Coolant Level

I checked through the older threads and thought that I should ask the question anyway. I have a 2007 987S with 15,000 miles and have noticed that about every 4 thousand miles, my coolant level (checked from the trunk of the car) is down below the min level. I have not observed any leaks so I would assume that there could be some evaporation? Just wondering if anyone else has observed this? Thx in advance.

I would suggest taking the engine cover off and looking at the other coolant cap in the engine bay to make sure that wasn't leaking. When I took my cover off, it was obvious where the coolant had sprayed by looking at all the dry coolant spots all over the cap ... Look at the right side of my engine around the area around the blue coolant cap . See all the white spots? That's dried coolant.

Your question prompted me to check and I noticed mine was also down below MIN level. Unfortunately I have not been checking it regularly so I can't comment if it is typically down this far after 4,000 miles.

A courosity indeed. I have an 07 CS with 20k miles and about 2 weeks ago I got a dash warning that my coolant was low. Never saw any sign of a leak either and I had never checked it before. It's been to the dealer a few times, e.g. Oil change, tires , 1-2 minor glitches and I assume it was checked at 12k oil change. Anyway, I checked and couldn't see any coolant, so i added about a quart to the max level cold. So, in 2.5 yrs. & 20k miles and didn't think it an issue?

I had a low coolant warning come on my 07' Cayman with 14,000 miles. The dealer couldn't find any leaks but ended up replacing my coolant cap . Hasn't been low since.

+1 on checking coolant cap . I also had a similar problem that turned out to be a loose hose connection. Once the hose was tightened, no more coolant loss. PITA to diagnose tho.

My low warning came on at 24k miles. Filled it and haven't had any problems since.

Hello ! I asked my Porsche center about coolant fluid and was told 50% antifreeze and of course 50% Water, he said "Tap water" but i have read on several forums that Destilled ( Battery ) water should be used ? Does it make any difference for topping up,lets say 1 liter ? / Regards

It's so easy to find distilled water at any drug store, don't take a chance on corroding your radiator.

I had the same issue about 30k miles ago. Talking with my service department, they told me that there should minimal coolant loss and that's over 30-40K miles. So, they took the car and looked at it and noticed a very small coolant leak from one of the hoses. All repaired under warranty at that time (I am at 63K mi. now, it is a 2006), and there hasn't been any coolant loss since then.

My check coolant was on twice in the last 2 days: I have a 07 S, and 12000 miles. I check it, and was low. I also had some coolant spots in the fill area. That'll be something to bring up with dealer at the next visit.

Just a quick heads up. Be sure that your engine is dead cold before you open that coolant cap or you will have coolant all over the place. This car is more sensitive to this sort of thing than any I have previously owned, including other Porsches.

Just checked under the deck: Sure enough, coolant splatter underneath from a loose fill cap . It looked exactly like PistolPete's photo. Tightened it up, let's see if that helps!

I've been experiencing this since buying my 06 CS last year. Never tripped the low coolant indicator, tho. Dealer didn't find any leaks but it was losing coolant and I could smell it sometimes. I had the engine cover off to change the air filter & saw the same spatter marks as in Pistol Pete's picture, but couldn't find the source. I'll check the tightness of the cap next time I have the engine cover off.

I usually keep an eye on my coolant but must have lapsed for a few months. I just noticed I was well below the min level. It took a liter of coolant to get back between min/max. I removed the engine cover to look for white spots as PistolPete recommended, but the lines/to/from that coolant tank are not visble in the engine bay for a Boxster . Anyone know how I could check immediately around that tank as it seems that is where folks are finding their leaks. Do I need to remove carpeting from the trunk compartment? There was a very small amount of white spots around the cap in the trunk so I cranked the cap down but not sure I can lose a liter in a few months through the cap , can I?

^^^^ In your situation I would get the car up on jack stands or ramps and carefully inspect under the engine. I would think a liter of coolant will leave a residue trail somewhere under there. Good luck!

I too would have thought I would have seen something, especially on my garage floor. But not a drop. I take a peek under and see what I can see. My level has been holding these last few days so I'll keep an eye onn that too. Much easier on a Boxster with the sight glass style tank visible in the trunk.

If you are inspired you can pull off the under panel just in front of the engine and look to see if your water pump is weeping from behind the pulley and check the hoses. I did this after buying the car just to look things over and found a trail of dried coolant coming from behind the water pump pulley. The CPO warranty took care of replacing the pump.

I had a similar problem with my 2006 Cayman S , apparently one of the hoses connected to the radiators lost a clip. It was repaired under warranty, the leak was small and it was not leaving any marks on the floor.

Factory manual says "distilled" water. Tap water has minerals which accelerates the deterioration of the anti-freeze's corrosion fighting ability. Sincerely, Rockster.

Only evaporation is via a leak. Could be anywhere but as others have posted and it is my experience too the coolant cap is likely the source. If the cap 's part number ends in '00', '01' or even '02' (though I think a 'new' cap came with an '02 part number) try to get a new cap that has a part number that ends in '03' or '04'. Be sure the coolant tank threads are clean and you install the new cap correctly. If level drops again, there's a leak but it ain't the cap . Sincerely, Rockster.

I just got my 2010 Cayman 2.9. The car has only 4K miles but the coolant level is way too low. (Is this normal on a new car?) I tried topping up with 0.7l (about 23 oz ) of distilled water and it's still below the minimum range. Obtaining a genuine Porsche coolant here is rather difficult, so is it okay for me to add more water for now?

Needing a bit of coolant when new happened on my '08. Probably just residual air working it's way out. Don't remember exactly but I think it took about a liter of water to top up and hasn't used any since. I believe Porsche just recommends water for this as long as it doesn't get excessive. Not sure what excessive is but I'd think under 2 L would be ok given the total volume of the system. However, if it keeps going down I'd check the coolant tank cap under the engine cover to make sure it's tight. If not that then chase down the leak.

Initial low coolant is a very common issue. The key thing is that the level doesn't keep going down. If it does you've got a problem.

As with other auto manufacturers, the Porsche coolant system is sealed. As a result, there should not be any loss of liquids. It is sealed. If there is lost the two areas are air in the system and or leaks. I have noted that even when the car has not been used for a few days that when I check my coolant, I will get a sound of a vacuum seal upon turning the cap .

For some reason, the design of the reservoir and the hose that leads to the trunk area (filler cap ) allows the vapors to condense. The condensation over time leaves behind a residue that hardens and looks like white sugar. This obviously leads to coolant loss. If the hose leading to the filler cap was not as long, there would not be this issue since there would be no means for the vapors to collect, cool, and have residual that doesn't leak back into the reservoir. Traditional cars don't have this setup and therefore almost never have these problems (like my Corolla). Especially in the summer, I would check your coolant levels once a month. I bought a gallon of Porsche coolant (expensive $30) and have a liter (50 coolant/50 distilled water) handy whenever I need to top off. Although, for small amounts of loss (i.e. less than a cup) pouring distilled water to top off is sufficient. From experience, top off when the engine is cold and fill to the MIN mark. If you pour past that, the system will just overflow it to the ground. The dealer replaced my coolant cap also during the winter maintenance service inspection. Like most people, the coolant system in the cars is reliable and difficult to fault for losses in coolant. :banana:

What is it in the coolant that is turning into a solid by condensing? And, not being able to turn into liquid again?