996 running in hot hot climate

I may be getting my first 996 soon. I read that the cooling system was upgraded somehow in 2002. In the hot climate of FL (when you can see cars steaming on the side of the road everyday in traffic) does a 3.4L have any issues? IF so are there ways to mitigate that at all? Thanks experts.

No, it's watercooled and will be fine. The AC will blow cold too!

You may want to do a regular clean of your radiators - they tend to get full of cr@p! No really, leaves, dead brids, plastic bags etc etc... Other than that you'll be fine.

Add the center radiator if you think there might be a problem. '02's and later flow more air thru the radiators and have 3.6 motors.

No problems so far during the 115 degree Arizona Summers!

My went passed the "0" on the 180 while in stand still traffic on the hwy in Phoenix (115deg) with the AC on. But never beyond where it shouldn't be. just make sure your fluids are fresh or at least checked regularly.

I've only heard concerns when running on the track in hot (110 degree) weather

as long as the theres no leaks, the radiators arent plugged, and the fans are working you will never have a problem

Shouldn't be a problem. Here in FL ambiant temps often are in the upper 80's and 90's with plenty of humity...and the track temps often exceed 110 ++, but as has been said, the needle will "lean" to the right in the "0" in "180." Temp guage always requires policing as do all of the other functions to ensure that your car does not get into trouble. Good luck.

You people DO understand that when your temp needle is just right of the "0" in 180 that your coolant temp is 220F? If you don't think running at that temperature is a problem or robbing you of substantial hp, then I guess you dont have a problem. Engine is designed to run below 200F.

Alright then! this would not be an online forum if someone didn't come along and throw a wrench into the general consensus! ; ))) There must be some reason why the cooling system was substantially upgraded mid-model. I guess if 996s had zero cooling issues in hot weather then there would have been no reason to upgrade. That's why I asked.

Yeah, but most people who drive the new 997's swear that their coolant temp is always 175F.........cuz that's what the gauge says. That's about 20F less than acutual temperature. And, no, there were no substantial modifications to the cooling system mid model year, except they installed an even less accurate temperature gauge.

The optimal temp for an engine is about 190F. I live in LA and have similar hot weather to FL in the summer and have not have any high temperature concerns. The temps do run a little hot on very hpt track days, but it would not be detrimental to the engine unless you are running it for long periods of time. In general there is no issues unless you use the car as a track car, thus the 3rd radiator. For normal use I would not be concerned.

same here in greece.... no probs at all almost 4 years now and nearly 50.000 miles on the clock.... harris p.s. 3rd radiator is an option for additional cooling if you want

not for me again no prob.....around Athens Greece....115 F +

You may want to add Redline water wetter http://www.redlineoil.com/products_coolant.asp

Where is this documented? My 996 runs 215 or so (the zero in the 180) regardless of outside conditions. It's ALWAYS that temp. 40F in winter that's my temp. 100F on track at 100+ mph, that's my temp. The only time it's NOT 215F is when the car is warming up. Mine is daily driver and weekend track/ax car. Your contention is that this is beyond design spec? I find it hard to believe...

If your coolant temperature does not drop below 200F while driving steady above 65 mph, in any temperatures, there is something wrong with your cooling system - blockage of radiators, pump, etc. With proper air flow, your coolant should be able to maintain less than 200F degress regardless of whether you are tracking the car or wether it is 100F or 40F outside. I maintain 194F or less at all times in my 99. The air flow at speeds below 60 - 70 mph is not adequate due to bumper and radiator design and it is a Porsche design flaw.

Where on the zero are you guys talking about? It's my experience that the left portion of the zero is 200 and the right side is 215. Does that sound about right?

I ask again, where is this documented?

Where is WHAT documented?

The temperature! I looked in my manual, and all it says is the needle should be "in the middle" of the gague. The gague goes from 100 to 250, so "in the middle" of that range is 175. But the gague isn't linear, and has a smaller portion from 100 to 180 than from 180 to 250, so it is very hard to determine from the manual what the "right" temperature is, although "in the middle" is about 190-210 ballpark. Also, from looking at the gauge again, I could say mine runs around 205 rather than 215 ... but it's all needle widths and guessing given the gague markings...

You will suffer no long term effects at 200 or 220, the car will make less power but componet lonevity will not be noticibilly effected. From a horse power perspective you will make more power at 200 or lower. THeres lots of porsche out there running at normal porsche desgined (flawed design) temperature that have no ill side effects of it

You can get the actual coolant temp from a scanner or from the hidden readings using your climate control panel.

