Simple 3-step complete coolant drain (updated w/ refill procedure + water pump tips)

Hi guys, Just want to share with you I've found a simple way to drain all the 6 gal coolant out. I've looked at other DIYs and even the factory procedures but they all involve disconnecting coolant hoses that are under the car, which requires removing the underside panels. I'm too lazy so I studied the coolant diagrams and came up with a much simpler way. The total capacity is ~6 gal and you will drain ALL of it if you follow the steps below. Real simple. 1) Remove the coolant reservoir cap and open the coolant drain plug at the bottom of the engine (SOP) and out come ~2.5 gal - all the coolant trapped in the engine block. Now put back and tighten the drain plug to seal the system . IMAG0861 (Small).jpg IMAG0893.jpg 2) Put a 5gal bucket under the big hose connected to the thermostat. This hose is the coolant return hose from the radiators in the front. Disconnect the hose and out come ~0.5 gal. Now this is the fun part. Introduce compressed air to the coolant reservoir neck (a few PSI will do. DO NOT EXCEED 10PSI . I used a simple rubber gasket to seal it). Be prepared, 2.5gal will gush out with force from the big hose - Congrats, you just drained all the coolant trapped in the front radiators! Basically the air goes into the radiators via the vent hoses and forces the water out from the big return hose. IMAG0884 (Small).jpg IMAG0866 (Small).jpg 3) After steps 1 and 2, you've already drained 5.5gal (>90%) so you can stop here if you're lazy. For the perfectionists, of course we need to track down that remaning 0.5gal. Where the heck is it???? You guessed it.....it's trapped in the heater core!! There's no valve. Forget about turning ON the heat when draining, etc. The coolant just recirculates the heater core whenever the engine is running. Now go disconnect the heater core coolant supply line from the engine and remove the two bolts holding the hard metal line so you can tilt down the hose like below. Remove the drain plug again and introduce compressed air at the hose side. 0.5gal will gush out from the drain plug and from the metal flange where the hose is connected to. Note this is the ONLY way to drain the heater core because the IN/OUT hoses connected to the heater core are at the top of the core. You can disconnect hoses all day long. Without force, the coolant will just sit at the core. Now go reconnect the two hoses and tighten the drain plug and you're done So in summary, the engine holds 2.5gal, the radiators and hoses under the car hold 3gal, and the heater core holds 0.5gal. There's your 6gal I used the cable operated hose clamp tool and a pick to break the surface between the hose and the metal part. Took me at most 5 minutes to disconnect each hose, if that. i think with practice, you can finish the above within 1/2hr. Note you need the uview vacuum tool to refill now that you've replaced all the coolant with air. Check out post#15 for refill procedures and some tips on water pump replacement.

Awesome job. Theres usually a way to improve on the DIY's posted. Makes me wanna go delete my coolant flush DIY. You may want to post on Renntech.

Most excellent.

Good idea! Wish I had though of that when I had replaced my WP.

This is simple and complete, well done! I wish I understood the refill method more clearly... can you take a stab at summarizing that with your pics of tools and steps... KISS principle!

Thanks, guys! @Krazy - thanks for the positive comments and not being offended. I always enjoy your DIY posts. I saw your coolant post on renntech but my ramps on my mid-rise lift are blocking the underside panels so I was forced to improvise...Btw, keep up with your great DIY posts @Viper - I'll replace the water pump and refill the system this wkend. I'll take some photos and add them to this thread.

Brilliant ! All of us need new water pump and the coolant flushing is always a pain

Thanks Phil! I plan to replace the coolant every few years. They are $30/gal + shipping from Sunset so it's a little over $100. Not too bad.

BTW, about the coolant type to use, I see plan to buy from sunset... is there anything we can use from the advancedautoparts and the like ? I see they are mostly blue and yellow at the local part store and it seems to be pink/red in our porsche...

