Recently bought an 06 Boxter base. 85k miles. Pre-inspection said brakes were at 45%, small water pump leak, ignition starting to go, needed some work on convertible top, and a new
battery
. Got the top, ignition, and
battery
fixed before buying. Drove it for three weeks no issues (except a little white smoke and a strong gas smell for the first minute or two of start up on a cold engine. Kept an eye on the temp gauge, which always in the middle. No stains underneath my car after parking.
Scheduled a 'yearly inspection' with a local
porsche
garage here in birmingham alabama. They reported more or less the same thing and went ahead with getting the water pump fixed and flushed the coolant. Drove it the day I got it back for maybe 60 miles, no issues. Parked it in the garage during the week. Got in it after four days of letting it sit and started it up. Bam! 'low coolant warning'. I checked the tank in the back...bone dry.
http://i.imgur.com/YXRjIQ9.jpg
Checked under the car for stains, also bone dry.
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No dampness in my trunk (though that prob would've disappeared over the last 4 days I'd guess.
The garage has solid 5 star ratings, so I think it's unlikely they missed any huge leaks or incorrectly installed the water pump. Is it possible that they just forgot to fill me back up with coolant? Could they have left an air bubble so bad that it could've drained my entire tank?
I'm ignorant regarding ANY kind of car maintenance so I'm not sure how to proceed here. Should I just buy some of this
https://www.amazon.com/Prestone-AF2...dp/B000GKTYNI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1503248396&sr=8-8&keywords=porsche+coolant
and dump it in? Do I need to flush it first if I'm using a different brand coolant than they are (I'm assuming they are using Porsche coolant)?
Thanks
My guess is the shop did not burp (clear air out) of the coolant lines after the WP change.
There is a manual method (easy but done over a few days) and a quick method using air pressure in the system to force the air out.
I would call the shop back (plus you'll find out if they deserve their rating) and ask them what they think and see if they have a coolant system pressure device to do the job. Fairly quick (< an hour) issue to resolve if they do.
Good luck,
Eddie
P.S. Small coolant leaks do not always present as a puddle as the hot engine evaporates the water and only leaves the pink residue where the leak is.
It's not uncommon for air to get trapped in the system breaking into it to replace a water pump. You should bring the car back to the shop to thoroughly inspect the repair to insure a leak-tight system.
My suggestion is to top off the coolant with a 50/50 mixture of
Porsche
coolant and distilled water. It shouldn't take more than about a quart to bring the level to the maximum. As you continue to drive the car, more air may work its way back to the reservoir over time, so repeat the process as necessary. In a pinch, 100% distilled water may be used without concern. Please let us know how things turn out.
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Yep - agree with above comments. This is a very common issue - even factory fresh cars have had issues reported. Apparently properly filling coolant in a
Porsche
is one of the more challenging issues of our times.
When I bought my used
Cayman
I had to add almost a gallon of coolant/water, which freaked me out. Took it in to
Porsche
- they tested cooling system and said no issue - it had never been properly filled. Have not had to add any more coolant in the intervening 3 years.
Yes, getting all of the air out of the system is the hardest part of changing the water pump. It took me a couple days of warm/cool cycles and topping up before the level stabilized. I'd just top it off and keep an eye on it.
that's what they told me to do. gave me the brand of coolant they used, bought it, topped it off once, drove it, it barely dropped.
thanks everyone.
Hate to resurrect an old Post but... Replaced the water pump, vacuumed the lines, filled the tank and the coolant overflows after a short drive. Any advice? Oh and the engine light comes on after a bit. Still an air pocket?
