Found my coolant leak 😐 - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Took awhile but finally found where my leak was. Seam on coolant tank. Got to temp, drove 3 miles, checked trunk and found a few drops. Looking closer it's the seam on the top of the tank. Could of been a lot worse. This ought to be fun 🙄

Are you going to repair it or take it to the shop?

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I'm going to replace it myself unless it's harder than it looks. Watched a few videos. I think, hope, I can do it..

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Not difficult if you approach it right. I went in from underneath to get most of the hoses loose. took the aluminum plate off to gain access. a few of the hoses are easier to get to if you pull them into the trunk with the tank then take them off. After you do it once and see how you should have done it... I think it can be done in 45 minutes to an hour.

Disclaimer; I have never tried/done this myself. I remember a thread from somebody who just cut the leaky tank into pieces to remove it. Instead of trying to take it out in one piece. IIRC it makes it easier to access some of the connections/clamps from the top side.

If you still have the factory clamps, it’s worth the money to buy the special tool that removes them. Makes the removal and replacement Of the clamps much easier than channel locks or pliers. While your in there, check and replace the oil filler tube. Mine cracked while I was replacing the coolant tank. Good luck man.

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+1 on this idea... You can do this. I did mine all from above, except for draining coolant. take pictures Taking old tank out doesn't take that long, even less time cutting it up. Using the remove hose pliers helps helps a lot with install.

OK. Removing clamps... bring the hoses into the trunk... etc. Couldn't those hoses on the engine side just be cut. In half. And replaced as part of the install of the new tank? I'll read about guys replacing their AOS... getting all hung up on removing the bellows... the rubber part at the very bottom of the old AOS. It can be a pain to get the clamp off. Me? I just cut mine in half for it was going to be replaced anyhow. So... along those lines... couldn't those engine-side hoses just be cut close to the tank... remove the tank... toss the tank... replace tank including new hoses? No? Incorect? Am I missing something?

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I wondered about this approach. Must be a problem because I'm not finding much on it. Thanks for all the tips. I'll post my progress.

Definitely get cable pliers. I found taking old out is not the headache, it's getting all the clamps, oil fill tube on after the new is in place. Those items on the engine side of the trunk wall. Basically laying under the car and using the cable pliers to re-attach and clamp everything. At some point this part can't be avoided. The oil fill tube will be potentially brittle by this time in it's life

Got me engine uncovered. Thankfully it all fit through will my top in place. After looking at the inside I see what a tight fit this is. Quick question though. What's this bracket? Seems to serve no purpose.

JBauer, I believe it is to hang the engine from the top while removing the engine/gearbox mounts on the bottom (at least it is what I use it for on my 987) .

I did this job two summers ago. I posted what I learned here. http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/72900-coolant-tank-replacement-post-replacement-observations.html In my case I had no luck pulling the tank into the trunk to disconnect the hoses. In the engine compartment the tank has rubber hoses that run forward 4-5" and then attach to hard metal lines. Instead of disconnecting the hoses from the tank manifold I disconnected them from the metal lines. They are much easier to reach and you can sort of see what you are doing. See the linked post for more info. Also get your self a set of the cable actuated clamp pliers. They come in handy.

It’s not a very difficult job, but it sure makes you wonder about the over-engineering and logic(?) behind the approach that was taken in the coolant tank design. Way over complicated. I jacked the back of the car up rather high to avoid air entry into the open lines. The cut up the old tank with a RotoZip tool and disconnected the lines from the leftover flange after pulling it int the trunk as much as I could. Remote hose clamp pliers were a godsend. They helped in replacing the oil filler tube which I ordered for this job too. It’s in the damn way and was brittle enough to break apart with a mere sideways glance. I’m glad I put it on the parts list. I also removed the underside diamond plate to reattach a couple of the lines; some were too awkward to connect from above, and yes, stainless steel worm drive clamps were used instead of the originals. There’s a special place in hell for those things.

Did this last year after 20 year old reservoir was cracked and leaking around the back where you couldn’t see it. Echo all comments here: wasn’t a walk in the park but not overwhelming. One point: spend to get a high quality reservoir. Mine leaked through the bleeder valve assembly/wouldn’t hold pressure, and little metal clip snapped off from the cheap plastic. Had to spend more to get Porsche genuine bleeder valve assembly to fix it...all good now.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll keep this post updated as soon as I get the parts.

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That's the route I'll be taking.

One thing I found when doing mine was if you remove the main wiring harness into the trunk and pull it back into engine compartment you have a great access hole right next to all the hose connections. I was able to reach through that hole and reconnect the hoses without having to contort myself to do it from the engine compartment. Re-connection was very quick this way. Wish I would have realized it when taking it out. Also +100 for the remote clamp pliers.

I see where unhooking the wiring idea would give an access hole. Scarey to unhook all those plugs.

Hey JB, this might help… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFNlXAs20mU Is the plastic coolant tank kaputt? I am still wondering, why a possible crack cannot be fixed and sealed properly again?