Outstanding write up! Thanks for this. I was actually looking for a similar solution yesterday and you beat me to it! Cheers, TomF

Quotes source posts: 10173819, 10174084

You're in FL? Suncoast may be cheaper. You need to check though. Except for brake fluid and engine oil, I stay with the OE fluid because I don't have the expertise and time to do experiments on my own car. I remember Logray and Doug have used non-OE so you may want to search their posts. Thanks, Tom. Let us know if you find an easier way.

very cool, thanks for sharing... One thing I dont understand, that Porsche thinks that these 911 dont coolant flush... the dealer told me they dont do flushes as regular maintenance.

You can get Pentosin Pentofrost at Oreillys. They call it purple but its really more pink colored. Make sure you get the Porsche approved version of it.

Because they knew sooner or later you're gonna need a new coolant tank or water pump at which point the coolant will be replaced partially anyway Once I asked a service advisor if I should replace the coolant sometimes. He said, no worries, you're gonna need a new coolant tank down the road anway. Sure enough, my tank leaked not long after and needed replacement.

So I replaced the water pump and the thermostat and refilled the system. All buttoned up and tested. Everything seems fine. The impellers are fine but the bearing has some noise. Originally I just wanted to replace it as a preventive maintenance. Turned out I caught a soon-to-fail part. So quite happy about that. The refill procedure was quite straightforward. 1) Vacuum the system down to ~27 PSIG shown by the gauage 2) Mix the coolant - 4 gal mixed in the bucket and 2 more gals ready in bottles 3) Check if the vacuum holds 4) Prime the uview coolant filler tube . Submerge it in coolant and then connect it to the head unit. I placed the bucket a little higher than the reservior neck. I had to hold down the pickup hose so it stays at the bottom since it tends to rise up by itself. Never let the hose suck in air during refill . 5) Pour the 2 gal bottles mid-way. Almost all 6 gal went in (1.5L left so will see if I have some air in the system). IMAG0910.jpg IMAG0913.jpg IMAG0920.jpg IMAG0919.jpg For the notorious water pump bolt, I used a 1/4" drive 10mm deep socket to break it loose. Then I used a 1/4" swival 10mm socket + a 3" extension to unscrew it completely by fingers. No need to attach it to any ratchet. IMAG0898.jpg IMAG0899.jpg I found the gearwrench ratchet wrenches very useful for the engine bracket bolts. Also, I was able to use a Snapon 3/8" drive semi-deep 10mm socket 3/8" drive + an in-lb torque wrench to torque down all 7 water pump bolts. IMAG0906.jpg

Very well done! Thanks for posting this.

Why the cable actuated hose clamps my man? Do I need these or can I get away with good old channel lock pliers? Is it a clearance issue or what? thx

Viper it makes removing the factory type hose clamps MUCH easier than using coventional pliers.

Viper, yes like Krazy said. You can probably get away w/o this tool for these two particular hoses since they are very accessible being at the rear most of the car. The hose clamp tool is worth nivesting in the long run though if you work on multiple cars.

I just did my waterpump over the weekend and I highly recommend those hose clamp pliers, you will save yourself a lot of cursing. The UView is also another tool I would never regret buying.

Quotes source post: 10178306

As I remove the stock clamps I replace them with quality SS marine ones. Much easier to work with, IMHO. Theoretically, the stock clamps should be replaced each time they are removed. A little tension goes out of them every time they are expanded. In reality, I think it would take a couple of times before they start loosing their grip. Incidentally, the new replacement clamps from Porsche now come pre-opened and all you have to do is position the clamp, pull the blue tab and voila, it clamps down perfectly. Very nice indeed!

Quotes source post: 10179061

Yea, i was a little worried about reusing those stock clamps too. I'll keep an eye on them for sure. No leak so far and no coolant refill needed either after the vacuum refill. Will drive the car for a few more days with the bleeder valve open and see. The new Porsche clamps do sound interesting.

One thing that you have to be aware of with the standard SS marine clamps is that if you use an impact driver and you over tighten, you can crush and tear the hose or at the worst, crack the aluminum attachment point. I like to be able to readjust the clamp if I need to after a period of time, so the SS ones work for me.

