Fixed my leaky 996 water header tank *with photos*

Decided that I am to tight to spend £135 beer tokens on a new header that will no doubt split again anyway due to it's weak points so I went to B&Q and picked up a glue gun for £19 instead. My new top of the range Stanley glue gun Taken this photo to show how much needs to be removed or disconnected to take the tank out and put back in. Air pump and airbox swan-neck fully removed, disconnect the two fuel lines (1 x 17mm & 1 x 19mm don't worry, they spray a little but no fuel leaks out) all hoses tied back, unclip the Silver alloy pipe and push down while pushing / pulling tank. These photos show the offending areas This photo shows the amount of glue I used, looks overkill but you can't see it when in situ so more the merrier IMO Using a glue gun is best as the end result goes off like tough durable plastic which is flexible to handle the heat and keep the water in the tank. A job well done I'd say. Taken it on a good drive and left it running until fans cut in a few times and all is dry as a bone Hope this threads helps a few of you out :thumb:

Good idea using a decent glue gun & glue, needs to be a very hot melt glue though as the tank gets to 100 degrees at least + high pressure, will be interested to hear if it holds up. My attempt with a pp kit just pushed off under pressure but the flex in the glue will hopefully hold it in place. How much time do you think it took to take out and replace (not including the glueing) When I replaced mine with the new tank I had it out and new one in, filled and burped in about 45mins, I didn't have the spoiler pump to worry about though 8) . BTW the weak points have been strengthened slightly on the replacement tanks by some fins to stop the tank from expanding into a ball (it's always on the right angles that it goes as the pressure tries to blow the shaped tank into a sphere)

Bit of an obvious question, but apart from needing to keep topping up the tank is there any other way of knowing if this tank is leaking? :?: I have to fill mine about once every 2 weeks, so it is obviously leaking somewhere but very slowly. Is it just a case of feeling if the underside of the tank is wet, or is this likely to be a leaking pipe somewhere?

a lot of time the tank splits on the seam and you will know if its coming from the tank by signs of coolant on the n/s cam cover/coil packs. you will only know it does this is if you leave it ticking over to build up full pressure and it will start dripping down the inner n/s of the engine onto the floor other places it could leak are from the coolant cap , think the latest generation ends in .04 also front radiators are common if clogged with leaves

hmmm you better hope it IS the tank and not your water jacket leaking into the crankcase, my tank didn't actually feel wet underneath and it took me a long time to find it. The splits are on the hidden side so you cant see anything visible, the water on mine trickled down the wheel arch in a very thin stream that you could hardly see. It worked its way down and onto the manifold so the first sign I had was a sweet hot smell as it was burning off. If you leave the engine running when it starts to leak you may be able to follow the drips back to the source but doubtless it will be the hidden seam that have split. It'll be interesting if Lloyds gluegun works, could have saved myself a few quid!

Yeah, thanks for looking on the brighter side of life - Geeesss!!! After jacking the car up yesterday a nice stream of coolant ran out from beneath the tank, so it's either the tank leaking or a pipe coming from the tank, so I guess that's the next job. Lloyd - is your glue holding up???? I have a glue gun and a couple of sticks, so may give it a go. How long did it take?

In the long term I would be surprised if a hot melt glue will work. The only thing that might work is a 2 part structural adhesive which will stick to polyethylene or similar low surface energy plastics and withstand the temperature and water. Try DP8005 from 3M and leave it 24 hours before installing. If you need to find a local stockist give me a pm.