996 Turbo Coolant

[surfymark]

Hi there!

So picked up my Tip Turbo on Friday and have been having great fun in it.

One issue is that yesterday I got the Check Coolant Level message pop up. I checked as soon as I got home and it was indeed below the Min level. I topped it up to the Max line with water. I will add some antifreeze later.

The Service History mentions Coolant Loss (asked to investigate on several Services including the most recent one).

Is this a worry on a car that was supposedly serviced before I picked it up on Friday afternoon and have only done around 100 miles in? Can I just keep it topped up and not worry too much?

cheers
Mark

[VonSenger]

rads? or broken hose? is it warrantied?

[surfymark]

Yep 12 months warranty (Indy one though).

cheers
M

[davek_964]

Rads are the most likely suspect (see if you can smell coolant around the front wheel arches with the engine running at normal temp), but I also had coolant leaks from the engine side (pipes) when I bought mine.

Expansion tank cap is a known weak point - see if there is evidence of leaking there (white crust around the threads when you take it off). It's a cheap replacement anyway and would rule out one possible cause.

[surfymark]

davek_964 said:

Rads are the most likely suspect (see if you can smell coolant around the front wheel arches with the engine running at normal temp), but I also had coolant leaks from the engine side (pipes) when I bought mine.

Expansion tank cap is a known weak point - see if there is evidence of leaking there (white crust around the threads when you take it off). It's a cheap replacement anyway and would rule out one possible cause.

Hmm will take a look.

When you say the Expansion tank cap, do you mean the Coolant tank? Where you fill up the Coolant?

This cap was recently replaced according to the SH and there is no white crust there.

cheers
Mark

[davek_964]

surfymark said:

Hmm will take a look.

When you say the Expansion tank cap, do you mean the Coolant tank? Where you fill up the Coolant?

This cap was recently replaced according to the SH and there is no white crust there.

cheers
Mark

Yes, that's what I meant - but it sounds like that's already been ruled out.

[surfymark]

Ok so just took the car for a fairly hard ride (let it warm up nicely first then a few boosts). I had filled the coolant right to the top with water.

When I got back I checked and the coolant was back down well below the Min. I left it about half an hour and went back and checked again and it was still there.

So I spoke to an amateur mechanic (knows his way round engines generally but not Porsche engines. He said it has to be going somewhere. Either it is leaking out (no puddles we can see) or going into the engine block itself.

We took the oil filler cap off to see this:



and this:



These don't look good!!

Just edited to say the car had a new head and head gasket and associated parts done just over two years ago at a Porsche dealer.

M

[Mr Freefall]

surfymark said:

Ok so just took the car for a fairly hard ride (let it warm up nicely first then a few boosts). I had filled the coolant right to the top with water.

When I got back I checked and the coolant was back down well below the Min. I left it about half an hour and went back and checked again and it was still there.

So I spoke to an amateur mechanic (knows his way round engines generally but not Porsche engines. He said it has to be going somewhere. Either it is leaking out (no puddles we can see) or going into the engine block itself.

We took the oil filler cap off to see this:



and this:



These don't look good!!

Just edited to say the car had a new head and head gasket and associated parts done just over two years ago at a Porsche dealer.

M

Mark

Get your indy to do a pressure check, and when the engine is warm so the thermostat is open. If you have been driving the car in the cold weather and and have been on many short trips, then the gloob happens between the tempreture difference in the engine and the colder part of the filler pipe end. Basically, the difference in temps draws the mositure out of the air here, and the white stuff is the result.

So clean all this off with a rag, just wipe it off, replace the cap. If you are driving the car, keep and eye on the cap and the watter level.

Hopefully the pressure check will tell the tail of a leaky hose, or rads.

Hope that helps, good luck

Gary

[Mr Freefall]

surfymark said:

I will add some antifreeze later.


Mark

Mark, only use Porsche Antifreeze, do not mix the Halfwits stuff witht he Porsche antifreeze.

If you dont mine me asking, who did the service and who is the warentee with?

Cheers

Gary

[surfymark]

The service was done where I bought it from (as was the last service) which is Finlay Gorham.

Not sure of the warranty right now but it was FG who arranged it.

Where is the best place to get Porsche Antifreeze? Is there someone online that is good for this? I also need some wiper blades so someone who does both would be good!

cheers
M

[steve singh]

Top it up again, go for a blast and then get a torch and check the rads at the front for any leaks.

[Mr Freefall]

surfymark said:

The service was done where I bought it from (as was the last service) which is Finlay Gorham.

Not sure of the warranty right now but it was FG who arranged it.

Where is the best place to get Porsche Antifreeze? Is there someone online that is good for this? I also need some wiper blades so someone who does both would be good!

cheers
M

http://www.wiperblades4u.co.uk/ get the Bosch ones.