Quotes source post: 10178354

Always looking for a good reason to buy a new tool... what is the manufacturer name? I'll look on E-bay and see what I see though I prefer the personal recommendation.

Viper, the one from Autozone works just fine. I think I paid @$30 for mine. http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=607069_0_0_ Also, Ahsai's knowledge is amazing. Wish he would post more DIY's in the 996 section at Renntech.

You can also buy them at sears for $40

Mine is a Mayhew catpaw and I have mixed feelings about it: Pros: rubber handles are grippy even with coolant on my hands. Well constructed. Cons: lock only when the handles are fully squeezed together. Not sure why but sometimes I cannot fully compress the hose clamps to the point that I could lock the handles. That is quite annnoying. It would be nice if it could ratchet or lock at multiple positions.

Thanks for sharing an awesome DYI.. You make Rennlist a better place .. Congrats

Quotes source post: 10181946

Thanks, Rob!

Thanks for the very useful information in this 3-step DIY. I noticed Pentofrost ++ in one of the photos from KrazyK. I've seen conflicting information from Pentofrost, O'Reilly, Redlinemotive, etc. as to whether Pentofrost ++ or Pentofrost SF is appropriate for 996 turbos. Pentofrost and O'Reilly both state that Pentofrost SF is correct for my 2003 996tt, so that's what I'm going to use to top off my coolant. Fingers crossed that this coolant (purple) is actually compatible with the coolant currently in the car (yellow). I'll post updates if this turns out not to be the case.

I don't have the answer but hope KK or others will chime in soon. Porsche coolant can be had for $29 + shipping per gallon (Sunset Porsche). I don't think Pentofrost is much cheaper per gallon, right?

Ben, The SF is silicate free and should be OK to mix with your old coolant. I used Pentofrost++ to convert to the newer Porsche spec coolant because I did a complete flush. They dont recommend you mix the two. They are both G12 and not A1. If your not doing a complete flush I would stick with the PF and not the ++. The newer type is expensive. Hope that makes sense.

I just followed the coolant purging procedure, and wanted to add that the 5 gallon pail is absolutely necessary especially when blowing out the radiators, I thought I could get away without using it but it made a mess of my garage floor, I did buy the pail but was going to use it for the new coolant..... I did not see a crush washer on the engine coolant drain plug, will hunt around tomorrow to get one. Also, make sure you have a 24mm socket to loosen the tensioner to remove the belt, my regular tool set did not have one, fortunately I found a 24mm 1/2" drive socket I bought almost 20 years ago to fix a faucet in my parents' house, came in handy today. The pick is a great tool and very useful, the cable operated hose clamp tool was not necessary, I bought it, but never used it, a large needle-nose Vise-Grip worked just fine to loosen the spring clamp. 1/4" swivel and/or 10mm 1/4" deep socket are absolutely necessary also, else you won't be able to loosen the couple of bolts on the water pump and thermostat housing. Finally, I ordered the G-13 coolant from an on-line store in the US and picked up in the US, I then found out at the end I could have bought them slightly less expensive locally here in Canada tax-in, serves me right to not do my homework......

Glad it worked out for you. So did you get close to 6 gal as well at the end?

Hard to say, since so much of the coolant from the rad ended up on the garage floor..... I think it's safe to say I've recovered 4.5 gallons in the various containers, and it's not too far a stretch to estimate about 1.5 gallons gushed out on to the garage floor. Just got the water pump and thermostat off after getting the 10mm 1/4" drive deep socket and the 1/4" universal, both are a must, and a few bolts were still not easy to remove, should be a load of fun to install these bolts back in with the new water pump and low-temp thermostat now!!

Let me know how it works out Ken. I actually found it easier to everything back together. I think the hard part is over.

