. i did not and still do not have a CEL. the upper vent hose had many drops of oil in it and where it connects near the throttle body is wet with oil.

oil separator and top vent hose have been replaced. i've triple checked everything. oil level is fine. no extra parts laying around. :-)

i started the car.

what should i expect as far as smoke goes? i was expecting that there will be some smoke until the oil already in the system burns off. slowly decreasing. i ran (idled) the car for about 1 minute and the smoke continued. it diminished to almost nothing. then i rev'd the car and smoke started coming out again. it never smoked as much as it did initially.

what do you think, should i run the car longer? (total run time post repair is ~90 secs) are the other items to check when the car is running or not. can anyone provide detail on the presence or absence of vacuum with the oil filler cap or dipstick?

thanks again

[mrmickeymouse]

Actually positive pressure in the oil cap is more normal, unless you have such a tight engine you have no "blow by" [normal piston ring wear, has some blow by, unless it's allot of pressure].

Burning off excess oil in the engine is dependent on how much is in intake and so forth, it should be consumed rapidly upon driving, gas is a really good degreaser.

If you do not have any check engine lights, I would say you are okay to drive it. Drive it and get rid of the oil, there really is no other way except for disassembly.

BTW- remember the oil is in every crevice and will take a while to burn off.

Unless I have missed something, you sound good to go.

Scott

[Nader]

Doug,

Where did you buy the oil separator and vent tube? $? I believe I have the same problem in my '98, but it only smokes on every 5th or 6th start-up. Ususally its only one big balloon of white smoke. Is this what you experienced?

Thanks,

Nader

[doug_d (Cameron Park, CA)]

Doug,

Where did you buy the oil separator and vent tube?

sunset porsche

$?

about $100 delivered

I believe I have the same problem in my '98, but it only smokes on every 5th or 6th start-up.  Ususally its only one big balloon of white smoke.  Is this what you experienced?

no, there was nothing intermittant about my smoke.  i had S M O K E and it started while driving, not during start up.  i've very rarely had a tiny puff of smoke at start up which i consider to be better than normal.

good luck.

Thanks,

Nader

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[doug_d (Cameron Park, CA)]

i am soooooooo very happy to report that it looks like the oil separator was the problem and that it appears to be fixed. the part is plastic and i can't really see how it can "fail" but the rubber accordian hose connecting the plastic part to the block had a tear in it (probably a $2 part and probably not available separately).

thanks to peter, mrmickeymouse, marc and jonathan for giving me the advice needed to complete the repair. i've got pictures and will provide a brief write-up sometime.

fyi, i completed replacing the oil separator and was amazed (and embarrassed) at the quantity of smoke that the car produced still. it took about 15 minutes for most of the oil in the system to burn off. i was very nervous about running the car for so long, but it was running well with no CEL, so i kept driving.

[santambrogio]

I've posted on a similar issue, i've got to replace the separator bellow which is leaking in to the block.

To do this it is necessary to remove the separator as you have done.

Did you remove the exhaust manifold? Or Just the rear wheel?

I'll start on this this weekend.

Thanks,

[johan928]

Was the cause for checking the oil separator bellow a burning oil smell when driving the car?

My 99 has recently started doing this.

How did the separator procedure go.

Can you write up a step by step guide?

I was looking at mine last night and was curious if there was a recommended way to remove the separator. I am getting a CEL after the car has been driven for a while and it indicates lean condition (air getting in to intake behind the mass air flow sensor).

I cannot tell, but I think the rubber accordian hose may have a tear in it. It was wet to the touch, but I could not see oil leaking while I was looking.

I undid the J-tube and it had oil in it. Is this normal? I thought it should only return fumes and perhaps a light mist back to the intake.

Thanks,

John

[doug_d (Cameron Park, CA)]

paolo and john, sorry but my son's birthday and tax deadline have gotten in the way of my write-up. here's some info. holler if you have other questions or desire a specific picture (i don't think any pictures can help too much if you've already looked from the top and thru the wheel well.) remember, i'm not an expert...rather, i barely knew what i was doing...just someone with a little patience and help from his internet friends. :D

paolo - i did not remove the exhaust manifold. jonathan suggested removing the something pump which is simple to remove and gives you a little more room. it's 3 bolts and a hose clamp. it's just outboard and forward of the oil separator.

john - fyi - i had no CEL.

