Re-filling coolant on a 996 from scratch??

Re-filling coolant on a 996 from scratch??

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nickj911

Original Poster:

100 posts

193 months

Monday 7th July 2008
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Is there a method to re-filling a 1999 996 with coolant?? Just fitted new radiators and saw in another add about a boxster that you had to rev to 4000 revs and fill then drop revs and put cap back on. Is there an art to re filling the coolant on a 996??

nickj911

Original Poster:

100 posts

193 months

Monday 7th July 2008
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Is tap water fine?? Do you just fill to the level on the expansion tank when cold?? Any help appreciated!!

gfreeman

1,732 posts

250 months

Monday 7th July 2008
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If poss park the car on a slope with the engine higher, or jack up the rear. Fill slowly to the neck of the reservoir and run the engine. After a while the thermostat will open (80 summat degrees?)and you should raise the revs with one hand to around 4500/5000 rpm ish and fill with the other (50/50 mix of coolant and tapwater) till no more will go in. Slap the cap back on and go for a drive. Have a fair bit within arms reach as a fair bit could be needed! (2-3 litres I would say)

If you let off the revs before the cap goes on and tightened you will get doused with coolant!

When cold top up as necessary - you may have to do this a couple of times.

nickj911

Original Poster:

100 posts

193 months

Monday 7th July 2008
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Thanks, you must have really long arms.... go go gadget arms!!!!

gfreeman

1,732 posts

250 months

Monday 7th July 2008
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Err if you have a fiddle you will see what moves when the pedal is pressed. Look for a cable around the air intake tube just by the throttle body.

If that has lost you get a pal to operate the loud pedal instead. Or once it has warmed up get a dead dog or suitable weight roadkill and wedge it over the pedal. biggrin

RT

919 posts

245 months

Monday 7th July 2008
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nickj911 said:
Is tap water fine?? Do you just fill to the level on the expansion tank when cold?? Any help appreciated!!
Is that a serious question?

Tap water is certainly not fine.

You need the appropriate coolant - which depends what your system has in as it will not be totally empty.

To be honest you'd have been as well stocking up on this before replacing the rads!

996TT_STEVO

4,078 posts

228 months

Monday 7th July 2008
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The coolant also provides lubrication for water pump, roughly a 50/50mix

nickb55

276 posts

209 months

Monday 7th July 2008
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and fwiw, u shouldn't mix certain (different)colour coolants as they can react, and eventually turn to sludge!


Ray Luxury-Yacht

8,910 posts

216 months

Tuesday 8th July 2008
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It's actually like this.

Fill bottle until you can fill no more. Lift metal tag on air exhaust device on top of the coolant bottle. Start engine, run car until engine is warm. Remove fuse box cover, make up two jumper leads with a male spade connector on the front. Remove radiator fan relays, plug in jumpers so that the fans run. Rev engine to 3,000 rpm until all air is dispersed from expansion bottle. The fan air running through the rads assists with convection to exhaust air.

That's how it is in OPC manuals.

HTH

PE_Porsche

1,384 posts

192 months

Tuesday 8th July 2008
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Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
It's actually like this.

Fill bottle until you can fill no more. Lift metal tag on air exhaust device on top of the coolant bottle. Start engine, run car until engine is warm. Remove fuse box cover, make up two jumper leads with a male spade connector on the front. Remove radiator fan relays, plug in jumpers so that the fans run. Rev engine to 3,000 rpm until all air is dispersed from expansion bottle. The fan air running through the rads assists with convection to exhaust air.

That's how it is in OPC manuals.

HTH
new one on me that , in opc manuals i'm not sure as they have vac system for air remoavl/coolant insertion , the only one that can be a real pain is the turbo

Ray Luxury-Yacht

8,910 posts

216 months

Tuesday 8th July 2008
quotequote all
PE_Porsche said:
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
It's actually like this.