All done. Got at least 5 gallons of the coolant mix into the system even after 3 vacuum pulls in between filling, will keep the burp valve open for a bit to see if the level comes down. Uview worked great! Another tip, make sure the old t-stat gasket comes off if your are replacing with a new t-stat, for some reason I didn't notice the old gasket stayed on the block, so had to R&R it the second time when I asked myself: "Hmmm, where is that old t-stat gasket????" AFTER I had already fought through and installed the two hard to reach upper bolts for the new t-stat...... Also make sure to clean the mounting surface well on the engine block side, I carefully used a fine-cut flat file, else you may not get a positive seal from the gasket, (don't) ask me how I found out. If you do use the Uview 550000, make sure the vacuum you pulled will maintain exactly unchanged over at least 20 minutes, the user manual suggests the system is air tight if there is no change in 20 seconds, that's not enough, I found after filling the system the first time I had a tiny leak from the thermostat gasket not full sealing, 1 drop of coolant every 30 seconds, but the vacuum had maintained over 20 seconds so I thought I was good to put in the coolant..... The vacuum was solid and held unchanged for 20 minutes after I cleaned the crud off the engine side of the thermostat mounting face, this finally confirmed an air tight system. The water pump gasket WILL stay on the block if it had never been replaced, as it is part of bigger set of gaskets for other things Porsche installed in the factory, so you will actually need to nip it off. Two of the water pump bolts are longer than the other five, they are for the two mounting holes on the water pump where there are two protruding sleeves on the back to align to the mounting holes on the engine side, so it's very easy to figure out. As others have done, I also jacked up the engine a bit to move the mounting bracket enough to get the water pump out, in fact I had to do this just to get the 10mm 1/4" drive deep socket in there. However, rather than just jack the engine up by the middle of the oil pan which I thought was not the smartest idea since that part/point was never intended as a load bearing point, I decided to spread the load across a 2x6 lumber, but then I noticed the bottom of the oil pan protrudes lower than the edge, so the 2x6 will still exerts pressure only on the center of the oil pan. What I did was get two smaller scrap 2x6 and put them on the edge of the engine block and on the long 2x6, I then jacked up the 2x6 so the two scrap 2x6 are lifting the edge of the engine block where it's the strongest, rather than the center of the oil pan........ No missing impeller blades on the old water pump so I'm happy, the bearing has a tiny amount of unusual noise when I hand spun it, so I'm happy too to get this item off the to-do list and added the low-temp t-stat at the same time. FWIW I ordered the parts from 928rsRus, great service, fast delivery, and best price in the shops who will accept a Canadian credit card, thanks Roger and Laurie, you guys are awesome!!

Quotes source post: 10659303

Nice work Ken. +1 on 928rus.

Just a few pics of how I support the engine block when I jack it up to relief the pressure on the exhaust mounting bracket. And a pic of the slow one-every-30seconds drip when I didn't clean the t-stat mounting surface properly.

Well done. I spent like 20min just to scrape off the old thermostat gasket completely. Part of it was like embedded into the block and impossible to remove.

Beautiful job!!! As a side note, because of all those places where the coolant hides, there are usually some air bubbles in the system after the refill. Be sure and check coolant level after driving a bit and top off!!

Quotes source post: 10678382

Good point. I only had to top off with a few oz after a few days to get it up to "max" (the level was midway between min and max after vacuum refill) and then the level stays the same after. Considering that 6 gal was drained, a few oz is negligible and the uview tool is truly amazing. Btw, I used the uview tool on my MDX and it was as effective. The factory manual asked for 4 to 5 cycles of engine warm up, turn on front heater, then rear heater, then refill, then repeat. I just say screw that and whip out my uview and it's done in 10 minutes.

I only had to add a very small amount after a couple of good drives. I mentioned the Uview tool to a good mechanic friend who runs his own import car garage, and he said he's been using one for almost 10 years! It is a great concept that also works very well, it made my second round of filling the system a snap, it was a difference of an hour or two vs. 5 minutes!

Don't know how I missed this before, but great write-up!

Quotes source post: 11341498

Thanks. I was surprised how easy and effective it was

Quotes source post: 10179061

You're not using the worm-drive type clamps, right? Those can put pressure on the fitting just under the screw and over time can cause cracking. The springy hose clamps distribute pressure more evenly.