>>I undid the J-tube and it had oil in it. Is this normal? I thought

>>it should only return fumes and perhaps a light mist back to the intake.

i don't know. i don't think so. does you exhaust have a burning oil smell?

i performed my replacement like this:

1) cleaned the area as much as possible

2) remove top vent tube - straight forward

3) from the top, remove lower vent tube (mounted in the middle, pointing out). i had trouble releasing the clamp because i couldn't get my fat fingers under the hose to squeeze it. you can try rotating the clamp so you squeeze on the sides, or, i used two long, small flat screwdrivers to gently expand the clamp (opposite of squeezing two sides of the clamp, i expanded the other two sides). either way, it's a tight area to work in.

4) thru the wheel well (jack stands!) i removed the lower clamp on the accordian tube. actually, i raised it about 1/2 an inch and that was enough. since the tube was already torn, this was enough for me to easily pull the oil separator off.

5) thru the wheel well, remove the two bolts.

6) from the top, remove the oil separator.

7) carefully clean the area.

8) since the accordian tube was the most difficult part of installation, i mounted that first. i used hose clamp pliers to hold the clamp open. it was really difficult to do thru the wheel well, but i don't think it would be any easier from above. jonathan also suggested replacing the pressure clamp with a screw-type clamp. that may make it easier.

9) replace the bolts

10) replace the lower vent tube and the top vent tube.

since i had a lot of oil in the system, after replacing the oil separator, i had to run the car for 10 to 15 minutes before the smoke subsided. i was uneasy doing it since there was a lot of smoke, but was told that if there's no CEL and the car was otherwise running fine, to just run it.

[santambrogio]

thanks for the good info.

I've cleaned the area at the bellow with contact cleaner, and will try to replace the bellow without removing the separator. Angled needle nose pliers seem the best bet to expand the clamps.

The stealer said that removing the cat portion of the exhaust was neccessay, the bolts at the flange on the header are spot welded on, do not want tho break that weld.

Your experience suggest that removing the cat is not necessary.

[doug_d (Cameron Park, CA)]

when i started, i was planning to use one of 15 different types of pliers and clamps i had available. i bought the hose clamp pliers as was recommended to me and i can tell you now that i would have given up without them. it's easy enough to get the hose off, but getting the hose on was difficult and the pliers locking the clamp open made it easier.

[lmurthwaite]

when i started, i was planning to use one of 15 different types of pliers and clamps i had available. i bought the hose clamp pliers as was recommended to me and i can tell you now that i would have given up without them. it's easy enough to get the hose off, but getting the hose on was difficult and the pliers locking the clamp open made it easier.

Doug,

I am awe inspired by the way you have done this job. I have recently aquired the need to fix my own oil separator and I'm keen to find out how to do it. I have a 1998 911 996 Tip and I am getting all sorts of reports that the engine needs to come out and other horror story. I am quite mechanically minded so if I could see what to do and what to look for I would do it myself.

Did you ever get to writing it up or having any pictures of what you did? If so, I would be forever grateful to be able to see such infomartion.

Kind regards,

Lee.

[1schoir]

when i started, i was planning to use one of 15 different types of pliers and clamps i had available. i bought the hose clamp pliers as was recommended to me and i can tell you now that i would have given up without them. it's easy enough to get the hose off, but getting the hose on was difficult and the pliers locking the clamp open made it easier.

If you are in the middle of the job and stuck without hose clamp pliers, in a pinch you can use cable ties to get the hose back on.

Pull the cable tie tight so that the clamp is locked open (the cable tie has to be beefy enough because the clamp exerts a lot of pressure). After the hose is installed and the clamp is slid over to the correct spot, cut the cable tie.

I found myself in that situation recently and used this method with success.

Regards, Maurice.