Your car will suffer no long term damage if run between 175F and 225F. Running at the high end of this range will cause you some power loss, and if this is important more radiator is probably the best solution. I have only had my temps creep up on a hot (100 degree) track day. All of that said, if your car is always running at 215 then something is wrong, either with the gauge, the thermostat, or with something more material. In normal driving it should stay under 200, for sure.

You cannot keep a 3.4 engine less than 200F in normal driving at speeds less than 60 mph around town without modifications except when ambient temps are around 50F or less. There is not enough air flow and radiator surface to keep the coolant that cool. The engine will also not run any cooler than about 189F once fully warmed up even in the coldest of temperatures. Similar engine temps exists in the 3.6 engine but it is slightly better than the 3.4. On a sunny 85F day sittiing in rush hour traffic, the coolant can reach 230F quite easily and the oil temp follows. Anyone that does not think these kind of temperatures hurt the engine long term is kidding themselves. (especially if you run Mobil Water in your crankcase). If you want to maintain your engine temp below 194 in ALL conditions, all you have to do is complete my fan mod which allows you to run with the front radiator fans on full when necessary.

tell me, what gets damaged? what failures have you seen on porsches ? HOw many what kind of milage and driving conditions?

If you are just driving around you will never have an issue. If you are planning on doing extended track driving in the peak of summer, then you should upgrade to a 3rd center radiator. The size of the engine makes no difference. Here in Texas, I have seen a couple cars overheat at the track. Once it happens, they never seem to run the same. It happens with Boxsters and 911s. Since I run at the track regularly, I upgraded to a 3rd center radiator as a preventative measure. It isn't that expensive, a direct bolt-in and the parts are easy to get. It can be installed in a couple of hours with regular hand tools and a pair of jacks or ramps. Running the track on 100+ degree days, my car never goes over 185 at the track while several of the others without it are running 10-15 degrees hotter. My experiences have convinced 2 of my fellow DE runners to do the upgrade and both are also extremely happy with the results. Running you A/C (which will rob you of some of your power) also helps by circulating in the A/C condensers in front of the radiators help to cool the air before it enters the radiators. My car doesn't go above 180 with the A/C on, but I never run A/C at the track. The automatics, X51's, Turbo's and GT3's all had center radiators for additional cooling. There are no negatives to doing the upgrade. There is a FAQ on Renntech that lists the parts and gives instructions for the upgrade.

Please, do not think that what your gauge says is what the actual temperature of the engine is....it isn't. Your car would not run correctly if it was only 180F. Take a look at the actual temps and don't rely on Porsche' gauges.

That is about the most riddiculous remark I have ever heard of. Engine temperature is depends on many factors including air flow through the radiators. You seem to think that only the air flow throught the radiator matters, but you forget about surface area of the radiators, the temperature of the air flowing to the radiators, and the termostat that keeps the coolant flowing. The reason for the 3rd radiator is that it increase surface area to cool the heated coolant, and the fact that the 3rd radiator has better airflow to keep it cool. The reason why it may never run at 180F is that the thermostat is not set that low and not becuase of the air flow. All of the factor listed above does matter, so before giving advice please explain yourself better. You have earlier stated that the air flow and surface area is not enough yet now your saying adding 10X surface area and negative air temps can't cool it to 180F? I do agree that the 996 don't have enough cooling for racing enviroments, but it does well enough for most driving appplications. As far as the Mobil water please explain to me how can a F1 Cosworth engine run with 0-20 oil?

It also depends on volume and speed of flow, when the thermostat opens and by how much, as well as the friction of flow. Granted, I have no idea what your engine temp would be in the artic with 10 radiators but it would be interesting to test that one. The point I am making is that no 996 can run with an operating temperature of 180F.

My point is 1999 please tell me what componets you have seen (in person please no i saw on the internet experiences) fail due to the pooor design of the cooling system or from the mobil water?, Also how did you determine the failure, how many miles were on each car and how was the car maintained and driven? and every engine runs at 180 degrees, as its warming up

Shoots and scores. You beat me to the punch.

Scanner = OBD-II scanner I assume... How can I use the climate control panel to check radiator water temps? I'm not familiar with the "hidden readings" you refer to. How do I access it? Thx.

Press and hold in the recirculate and the top (arrow up) buttons on the right side of the panel for a few seconds. The left screen will change. Using the + key below that screen, adance so the display reads 6c. Then press the center vent button once. The display will show you your coolant temp. To go back to normal, simply press AUTO.

1999 you forgot to answer my question My point is 1999 please tell me what componets you have seen (in person please no i saw on the internet experiences) fail due to the pooor design of the cooling system or from the mobil water?, Also how did you determine the failure, how many miles were on each car and how was the car maintained and driven? and every engine runs at 180 degrees, as its warming up