Excellent write up, 6 gallons out, 6 gallons in, Thx.

Good work! Glad it helped.

Bookmarked. Fantastic job!

I used this method as well a few months back. Fantastic Although with the vacuum suck method, first fill only got about 18L in obviously there were air pockets in the front. Parked it nose down on the drive waited to warm up. Halfway there with coolant cap off it started to spew. Put cap on. Was afraid it would suck reservoir dry when t-stat opens and radiators filled up but it never did....so after t-stat opened it sucked water to the front rads (i could feel the tubes in the wheel wells getting warm). Revved as instructions. Cooled down, filled five litres (now filled 23 minus some small drips from the spewing mentioned) and went for a drive. Level is perfect since then. Iw as dreading this part of the water pump install but actually it was a piece of cake thanks to instructions on here! Many thanks. Mike

I am confused by the different versions of Airlift at very different price levels. I found a generic version for about 1/2 price and wonder if anyone has experience of it and could make a recommendation? It is FJC 43610. There seem to be several re-branded ones that look identical. Airlift do have several different models and their "economy" model is comparable to the generics? So which do Rennlisters use ? The 550500 Airlift 2 550000 550500INT 550500HD any others??

Quotes source post: 11516855

I have the 550000 http://www.tooltopia.com/uview-55000...FZJbfgodemYAEA It works flawlessly and with the adapters even on other cars I have. Don't know about the other ones though. I've read that ppl have success with the airlift plastic one (economy) as well.

Ah Ha! , so the economy one is plastic . So I wonder if the generic one is brass on the critical areas?

Quotes source post: 11517019

The one I got (the link above) is made of brass and it's worth every penny to me. The plastic ones are like $70 so we're talking about only $40 diff. Not sure about the generic ones. Any photo or link? I would suggest going for the known working ones as the space is quite tight where the tool hooks up to the reservoir's neck. No gaurantee that a tool with diff shape will fit.

Here is a link to various AIr lift vacuum refill tools: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...%20Airlift%202 here is the generic: Amazon Amazon I read elsewhere on the Forum that the version with the tapered adapter is faster & easier to use because it seals so well.Seems counter-intuitive to me.

great post, very informative I really liked the part about getting the last .5 out of the heater core makes perfect sense, if your going to flush, flush it all

Getting ready to tackle this job - along with a water pump & thermostat replacement, plus a radiator clean and other odds/ends. I'm having a hard time finding a suitable "simple rubber gasket" for sealing my air hose to the coolant reservoir. I know that a rock solid seal isn't necessary since the PSI load is low...any advice on what specifically to use? Or where to find something to hack/re-purpose? Thanks in advance!

Quotes source post: 12018738

I assume you are talking about blowing out the coolant trapped in the coolant hoses? If so, then you'd love at what I did, I took a plastic shopping bag, poked a hole in the middle for the air hose blower tip to go through, and held the plastic bag tight over the reservoir opening with my hand, then push the button on the air hose blower tip. Works great, but just make sure you have a big drainage pan underneath because the coolant WILL gush out!!

Quotes source post: 12018787

Great idea and very original Spruden, I just cut a circle out of a 1/8" rubber sheet and cut a hole in the middle of it to accept the air hose. Really no need to be air-tight at all. In fact, being not air-tight gives you some control on how fast you want the coolant to GUSH out Also, a few PSI is more than enough.

Quick update - I performed this coolant drain, water pump, low-temp thermostat, and refill procedure last week. Draining the coolant was simple. I found some gasket material to get a "good enough" seal on the expansion tank neck. Follow Ahsai's steps and you're golden here. The waterpump/thermostat combo was a bit of a pain - but totally doable. Just be super patient - make sure you get the engine carrier structure out of the way and there's clearance to remove/install from the bottom. Refill with the (worst titled product in the world) Uview Airlift 55000 was awesome to see. What a simple and efficient product to use. Even though the name is annoying the product is great...highly, highly recommended. No leaks so far - will continue to monitor coolant level and top off as needed.

