Strange Fluid Coming from under car - pic attached

Hello All In the last few days I have noticed a small pool of fluid under the car when I pull out of the garage. It's almost clear with a slight yellow tinge, a little greasy and acidic to thh taste (yes I had to taste it...). I recently changed the oil and bled the brakes and clutch, so I was initially worried that maybe I had left something unscrewed....however the liquid is pooling and then dripping from part of the plastic protection. The picture attached was taken from the rear passenger side wheel looking across to the rear driver side wheel. I've circled the areas where drips seem to have formed... Could it be something to do with air conditioning being used recently with the hotter weather? Thanks!

That area is where the power steering reservior is located. Do not know if you track your car or not, but there are incidences of power steering fluid leaks being induced by track conditions due to heat. In any case, you should have it checked out.

Yes either power steering or if you bled the clutch, could be that you didn't get the valve tight and it is leaking, but either way you should get it checked out if you can't spot the cause yourself.

If you haven't done it yet, it's fairly quick to check your power steering fluid level.

I stuck the rear end on a jack last night and checked the clutch fluid nipple - no fluid coming from there so it must be somewhere else (power steering perhaps). It's just so strange that it pools on little drips on the plastic...almost like it's coming through the plastic, but I can't see any holes? I will check the power steering fluid levels this evening...but I'm having Porsche look at it on Tuesday next week.

Globespy, why don't you remove the plastic cover underneath..?

Any household pets? Could it cat piss? Sorry..couldn't resist that reply. Really see the dealer.

note to self...never shake some ones hand after they come from under their po

In answer to to the above: The leak has subsided since the car was driven yesterday. The car has never been tracked, only driven with spirit when conditions permit....the idea of having the power steering issue that folks have mentioned as a result of track use would seem inappropriate, no? I think I will have to remove the plastic covers and then take the car for a drive on a nice sunny day then check for leaks when I get back....hopefully something won't die because it gets hit by a pebble under the car! Sheesh! Quality time under it? I guess each to his own, I prefer being on top of the things I ride LOL - Cat Piss! I do have two cats but they have never been in the garage! Thanks for everything, I am confident I will figure it out.....will report back.

Ok.....I decided to investigate things further. I learned how to access the engine...that was a fun ride! Seriously, checking the power steering fluid levels should be easier.......seriously! This post includes several still pictures and a short 2 minute video (link to YouTube site) of the problem area - I'm hoping one of you Porsche geniuses can figure this out! Anyway, the power steering levels looked fine. I checked them when the car was completely cold. According to the manual I should see fluid beneath the word 'cold' on the dipstick....and yes the liquid covered the little indicator arrow under the 'cold'. So perhaps it's not power fluid? But what fluid could it be? I then removed the rear plastic under panel to expose the area forward of the oil sump/filter area as the leaking liquid seemed to be pooling down from the plastic cover. I started the engine and waited.......the problem only seems to occur when the engine is running and for a short while after it is shut off. I saw the water forming on a bolt that holds a flexible tube to the engine. I tightened the bolt thinking maybe it was lose, but the water kept forming. I initially thought maybe it was coming from the bolt itseLf, perhaps indicating a worn seal of some type, but after repeatedly drying the bolt I eventually recognized that the liquid was coming from above the bolt in question. Directly above this bolt is a spinning wheel with a belt going around (not sure what part of the engine this relates to), so I could not get my finger inserted too far without losing it! I think the liquid is coming from just above this bolt - SEE THE FOLLOWING TWO PICS I HAVE HIGHLIGHTED FOCUS AREAS. The first pic should give you a sense of the area of the car. The second is a close up of the are where the fluid seems to be leaking, and the direction of the flow: YouTube Video Link of 'Leak in Action': YouTube - Porsche Leak.MOV

Looks like coolant and a leak at the pump axel, not a mechanic...

Thanks.....the liquid is slightly oily, but has more 'water-like' properties. Since these engines are water cooled, where does one add the water/coolant? I was considering unbolting the bolt to see if I could investigate things structurally, but have no idea if that would cause all the coolant/water in the engine to gush out? Does anyone know if this looks like a 'big repair bill'?

Do not unbolt the bolt or yes you will have coolant coming out. Coolant is added topside, but I would suggest taking your car to your dealer and letting them fix this under warranty.

Ok.....more quality time under the car this Sunday morning trying to figure out the leak location. A quick check of the coolant window (cold car) indicates that the level is pretty much at low....so I'm leaning heavily towards a problem with the coolant system. I was 'hoping' it was perhaps a loose bolt, and a couple of quick torques with a wrench would have me in happy land. I noticed that the original bolt where the drip was forming was not where the liquid was coming from. I spent some time with a flashlight and camera and have identified that the liquid is definitely coming from somewhere behind the turning belt (is that the water pump wheel?). See the attached picture - edited with comments: I also made a very short movie of the leak. Whilst it's not the best focus it's easy to see a shimmering dotforming just between the bolt and the fan, before it begins to trickle around the bolt and downwards to form a drip: YouTube - Waterpumpleak.MOV Any ideas?

