Coolant expansion tank on an '02+

Looks like I need to replace my plastic expansion tank. Dealer wants $700. I'm usually pretty good at doing easy to moderate DIY stuff, so I checked out the write-up on Renntech. The problem is that the DIY is for a '99, and a search shows that '02's and beyond are more difficult, either because the tank is bigger or the engine is wider, leaving less room to work. Some people have lowered the engine a few inches to get the job done. Although I've heard that dropping the engine is not that difficult, the idea of that sounds a little over the top. Can anyone advise me how much harder an '02 tank is to replace? Do I have to necessarily drop the engine? Can I do this DIY without too much frustation? Some people talk about removing a tab from the new tank to make installation easier, but the location of that tab is poorly described. Does tab removal make it possible to change the tank without the engine drop?

A coolant reservoir is $77.35 at Sunset Imports (in Oregon). The engine needs to move only a few inches so it is easily supported with a jack. Maybe add 15 minutes to the whole process.

I've noticed a not drastic but measurable drop in my coolant level. First, how do you know if you need a new reservoir, or maybe just a new cap? If a new reservoir is required I'd like to do it myself. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being Dagwood Bumpstead and 10 being the guy from Goss's Garage, how much skill is required?

If your cap part number (on the top) is 00 then you definitely need a new cap. I would try that first a cap is only $11.

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Both the cap and reservoir can be pressure tested but there's an adapter and gages required so I would say a 1-2 but only if you have the tools.

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Great price on the tank.. Thanks for the advice. I didn't find anything here or at Renntech on the procedure to lower the engine the few inches required. Any advice or links?

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The cap number ends in 01. I'll get it tested. I'm not too concerned, I've had the car for 9 months and have had to top it off just once.

I'm not a master mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but I used the DIY directions and pictures and replaced the coolant tank on my 99 996 in about 2 hours. In my case I found that it had the strange effect of causing abusive language....which went away when the new tank finally wriggled into place. Not a bad DIY really....just have to watch the temp probe on the bottom of the tank...you can break it off if you're not careful....new one is only about $11 and I ordered one just in case....didn't need it. I did have some issues after installing the new one of losing coolant for about ten days...but it turned out that it was just air in the lines which burps out over time. I used turkey pans so that I could retrieve the coolant. Worked great. Some of you may want to put in new coolant, but I heard it's lifetime stuff.

I did this on my 02 just two weeks ago. Took three hours - I in fact did drop the motor...and more than a few inches. I absolutely *hated* the job, but it wasn't difficult per se. Just very frustrating and it also had the effect of inducing bad language. As I told my wife...removing the tank was as painful as giving birth. I'd do it again though...to save $500 to have a stealer do the job.

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How did you go about dropping the engine? Did you find instructions somewhere or are you just naturally talented?

I've dropped a few air cooled 911 engines in my time. Dead easy. The job at hand is actually a partial engine drop because you only lower the back of the engine rather than the whole thing. 1) place floor jack with wooden block under engine - tricky bit is to make sure the engine is supported on the strong seam that holds the two halves together rather than on one of the delicate castings that forms part of the coolant system. There are posts about this here on Rennlist - search for "jacking all four wheels" or something similar. There's a good thread with photos. 2) Remove the two nuts that hold the rear engine cross brace onto the chassis mounts. 3) Slowly lower the back half of the engine. In my case I went as low as I could go to the point that the crossbrace was completely clear of the studs and it was still difficult to get the tank out. The advice I was given was to only *loosen* the nuts but leave them threaded on the studs and lower the engine only as far as this would allow. That wasn't low enough for me. 4) On re-assembly - make *damned* sure the cross brace is seated onto the rubber engine mount at each corner. Just jacking the engine up in the middle didn't seatthe brace on the passenger side. I had had to jack at each corner (using a rubber mallet handle as an extender) to get it to eat seat right. I could reach up with my finger and feel for a (lack of) gap. I then torqued the nuts to 65 ftlbs and Robert was my father's brother. I'll admit it will be daunting if it's your first time, but if you've got the tools, and are mechanically inclined, it's pretty simple.

Thanks for the help, jasper. I had to look up "Robert was my father's brother" !