Well done!

Sorry for the dumb question but how do you keep from exceeding 10 PSI when flushing out the old coolant?

Quotes source post: 12632852

You can set the air regulator to 10PSI or less. I just pressed a piece of rubber flap (hole in the middle to accept the air hose as shown in post #1) on the neck of the coolant tank that doesn't seal completely. I modulated the flow by allowing air to leak out partially. You don't need it to be air tight at all. Someone said they just use a plastic shopping bag to form a "seal" between the hose and the coolant tank neck.

Successful coolant drain using compressed air - thanks for the tip. I'm the guy who doesn't bother with the 2 litres in the heater core but somewhere along the way someone talked about a crush washer on the drain plug. There isn't one is there? jasper

Cool! I think the drain plug washer is #13 here http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-p...section=104-00

Subscribed. I'm adding a 3rd rad this spring, cleaning rads, low temp T-stat, WP be ready for TX summer.

Quotes source post: 13042846

Keep us posted!

Ahsai, Great Great write up. 1 question however. When preforming step 3 where you lower the hose, undo the coolant drain plug again, then shoot air into the lowered hose, do you do this with the big hose from the thermostat still removed? You make no mention of saying to reconnect it before step three. What has be confused is you say in step 3 that "coolant will come out of the metal flange and drain plug", no mention of any coming out of the big hose since it would I imagine if it were still disconnected, so there I assume it is reattached before step 3. But then you say, "Now go and reconnect the two hoses and tighten the drain plug and you're done." So since you say reconnect "the two hoses, so now it sounds the big hose was still supposed to be disconnected during step 3 since you say connect "the two hoses" which would have to be the big hose and the one which hangs down. Just want to make sure I do it correctly. Thanks.

Quotes source post: 13125045

Yes, with the big hose from the thermostat still disconnected. The steps have been optimized so no back tracking needed No, the coolant will only come out of the drain hole and the metal flange on the passenger side because those are the two lowest points. The big hose off the thermostat goes UP then bends down to the radiators, whose coolant was emptied in step 2. That is correct. Anytime!

Quotes source post: 10175752

This is a great write-up that I will be using in a few days to refill after my center radiator install. Only thing I caught which is pretty minor is the vacuum here is measured in inches of Mercury. So the above should be '~27" Hg'. Otherwise very nice job and thanks for putting it together. Will make getting all the little voids filled with coolant much easier.

Quotes source post: 13125471

Good catch! Let us know how this works out for you. Too bad it won't let me go back and correct the typo. The post is too old for editing already.

Ahsai,, after 3 years of this great write up, it is still the best,, water pump, thermostat replaced, thank you very much for your help,

Quotes source post: 13228283

Glad it helped and thanks for letting me know!

Ahsai, I just did my drain and LT thermostat this morning using your technique. Brilliant and SO easy. Worked a treat with minimal mess or fuss. Thanks again!!

Glad to hear it helped and thanks for letting us know!

Thanks from me too Ahsai! I was replacing my water pump / thermostat and found orange (not pink Porsche) coolant. I'd bought Porsche coolant to replace it but needed to flush the old stuff thoroughly to avoid even the possibility of a mix reaction. This and the airlift tool made it easy. :-)

Quotes source post: 13918839

Good to know it helped and thanks for post! Must feel good knowing you got fresh coolant protecting the engine.

Great thread Ahsai.Thank you for sharing all the tech details with us. I was apprehensive about using the compressed air to do the final flush that Ahsai did.I did not trust the pressure regulator down to 10psi on my old monster compressor. Instead I used a big shop vac (blow end ,not suck!) and that worked well.Just don't make a sealed connection between the shop vac hose and the coolant hose. You only need a high volume/low pressure air supply.It made a big mess on the floor!

Glad it worked out for you too! Yeah, really no need for much pressure.

Old Post, but thanks your instructions made this a cakewalk!!!!! And now on to the motor mounts.

Quotes source post: 14059189

Glad to hear! I've use this method many times now and it always works great.

