Coolant Leak - is it the pump?

Got the flashing coolant light today on way to lunch... turned around and parked it only to notice pool of coolant in my parking spot. So I think it is my water pump. It is leaking from these two arrows in the picture... Can anyone say with some confidence if this is a bad water pump? I like to DIY when I can, but am thinking of taking it in because my coolant is a very light green. (like watered down, and shouldn't it be pink?) Figure let them look at it and do it right... and try not to let them talk me into any extra goodies. well, maybe not try too hard.

So what started as a whining noise @ 2600-2800 RPM is going to be an engine build - at least that's what I was told. What initially was thought of as the diff ... now diagnosed as the oil pump. I was told that its ok and its safe to drive, but what I noticed is that its getting louder and louder. Better safe than sorry so to speak - though I haven't heard of an oil pump failing. The car did have about 8 ignitions of Range 6 when I bought the car almost 2 years ago. I was told that perhaps that caused the oil pump to start to go out. Needless to say, I'm going to get a second opinion. Though if the engine needs to get cracked open, other than rods and Sharkwerks coolant pipes .. what do you guys think should be considered as "while you're in there" ..?

more probable that it is a crack in your coolant reservoir (common failure)

Hate to see this but, Water pump, plugs, coils, and consider your tune at this time. If you choose to go E85, injectors may be added to the list. Oil pump? Haven't searched the thread (don't attack) but, I can state that its uncommon for the 997.

Crazy thing- I filled it with water and ran the engine to operating temp. No more leak. Drove it home (2 miles) and still full and no leaks. Still will do the tank swap then hopefully not have to move onto anything else. thanks

Tensioner, Rollers, Water Pump changed last year .. belt was done 2 weeks ago. I suppose I'm just trying to get the collective wisdom of the forum as to the thoughts and opinion.

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Quote: chuck.....i think i may have this going on with my car. my temp gage was flashing so i got out and checked the fluid levels and it was low. so i filled it up and a few days later it happened again. the temp of the car never went past normal though, thank god, because i was nowhere near home. today, i peeled back the carpet in the rear trunk and saw a pool of coolant on the trunk floor. i could also see it dripping underneath the car by the pass. rear tire. i'm guessing that i have a cracked reservoir. is this hard to change out?

And for wisdom, you came to the right spot. Not entirely from me but, other members also. Spark plugs and tune would be the only two things I would have left now that I understand you current rebuild situation. With your current status, I may have laid the tracks in front of myself. Your one step ahead.

Could be Air/Oil Separator problems...

Talk to Boyan (Ms4cd) - he is in your neck of the woods BUT getting his car done (REBUILT) here in LA - that is how i met him... he may bounce a few ideas w you. Also are you trying to stay stock ish ? Under 800 HP crank at all times ? or possibly get the itch later on at some point ? Good luck Saint Ari

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Quote: I know zip about Boxsters but my neighbor has one and works on it himself...I'll ask him...

Where you seeing the oil pressure come up slowly after a startup? Basically, the oil pressure should build up after about a second or so - mine is starting to take about 3-4 seconds to come up and that is not goo! I was wondering if you saw that before you had this issue?

thanks chuck! you're my herooooo! i think i have to replace it and i'm wondering how big of a pain in the butt it is to do.

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Quote: sitting at idle it will not come up.. once you rev it it should come up rather quickly... when driving better be on max (5) at all times

I had found the following link the other day... it is boxster specific. http://www.dietersmotorsports.com/te...h9-03-2003.htm hope it helps. sorry to hear my pcar was not the only one out of commission this long weekend.

My comments are... It depends on how much you are willing to spend and do you think you want an increase in power. If more power is a thought, now is the time to increase to 3.8 (if its a 997.1) with new sleeves and pistons. Rods and injectors would also be required if you desire 800+ hp. If you go the power route, a few external items would be nice. Intercoolers, Y-Pipe, throttle body, intake tubes, methanol injection, mufflers, exhaust and mapping the ECU. I'm probably missing one or two items but I think you must be getting the picture!! It would wind up anywhere between $30k and $50K+ depending upon your upgrades. Otherwise, just having the coolant tubes welded, plugs and coils would be fine. Have a compression test before teardown just for peace of mind. Drive down to Coalinga 10/24 and watch the 1/2 mile races. Or perhaps NOT!! It might persuade you to go the power route!

^^thanks for the link! i actually ended up dropping her off at the shop yesterday so they can fix her up. they mentioned about the clamps needing replaced with better, longer lasting ones. i think the project is more than i can tackle. haha! i'll be getting her back in a few days. she has a cracked in the bottom of her coolant expansion tank. =(

if the pump is failing I am assuming assuming you are getting a new pump OR at least get it taken apart and ultrasonically cleaned ... I did that w my pump and my case as well

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Quote: Judging by the fact that it is clearly not leaking from those two arrows I would say no. In the picture you can see a stream of coolant coming down the left side of that hose. This is typical of the reservoir being cracked as it will run down and drip off of other components. I have seen cracked reservoirs leak down along the exhaust and then down the tip, convincing some that the coolant is coming out of the exhaust when in reality it was just the reservoir. This is an easy fix but unfortunately the reservoir is easiest to replace with the motor out of the car. The good thing is that it's NA and a decent Porsche tech should be able to drop the motor, replace the tank, and get the motor back in the car within about three hours, though the whole process will call for charging more book time than is needed at the average shop. Hope this helps!

