996 coolant leak front wheel arch??

[iaiin]

Hi
Noticed i was loosing fluid & could not see where from? It was not into engine (thank goodness!!) I have carrera 4 (year 1998) I have been told common leak is water filler cap (nice cheap & easy) but wasnt that! Then another fault is coolant filler bottle cracks! Not that! seems to be water from drivers side, offside plastic wheel arch, there is a rad there, so either that or pipes? what is most common? & could i fix this myself?
cheers

[MrC986]

sometimes the system will leak slightly where the rubber pipes join onto the aluminium pipes through age. I would suggest you take it down to your local garage &, ask them to put it up on the ramp & take the under trays off to pinpoint exactly where the leak is as it is easier than fiddling around on the floor. ..also get some proper Porsche coolant (be warned it isn't cheap but ask for a discount & if you are a PCGB member, take your membership card;-) )

I hope it isn't a leak from one of the rads BTW...l hope it is a simple problem

[BliarOut]

Easy enough DIY if you've got a decent jack and axle stands.

[sportsandclassic]

Hello,

It is most probably a radiator as you say. Get it checked out asap as any coolant leak on these cars is not any good.

Not the easiest job diy but not impossible.

Mike

[Vixpy1]

I'd say its a rad... exactly where mine leaked when the rad failed.

And Mike, can you reprogram keys?

[Homer J]

99% sure that's a radiator.

My Turbo went just in the same place.

You can replace just the one holed rad or take the plunge and replace the lot while the bumper is off.

[dumpy]

Thats where mine leaked from when my rad went. If 1 rads gone chances are all are on way out. Take front bumber off (Google it for positions of fix points.) I replaced both rads and aircon rads myself wasnt hard and cost about £600 in parts. Porschapart did Hella (same as original and new) for half price of Porsche. Did it on my drive but spent a while on google getting tips etc. better than 2k most charge for this job!

[matsleight]

and just like the others +1 rad has gone - my turbo had exactly the same symptoms, same place etc etc

[iaiin]

dumpy said:

Thats where mine leaked from when my rad went. If 1 rads gone chances are all are on way out. Take front bumber off (Google it for positions of fix points.) I replaced both rads and aircon rads myself wasnt hard and cost about £600 in parts. Porschapart did Hella (same as original and new) for half price of Porsche. Did it on my drive but spent a while on google getting tips etc. better than 2k most charge for this job!

Thanks, will get my mate to look, shame as seems quite common?

[iaiin]

MrC986 said:

sometimes the system will leak slightly where the rubber pipes join onto the aluminium pipes through age. I would suggest you take it down to your local garage &, ask them to put it up on the ramp & take the under trays off to pinpoint exactly where the leak is as it is easier than fiddling around on the floor. ..also get some proper Porsche coolant (be warned it isn't cheap but ask for a discount & if you are a PCGB member, take your membership card;-) )

I hope it isn't a leak from one of the rads BTW...l hope it is a simple problem

Cheers, why get porsche coolant? is it any different? It is not the price it just seems everything you want from porsche is order? Dont they hold stock of anything?

[iaiin]

Homer J said:

99% sure that's a radiator.

My Turbo went just in the same place.

You can replace just the one holed rad or take the plunge and replace the lot while the bumper is off.

cheers

[iaiin]

Homer J said:

99% sure that's a radiator.

My Turbo went just in the same place.

You can replace just the one holed rad or take the plunge and replace the lot while the bumper is off.

I have had protecting mesh put in scoop to stop this!!!!! typical!!!

[sportsandclassic]

Vixpy1 said:

I'd say its a rad... exactly where mine leaked when the rad failed.

And Mike, can you reprogram keys?

You have mail.

[sportsandclassic]

iaiin said:

MrC986 said:

sometimes the system will leak slightly where the rubber pipes join onto the aluminium pipes through age. I would suggest you take it down to your local garage &, ask them to put it up on the ramp & take the under trays off to pinpoint exactly where the leak is as it is easier than fiddling around on the floor. ..also get some proper Porsche coolant (be warned it isn't cheap but ask for a discount & if you are a PCGB member, take your membership card;-) )

I hope it isn't a leak from one of the rads BTW...l hope it is a simple problem

Cheers, why get porsche coolant? is it any different? It is not the price it just seems everything you want from porsche is order? Dont they hold stock of anything?

Hi,

The antifreeze in modern engines also needs to have anti-corrosion protection for the aluminium blocks etc. The coolant specification is G12 so just buy it from VW or Euro car parts.

As for Porsche not stocking this they should hold 1L bottles in stock by the dozen and have it in bulk too.

Mike

[iaiin]

sportsandclassic said:

Hi,

The antifreeze in modern engines also needs to have anti-corrosion protection for the aluminium blocks etc. The coolant specification is G12 so just buy it from VW or Euro car parts.

As for Porsche not stocking this they should hold 1L bottles in stock by the dozen and have it in bulk too.

Mike

Mike , cheers it all seems to ready mixed now days? quite a few 1 ltr bottles if so, its a 50 /50 mix if neat and needs to be oats based ?

[the other me]

I had a pipe split/come adrift (don't remember which it was) above one of the front wheels. It deposited all the coolant in very short order, giving me a sideways moment that I still don't know how I recovered from.

[Diesel130]

Just to add to the other comments... very common problem, due to the small gap between the water and air con rads, they get muck in there and rot. Mine did the same summer before last.

I had an indi fix mine, but I heard that if you go down the DIY route bleeding air from the system afterwards can be a pain and best to have some special equipment to help (can't remember what you needed - maybe someone else can chip in)..