Porsche Antifreeze, OPC, speak to an indy, or one of the indy Porsche outlets, Design911 Jasmine Porsche etc. Dont forget, Porsche antifreeze is made with special moondust, hence the "pants down price" you are doing to pay for it

Let us know the outcome of the leak.

Gary

[surfymark]

Mr Freefall said:

http://www.wiperblades4u.co.uk/ get the Bosch ones.

Porsche Antifreeze, OPC, speak to an indy, or one of the indy Porsche outlets, Design911 Jasmine Porsche etc. Dont forget, Porsche antifreeze is made with special moondust, hence the "pants down price" you are doing to pay for it

Let us know the outcome of the leak.

Gary

Ok thanks for this. For the wiper blades, are these no good: http://www.wiperblades4u.co.uk/22-inch-retro-fit-v... I have them on my wife's Ford and they seem to work well there. Or should I stick with the tried and tested Bosch?

cheers
Mark

[Mr Freefall]

surfymark said:

Ok thanks for this. For the wiper blades, are these no good: http://www.wiperblades4u.co.uk/22-inch-retro-fit-v... I have them on my wife's Ford and they seem to work well there. Or should I stick with the tried and tested Bosch?

cheers
Mark

Personal preference. I went with the Bosch ones.

[Magic919]

Bit more than personal preference that made me choose Bosch wipers; the nearside wiper needs to be curved to suit the 996.

[surfymark]

Magic919 said:

Bit more than personal preference that made me choose Bosch wipers; the nearside wiper needs to be curved to suit the 996.

Really? There is a curved one but it doesn't come up if you click the Passenger link in the site recommended earlier.

It is £20 as opposed to £8 for the standard one, does it really need to be curved?

M

Edited by surfymark on Monday 14th February 15:40

[surfymark]

Also in terms of the Antifreeze. I can only find Design911 and Type911 who stock this. They price is as £8 and £9 respectively but once you add VAT and Delivery it comes to £16 and £15. This seems a lot!

Anyone else who doesn't charge the earth for Delivery? Otherwise I might just go and get it from my local OPC (any excuse for a drive!)

cheers
Mark

[Homer J]

surfymark said:

Ok so just took the car for a fairly hard ride (let it warm up nicely first then a few boosts). I had filled the coolant right to the top with water.

When I got back I checked and the coolant was back down well below the Min. I left it about half an hour and went back and checked again and it was still there.

So I spoke to an amateur mechanic (knows his way round engines generally but not Porsche engines. He said it has to be going somewhere. Either it is leaking out (no puddles we can see) or going into the engine block itself.
M

Check under the front of the car in the morning for small pools of water, just in front of your wheels. If there's any chance of any water evaporating off the concrete etc before morning, put a tray underneath so the water can't escape.

I just had all 3 rads replaced on mine last week, your symptoms are exactly the same as mine.

PS, if it is rads, get mesh fitted over the vents in the bumper. Why Porsche didn't do this anyway??????

[Mr Freefall]

surfymark said:

Really? There is a curved one but it doesn't come up if you click the Passenger link in the site recommended earlier.

It is £20 as opposed to £8 for the standard one, does it really need to be curved?

M

Edited by surfymark on Monday 14th February 15:40

No they done 'have' to be curved, Mine arnt and they are fine.

Mark you have a PM

Gary

[Sunnysidebb]

Homer J said:

Check under the front of the car in the morning for small pools of water, just in front of your wheels. If there's any chance of any water evaporating off the concrete etc before morning, put a tray underneath so the water can't escape.

I just had all 3 rads replaced on mine last week, your symptoms are exactly the same as mine.

PS, if it is rads, get mesh fitted over the vents in the bumper. Why Porsche didn't do this anyway??????

+1
Make sure the air con is off as this runs the fans so its harder to smell for a coolant leak.
The expansion bottle is a known area for heat/stress cracks which cause slow leaks.
If you are still worries about the heads, there are a few signs to look out for.
If the head gasket is leaking into the water way it will pressurise the expansion bottle so you will keep seeing signs of DRY coolant around the cap and bottle side. The coolant is blown out in one guff when you are driving so there might not be any pools under the car. Dead give away is a smell of exhaust/fuel in the expansion bottle or a blackish oily scum forming around the inside of the bottle.

If the water was leaking into the block, at the rate you are filling it up you would have known by now. A couple of pints of coolant in the engine and the oil will be milky. A quick test of the oil is to undo the drain to a Turbo oil can. Because they dont hold much oil you wont have to worry about it Pi$$ing everywhere when you undo the nut. It should be ,well..... an oily colour.lol

You maechanic will want to do a cylinder leakage test and a compression test. This will indicate combustion products are escaping, but might not be so good if the water is not being pressurised by the cylinder.

Question.
Why was the head removed, were you told. ie did it blow a head gasket or was it for the same problem as now.
Was the head checked for warping??
FRank

Edited by Sunnysidebb on Monday 14th February 17:17

Edited by Sunnysidebb on Monday 14th February 17:19