Fill bottle until you can fill no more. Lift metal tag on air exhaust device on top of the coolant bottle. Start engine, run car until engine is warm. Remove fuse box cover, make up two jumper leads with a male spade connector on the front. Remove radiator fan relays, plug in jumpers so that the fans run. Rev engine to 3,000 rpm until all air is dispersed from expansion bottle. The fan air running through the rads assists with convection to exhaust air.

That's how it is in OPC manuals.

HTH
new one on me that , in opc manuals i'm not sure as they have vac system for air remoavl/coolant insertion , the only one that can be a real pain is the turbo
'Twas how I watched a good indy do mine the other day anyway, and they said they had copies of OPC manual pages.


Richard Hamilton

523 posts

261 months

Tuesday 8th July 2008
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Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
It's actually like this.

That's how it is in OPC manuals.
Old manuals. PE is correct - the newer manuals call for a vacuum system to evacuate the system before filling. Its a PITA to get all the air out after draining the system completely.

Pope

2,636 posts

247 months

Tuesday 8th July 2008
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From scratch the system holds 23 litres of coolant.

richardb.jones

326 posts

225 months

Tuesday 8th July 2008
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I did mine fairly recently (a complete flush) - just fill to max, run the car until warm with the heater on max. Then take at least 5L of pre-mix (Porsche anti-freeze/distilled water) with you and take it for a hard run with the heater on full (open the windows!). The coolant light will likely flash when you first get above 4000-5000 revs - so find somewhere to park up and fill it up. Repeat until your light stops flashing. Check when cold that you are up to max on the bottle. Job done.

Pope

2,636 posts

247 months

Tuesday 8th July 2008
quotequote all
If you've replaced the rads, there is either a bleed pipe at the top of the rad which if you pull off will allow the rads to push the air out as the system fills, or you can leave the top hose off and connect it as the air stops escaping, messy but at least you don't risk an air lock.

nickj911

Original Poster:

100 posts

193 months

Friday 11th July 2008
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So, one last question. If it holds 23 litres then i need to buy 11.5 litres of coolant??? If so wheres the best place to buy from and is coolant on a porsche different to any other model?? Also what colour is it??? Thanks for all your help on this subject.

Ray Luxury-Yacht

8,910 posts

216 months

Friday 11th July 2008
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nickj911 said:
So, one last question. If it holds 23 litres then i need to buy 11.5 litres of coolant??? If so wheres the best place to buy from and is coolant on a porsche different to any other model?? Also what colour is it??? Thanks for all your help on this subject.
Yep, that's about right, because you dilute it 50 / 50.

The coolant in mine (2001) is the pinky / red stuff. You can get it from OPC's, at a price, but i'm reliably informed that it's basically the 'long life' stuff available in Halfords and the like.

Good luck in changing and bleeding it, whichever method you choose. I think that, in the end providing you get enough in there, eventually it will bleed itself out. John Mitchell Porsche said to me that it's ok to leave the bleed valve on the top of the coolant bottle open for a day or two's driving to ensure all the air is expelled, although obviously don't let it get too hot or it won't just be air that bleeds out!

Let us know how you get on.


RT

919 posts

245 months

Sunday 20th July 2008
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I don't think you do dilute it (unless they recently changed it)

If you've only chnaged your rads you'll have lost about 9 litres.

Silent1

19,761 posts

235 months

Monday 21st July 2008
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There's either green or pink, get the right colour and you can get it from anywhere.

missyredline

7 posts

189 months

Monday 21st July 2008
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nickj911 said:
Is there a method to re-filling a 1999 996 with coolant?? Just fitted new radiators and saw in another add about a boxster that you had to rev to 4000 revs and fill then drop revs and put cap back on. Is there an art to re filling the coolant on a 996??
To make bleeding 996 easy you must lift the metal lever on top of the black valve on the expansion tank. When all is well and you have followed standard proceedure and levels correct (best left over night)drop the bar and drive.