I actually just found this video! YouTube - Porsche Water Pump Replacement If it's my water pump that's dead, then this should be a great reference to replace it! He is working on a 996, but states that the 986 boxster pump is the same. My car is a 987 so maybe there are some other differences. What's most encouraging is that the drip location is EXACTLY the same as mine, what's different is that the color of the liquid is very different - his is green, and mine is almost clear. I am hoping this is just the color of the fluid in mine. Also, he talks of hearing a noise related to one of the pulleys and that he identifies it as his water pump. Days before I noticed the drip from my car I posted a new post talking of a strange noise that had just started being noticed. Again, I am hoping that it's all related to the water pump. http://www.planet-9.com/cayman-boxster-tech/46745-deep-internal-engine-noise.html#post469117 Thoughts?

My car is a 2005 Boxster S......warranty ran out, so I guess I am on my own. My PCM2.1 Nav screen died and my power roof had a malfunction (caused some damage to parts) exactly 25 days after my warranty expired and they charged me full Porsche price for the repair. I had no luck at the other dealer here in Seattle, nor from my letter to Porsche......

I was checking out cost of parts from Pelican They have the OEM Porsche water pump for $271 and also a version from 'Laso' for $209. They look the same, so wondered if anyone had any experience with using Laso products? No reviews on Pelican parts, but there are also no reviews for the OEM part. I like to think that Pelican parts only stocks quality parts that they know about?

some people say to use a pump with a metal impeller

Since my coolant is at the minimum level and it's Sunday, could I use a product from my local O'reilly - it's Prestone Brand which I have heard is ok to use in the porsche? Prestone AF2100 - Antifreeze/Coolant | O'Reilly Auto Parts I figured if I have to replace the waterpump, I will also have to replace all of the coolant, so this would just be to tide me over until I get the repair competed.

Does the OEM Porsche part have a metal impeller? I noticed that the shipping weight of the Laso part is larger then the Porsche (3.57lbs versus 3.35). Either it's got more metal parts or a stupidly designed box.....

i dont know about getting a metal impeller...i just read about it,some say to use po only anti freeze. while you are in there change belt,idlers,slack adjuster,flush system ,any old hoses and clamps. a tool for refilling helps a great deal....and you thought this was gonna be easy and cheap...not

LOL - nothing is cheap with these cars. I will get the quote from Porsche and then price the parts from Pelican and figure out the difference. It all depends on how many of their $250p/h hours they quote for getting this done...... I am not working right now, so have a lot of time on my hands, and it's kind of fun tinkering with this hunk of metal.

Why not price the parts from one of our sponsors as opposed to that other place? I know our sponsors can match or beat their prices.

Hi K-Man! Thanks for the reminder. I know that when I initially checked there was a reasonable delta between that 'other place' and Suncoast. I am of course more than happy to place my order through the sponsor if you can recommend how I approach price matching with them (any forum etiquette). Appreciated! Sean

Quotes source post: 469117

First thought is that the coolant in Porsche cars of this vintage is PINK, (I think). If your car has other than Porsche coolant in it or if it was a coolant mixed 50:50 with water and someone used tap water, well, that wears out water pump bearings. Has bits of iron and minerals in it. If the pump isn't making noise and your leak is minor, you have some time to get everything you need to fix this or, if you're not interested in doing it yourself, find a reputable non-Porsche shop that will do it. Be certain they replace with real Porsche coolant and only use distilled water if this coolant has to be mixed. Non-dealer shops are something you should look into for an out of warranty car. Their labor rates are about 1/3 lower and many use Porsche trained mechanics and good people. I have a shop in my area that has a Porsche mechanic, a BMW mechanic, a Ferrari mechanic and a NASA trained mechanic. The place is spotless and more than half of the guys working there also build race cars either for themselves or others. They have state of the art alignment and tire balance equipment and lots of common parts on hand there. In short, it's a great shop, just not saddled with the expenses that a dealer has.

Forgive me if my question was dumb, but how do you know the level of the coolant in your car?

No such thing as a dumb question. Pop the trunk and look on the right had side underneath the oil/coolant filling caps and you will see a 'see-through' plastic window with Max/Min level. You should see your coolant. If it's not all that obvious, a nice trick is to open the coolant cap (the blue one) and shine a flashlight directly inside the container and this should illuminate the liquid. Hope that helps.

I decided to top up my 'on the low side' coolant this afternoon - I plan to change out the water pump in a week or so, so wanted to be on the safe side. I followed the advice from Pedro's garage and bought a gallon of Prestone Long life. Something really strange happened - the drips stopped. I took the car for a long drive and put it through it's paces, came home and left the car running in the garage...no drips. Now I am confused as heck - especially with the video/pics I shot throughout this thread. Maybe Prestone has some magic inside..... but I will still plan on the pump change

Day two since adding more coolant and still no drips! Very weird. However, there is a new 'ticking' noise from the engine, so I am thinking that the water pump may be about to lose it's sh!t sometime soon...ordered the replacement parts from Suncoast today - what amazingly competitive prices they have on genuine parts!

I'm pretty sure the WP on my 06 CS is heading south too, so I'm doing research & found this thread. Some have reported catastrophic WP failures involving fragments from broken vanes circulating through the cooling system, engine blocks milled by contact with vanes and shafts/pulleys breaking off entirely. Best advice: park it until it's fixed.

Parts arrive tomorrow so it will be fixed! I'll be posting some pics of the replacement process - I ended up deciding to have a local shop do the work as I found one that is trusted by other P-car owners.