Porsches are highly-desired luxury sports vehicles, and this means that they require intense care to maintain their exceptional features and qualities. Caring for your Porsche involves regular inspection and maintenance to keep its parts working.
The air- air-oil separator in a Porsche is an essential part that is commonly ignored by car owners. This lack of car care could lead to engine issues, which could eventually cause engine damage. Hence, we have put together some tips on how to identify signs of air-oil separator failure in your Porsche so you can get a quick solution.
The Function of the Air-Oil Separator
Before we start on the problems that a Porsche air-oil separator could have and how to find out, let’s first discuss what this component is and its function.
The air-oil separator is a tough metal in your car’s engine that acts as a filter and helps to keep the engine running efficiently. It separates the air from oil in the crankcase so only air can get back into the intake manifold and the oil returns to the oil pan.
The now-filtered air is used for combustion, while the oil in the oil pan serves lubricative functions. This helps to ensure combustion goes smoothly and all engine parts are functional. However, like every other vehicle component, the Air-Oil separator in a Porsche can fail. Two main reasons are:
- Natural Wear and Tear: Aging is one action that you cannot protect your vehicle from. And even though the Air-Oil separator is made of strong metal or plastic material, it can wear out as your car gets older. This then results in broken seals, worn-out components and other issues that could lead to failure.
- Dirt/Debris Contamination: This can become a common issue in your Porsche if you do not perform maintenance service for your car parts. Dirt and debris can get stuck in the Air-Oil separator, clogging it and preventing it from performing its functions.
How to Identify Faulty Air-Oil Separator in Your Porsche
Here are some signs to indicate a problem with your Porsche’s Air-Oil separator.
- Excessive Exhaust Smoke: This is one of the common signs of an Air-Oil separator failure in a vehicle. This vehicle component helps to separate oil from the air that goes into the intake manifold for combustion. If it fails, then oil gets into the combustion chamber and it burns, and this results in white or blue thick smoke emission from the exhaust.
- Reduced Engine Performance: For your Porsche’s engine to run smoothly, there should be sufficient air supply to burn the fuel so the engine can get power to work. However, if the Air-Oil separator is faulty, your car’s engine cannot get clean air to perform its function. This causes problems like hard starting, rough idling, or low power, all of which affect engine performance.
- “Check Engine” Light Comes On: If the “check engine” light shows up on your car’s dashboard, it could mean a lot of things, including a damaged air-oil separator. This car component directly affects engine function. Hence, when your car notices that engine function is depreciating, it triggers the light to come on so you can find a solution.
- Increased Oil Consumption: Another sign to indicate an issue with your Porsche’s Air-Oil separator is greater oil consumption than you are used to. This is possible because a failure of this component lets oil into the combustion chamber so oil keeps getting burnt off rather than getting into the oil pan for lubrication. You may constantly have to replace the “burnt off” oil by making regular refills.
- Signs of Oil in Intake System: Sometimes, you may have to conduct a physical or visual inspection to confirm your suspicions. If you see oil in your car’s intake manifold or anywhere around the air intake system, then this confirms that the Air-Oil separator is not performing its functions and is therefore leaking oil to the intake manifold.
Your Go-To Automobile Shop in Bridgewater for Porsche Air-Oil Separator Problems
If you notice any of the signs above, indicating 
that your car’s air-oil separator is faulty, then you know that your car’s engine is at risk if you don’t solve the problem soon enough.
Hence, you need to find a reliable mechanic within your area to help you fix your car’s problem. Motor Cars International offers the best repair services for European car models in Bridgewater, MA. Our services are also available for car owners in surrounding areas such as Easton, Norton, Raynham, and Sharon.