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Can you tell I've moved to the UK? I still got it wrong though...I should have said "Robert is your father's brother. They say "Job's a good'un" over here a lot. Generally that have a lot more ways to say stuff here than we do in North America. The language is very entertaining and they are constantly joking or making puns or rhymes. :::: Here's one: You'll look **** if you drop the lump in your Porker and then not get it fastened up right afterwards. Good luck anyway - if you do decide to do the job, buy some earplugs for the kids. Be prepared for 3 of the most painful hours of your life!

I read thru all this and had to laugh....in addition to being Porsche afficianados and having that common bond....looks like we have a common denominator in vocabulary under certain circumstances.....

Oh I wish I could laugh, I think I'm going to do this myself on my 2002 (I'm not leaking much, but I'm leaking and dealer quoted just north of $600) I ordered the tank. Two questions for those who have done it: 1. Aside from dropping the engine, is the actual tank removal/replacement any different than the Renntech DIY? 2. Did you filter your original coolant before replacing, or just go straight back out of the turkey pans? Ok a third, more of a procrastination thing: I've had it six months, driven it very hard, and have only added about 8 oz of distilled water. no drops, no pools, no coolant smell from exhaust, but dealer does confirm it's got a little leak. I didn't drive it for about a month and at that time it did start with a little puff of white smoke, but not since then. Should I bother yet? Is there a benchmark at all for how many ounces of fluid per month/ 1000 miles would get you worried about imminent failure?

OK tip time. 1) Do it now, get it over with. It's cracked. If you procrastinate you'll end up having to do it at a time when it's not convenient, like the day before your daughter's wedding or something. Do it now and you are in control! 2) Don't drain the coolant using the engine drain plug. What I did was disconnect one of the little hoses which was tee-d off of the main hose on the bottom of the tank. I then drained the tank into a (clean) 2 litre pop bottle, and then poured it all back into the tank when I was done. I didn't filter it, but use our best judgement. No need to drain anymore than just the tank, you'll end up in a long drawn out burping procedure. 3) The MkI DIY is applicable. It is pretty obvious what needs to be done once you get in there, just not obvious *how* to do the job. The key is that the tank slides out of it's mounting bracket sideways and then it drops down, or at least it would drop down if there was space. Sounds easy, but it isn't because the engine is in the way, and the coolant hoses, and the fuel rail, and some unrelated hose clamps, and the chassis of the car, and the top of the engine bay, and I think some A/C hoses, and the hood hinges, and your hands. I'm pretty sure they nstall the tank first at the factory, and then the engine. For sure they would actually. It will definitely help to scream obscenities at it. If you do that while closing your eyes and just reefing on it, then it will magically pop out without you knowing how it happened. Do be careful not to snag anything important on the way out though... Look forward to hearing how it goes!

Thanks for the nudge Jasper, that advice was the dog's bollocks. I guess I am just dreading the scraped knuckles (and wrists, it looks TIGHT in there haha). Thanks for the tip on the drain. The idea of flushing and burping the whole thing was a major inhibition (as was buying an engine stand, which I guess I don't really need), and after reading your response I just smacked myself in the forehead. I'll pour back in with a filter in the funnel if it's nasty. RE: #3, I guess it's a little hard to visualize the sideways (esp how to clear the temp probe) without the engine dropped, but for your amusement I'll put this m*th*rf**k*r on youtube if I don't wuss out and hire an indy. I'm going to re-read the DIY and see what tools I'm missing tonight.

The first thing you want to do is remove the level probe and put it somewhere safe. If you look at the new tank you will see how it can twist out without damage. Don't pay an Indy to do it dude. It's really not that bad (hhhmphh) .

02 is very very different....I had to laugh at the DIY instructions because there was no easy way to do it in my 02. The motor mounts had to be disconnected and the motor lowered, the fuel line needed to be disconnected. I disconnected one of the coolant lines to get clearance -- it's a large rubber hose with a wacky metal clip and metal fitting on the end of it. The job requires cursing.

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I looked at the fuel line, but could not see how and where disconnecting it would help me. In my case the tank was hitting the fuel "rail" and this wasn't coming out without major surgery. I should also mention - my indy lent me a tool to compres the metal clips. In hindsight not having that tool would have added soem time and language to the process. Seems to be one constant throughout these posts though. It's a sure fire opportunity to cleanse one's body of foul language.