I don't have an issue with the oil pressure. My indy mentioned its the oil pump since she "thinks" the sound is coming from there. Truth be told, when he handed me the stethoscope, I didn't hear anything from the oil pump area when the engine was revved up. Second opinion it is. I'm really hoping I don't have to tear everything down.

You can do a 3.4L without an engine drop... I did mine on my 2001, but there is an extra bracket on the new tanks that you cut off. Its for the fuel filter on a C4 or GT3 I believe... 3.6L or Turbo you need to drop the engine a few inches. Cheers Aaron

if your going inside the motor you need to do oil pump with a gt3 double squirter , head bolts and rods. have the heads looked at possibly sonic clean everything and a simple port and polish on the exhaust side. nothing drastic all new gaskets bearings and rings if they are needed. button it up and break it in. everything else is outside the motor and can be done in stages

excellent DIY at Renntech.org http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=8024 must login to see. and should be able to do without dropping engine......

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Quote: "... she '' thinks '' "... That's a pretty thin diagnosis to tear into one of these engines. Oil pumps are very reliable. Gear driven. Well lubed. Hard to imagine one going bad. In other engines the gear pump gears were rather thin and side wear of the housing or the gear wheel -- in cast iron blocks -- could have excessive clearance. Have you removed the oil filter housing and checked for any scary debris in the filter element? Drained the oil? Run an oil analysis to see what if any "wear" metals are in the oil? Engines can make a variety of noises, and some from serious problems, but seldom from an oil pump. You need a 2nd and even a 3rd opinion before you give an ok to tear into the engine.

I did it without dropping the engine... hint for others: Once old tank is out, remove the bracket that the coolant tank hangs from, otherwise I could not get the new tank back in. in the process of putting the new tank in, I broke a nipple on a hose... a hose that retails for $130... ****! picked up the hose today and will install tonight. I sure hope that is it. I have a bad feeling about it look like it was leaking from the other arrow in my post above... Hey, what do you guys think about me just putting water in for now? Rather than the liquid gold and risk losing it anyways.. I figure use water tonight and once confirmed all good, drain, flush and put in the porsche stuff?

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Quote: the 997tt comes factory with teh "gt3" dual pick up oil pump. i have never heard of one go bad and i doubt the OPs is bad. OP have you tried cutting the oild filter and seeing how that looks if there are any metal shavings there? i would take the car elsewhere and get a 2nd and 3rd opinion before opening the engine up to replace oil pump.

^^mine leaked for a few days and i just replaced it with distillled water rather than the "liquid gold". i figure, like you did...they are just going to drain it all out anyway. i spoke with my mechanic about it and he said it would be fine for the short time i drove it. i purchased the coolant myself at a parts store and just brought it out to him so he can have it all ready to go. just keep checking it and make sure it doesn't run too low though!

What happened to this case? I hope he didn’t have to tear into the engine. I don’t know why Ops don’t update these threads for us to learn.

I would replace the hose first and see.

OK... what next? at this point I think the coolant is coming from behind the pulley in the top of the picture I posted at start of this thread. water pump? after this damn tank I am almost over the DIY bit with the cooling system. Might just take it in to one of the local indies. I'm also thinkin intake and evoms tune while it's there. That way I don't have to say she is in the shop for repairs.

The most common issue is the coolant expansion tank and then it drips all the way down etc.. where you're showing. Dan's got a write up of the whole issue/fix here: http://sharkwerks.com/porsche/techni...sion-tank.html

Yeah I did the tank, and also replaced that hose you mentioned. Right now that hose is bone dry, not a mark on it. When I put my finger up behind that pulley (top arrow area in this pic), can feel the water as it makes its way down to the bolt at the lower arrow. I think the dribbles on the hose in the first pic is from me filling the tank with water and overflow dribbling down. Any ideas?

yayyy...i get to pick up my baby tonight with her new coolant expansion tank and clamps. you'd think i'd be excited over getting a new mod or something, huh? lol! i haven't had her for a week now! my pcar tech is a way cool guy. he's driving her all the way back to seattle from his shop in bremerton, which is 1.5 hrs away. we take both our 996 and 986 to him!

oh that's cool... rub it in. I'm still stuck driving my beater.... wah!... anyone got any ideas on my issue? puhlease... thanks

might need a new water pump... http://www.renntech.org/forums/index...howtopic=15737

thanks for the link looks like way more fun than the coolant tank

Mine just did the same thing. The water pump rotor is plastic, and was busted up. It was leaking and running a little hot. Putting in an aftermarket one now. I hope those plastic bits got flushed out.