An air-oil separator is a well-named little piece of the car’s engine, and it has one simple but important to function. As one would expect when they hear the name, the air-oil separator separates the oil from the air that is going into your Porsche’s engine.
An air-oil separator is often confused with a catch can, but they are not quite the same thing. Although they both fulfill the same function, they require different maintenance and care.
An air-oil separator automatically takes the oil out of the air going into your engine with no intervention required. Meanwhile, a catch-can just collects the oil that goes into the engine, and it needs to be manually drained and cleaned. Then, you need to put the dirty oil back or replace the oil yourself with brand new oil.
The advantages of the air-oil separator are clear: low maintenance. However, you do need to know what it looks like when something goes wrong with your air-oil separator.
Signs that Your Porsche’s Air-Oil Separator is Malfunctioning
The Porsche’s oil leaks
If your Porsche has an oil leak, it could be a sign that your air-oil separator isn’t working as intended. A major sign of this is oil sports beneath the car where you parked. This isn’t always the fault of a faulty air-oil separator, though, and can be traced back to other issues in your car. The proper way to fix this issue is to find the location of the leak, which is simple for a trained mechanic to do.
Dark-colored exhaust
If the exhaust coming from the back of your Porsche is a darker color, there could be a problem of some kind with your air-oil separator. This is because the air and oil are not separated properly and leave the exhaust system still mixed. The air will be tainted by the oil, causing it to come out darker in color.
Your check engine light is on
The check engine light can indeed indicate that your car’s air-oil separator isn’t working properly. So if you see any of the other warning signs with your check engine light on as well, you can be more certain that your air-oil separator could be the culprit, although other engine problems can cause these symptoms as well.
In any event, if your check engine light is on and you’re not sure why, it is best to take your car in to get checked before more serious damage is done.
DART Auto Will Repair Your Air-Oil Separator
Driving your Porsche while the air-oil separator is malfunctioning is not a good idea. It can do serious damage, so catching a faulty separator early 
is crucial in order to maintain good Porsche maintenance habits. This is true of every car, but it is extra important in a Porsche for two reasons.
Firstly, a Porsche is a performance vehicle with intricate systems and equipment. With this comes the responsibility of maintaining it to manufacturer standards, bringing it into a maintenance shop regularly to have your engine checked out.
Secondly, instead of a catch can, your Porsche has an air-oil separator. This is nice on a day to day or week to week basis, as you do not have to manually drain and clean a catch-can. However, it is important to remember that the air-oil separator, although it needs less constant care, can malfunction, and it is crucial to have it fixed immediately.
The easiest and best way to do this is to follow the routine maintenance plan for your model of Porsche. This can be found in the owner’s manual. It is an excellent plan to follow for keeping your Porsche in top driving shape.
If you want to make sure your air-oil separator is in good shape, or you think there might be something wrong with it and want to make sure it’s working as intended, do not hesitate to bring it in to DART Auto. We have convenient locations that will service your Porsche’s air-oil separator in Englewood, Littleton, Centennial, and Denver, CO.
Bring your Porsche in today for a routine maintenance check. We look forward to earning your business for your future Porsche service needs.