2002 996 C2 65k mile, coolant tank replacement 1) Use method of your choice to remove coolant below the coolant tank. 2) Remove air cleaner, air pump. 3) Lower engine (really not that bad) basically put piece of wood on jack. jack point the small 2 rectangle shape behind the oil pan, jack up slightly to put load on the jack. (lift the car suspension up 1" or less NOT the car tires stay on ground) Unbolt the two 18mm engine mount bolt. Make sure the jack is solid, you can stack something on the both sides under the oil pan (old phone books, wood ..) just in case your jack gives out. IMPORTANT: Unstrap rubber holder to power steering fluid hose top right engine compartment get pull down when engine gets lowered. Slowly lower, make sure the catalytic wires on the right aren't being pulled, the driver side wires aren't an issue either is the ac hose is ok. You want to lower it as much as you need but still have the jack holding the engine. I think around least 3 - 4 inches. This will give you more room to disconnect the coolant hoses. Be careful the engine will be easy to move side to side. 4) Only need to disconnect the hoses that connect to the tank and the small one on the T couple. You don't need to remove the hose to the aluminum pipe in the back. I used slip joint pliers with closer grip mode, but tool would be easier. 5) Remove coolant level sensor from tank 1/4 turn clockwise towards the front car and pulls out, then disconnect wire put safe place. 6) Now Tank you now should have enough room to slide off the black tank mount, move vent hoses around to give you more room to move around. Now the trick is to remove black mount there are two 10mm bolts, left is easy once the tank is moved to left, but the one closer looks not possible. But if you push the tank to left front corner tilt it, this will give you just enough room to put a 1/4 inch drive 10mm socket and universal joint adapter. It's not on too tight should come off easy you just have to be patient. After black mount remove the coolant tank will be much easier to remove and install. The job is still a pain in the *** but very doable don't need to break black mount and only install with one bolt. IMPORTANT: I don't think you need to remove the big fuel rail bolt 19mm as other forum post suggest. Very important from the porsche workshop you need to counter force when loosen and tighten. 'Counter' meaning hold 18mm bolt on the bottom of the 19mm the fuel rail is made of softer metal brass if you break or crack this would be bigger and costly problem. reinstall engine mount jack up the engine and lift up the suspension slightly this will make sure the engine mount set. Now put bolts on and tighten bolts 63ft lbs. 63ft lbs for tightening engine mount bolt 8-10ft lbs for other should be good. 22ft lbs for fuel rail bolt General Tip: wear long sleave shirt, so arms don't get scraped up, tape loosely hard to reach bolt to socket when mounting.

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Can anyone elaborate on this tool? I smelled coolant and saw a noticeable dip in the tank when I got home yesterday. I'll try the cap first, but the tank is pretty yellow, I don't think it'll hold much longer anyway.

Ok, I just finished this job on my 04 C2. It took... - about 3 hours, - lowering the engine until it started to load up the suspension - removing the bleed cap on the fuel rail - unhooking any and all of the hoses between the engine and the reservoir, except for the conduit. Tips: When removing the fuel rail bleed cap be sure to loosen the fuel fill cap first to reduce system pressure. Use counter-force when loosening the bleed cap, and remove that cap slowly to allow the fuel to slowly seep out. It will stop after about a half cup drains out. Be sure to have something to cover the fitting once the cap is removed; don't want contaminants getting into the fuel system. I used the finger of a nitrile glove with a rubber band to hold it in place. To facilitate removing the hose factory hose claps, I recommend getting the factory tool. If you're set on avoiding that expense, you'll need a set of small channel locks (1-1/2" opening) and a set of bent needle nose pliers. When you remove the lower coolant line from the reservoir, have something ready to shove into the tube to prevent coolant from spilling everywhere. I used a discarded nitrile glove because I hadn't thought ahead on this step. I wasn't able to finesse the old reservoir out. Once I got it rearward (car position) of the black bracket, it took pulling, twisting, and a good bit of muscle to get it out. Getting the new one in was much easier, but both operations require moving the front around as well as the rear.

This is great info as I will be doing mine next week. My drip was dripping down onto my cylinder #1 coil ( which had cracks) causing a misfire. So the car is sitting until the new tank and coil are in. Such valuable info. Thanks everyone.

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This removal step is where I heard cracking noises and broke the bracket. Either I was clumsy or you were lucky. Thanks for posting your experience with this - tricky job IMO.