Another thank you here! I will be doing this as part of a water pump replacement sometime next week. I ordered the Uview and it should be here this week.

Quotes source post: 10658893

Does the 10mm deep socket and universal have to be 1/4", or can they be 3/8"? I have all parts and tools needed but just noticed these to items are 3/8" and not 1/4". My guess is "no."

Quotes source post: 14699366

Hmmm, yes, why else would we stipulate 1/4� drive? Get the 1/4� drive socket and universal joint before you get started, else you will be forced to stop and get these before you can continue.

You can give it a try but the I think the 3/8" are too big to get in there and maneuver.

So you’re saying my tool may be to big. That’s what she said.�� Couldn’t resist, sorry. Out to go get 1/4". Thanks.

The thread that keeps on giving. I decided to purge the entire system before replacing the water pump, thermostat and some coolant hoses as the PO had the coolant replaced a week before he sold it to me and I'm pretty sure the shop didn't use oem coolant. I've heard they don't mix well, so wanted to thoroughly flush the system. Nothing like this thread and about 20 gallons of purified water to do the trick. Thanks a ton for this info -- and the airlift system idea. Had never heard of it, but won't do another coolant flush without one. The only drama i ran into was installing the thermostat prior to remounting the hard coolant line on the same side. Just required me to disconnect the hard line at the other end that's on the opposite side of the car to route the line back in between the t-stat housing and the engine block and then reconnect both ends. Oh and those damn oem hose clamps. I'm sure they're great when new, but even with the hose clamp tool i bought, those clamps suck once old. Top thip: anyone replacing hoses should definitely replace those too. I didn't feel like waiting another week to order more, so just used worm gear clamps in the two spots where the oem clamps had lost their functionality.

Ahsai, I went to use the refill method for the first time on Blue Chips car after getting the FSI installed. I couldn't pull a vacuum over -20 cmhg and then it would immediately leak out. So I filled it manually and brought the car up to temp. Instead of filling it the rest of the way up after the thermostat opening, I put the vacuum back on. This time I pulled it up to -45cmhg without issue. I closed the valve and it still leaked back out over probably a 30s period. Should I be concerned at this point? Should I get a pressure tester and check it out in your opinion or is this minimal enough to move on?

Are you sure you have a good seal between the vacuum tool and the neck of the reservoir? The 30s 'leak out" maybe due to internal air pockets being extracted slowly?

I'm not 100% sure the first time as it was my first time to use the tool. Air pockets would make sense on the 30s leakout.

Quotes source post: 14721418

It may be ok. Just keep an eye on any leak after the engine has reached its operating temperature. If you have a gross leak, it should be obvious

Awesome. Thx Ahsai!

Replacing my expansion tank as a preventative measure on my new to me 2000 996. Using the Airlift system I can't draw a vacuum on either of 2 new tanks I purchased above 5 PSI. The original will hold 25 PSI. If I remove the black pressure release cap and cover the opening I can get it to 25 PSI on both new tanks. Hard to believe I got 2 bad tanks or pressure release valves in a row from 2 different venders. Anyone with a similar experience or advice?

Quotes source post: 15044190

You can pressurize the tank (not above 21 PSIG at any time) and spray soapy water on the black pressure release cap and see if the leak is there. Are those genuine Porsche tanks or aftermarket? If the latter, don't waste your time on them...

I had a similar issue and it looked like a genuine Porsche tank. Long story short it was either a fake or a reject that a shady guy in Los Angeles was selling a bunch of. It had multiple defects but did not leak ! Just buy from a reputable source.

Quotes source post: 15044218

The first tank was from eBay from someone who sold over 150 of them with good reviews. The second tank came from a company who I've purchased from for years as well as most people here probably have from the west coast. I talked with them today and they will take it back with no problem. I hate to spend the big bucks on the genuine Porsche tank, but I guess I have to now. Thanks.

I'm resurrecting another great DIY by Ashai. I've got to replace my water pump so step one, drain the coolant. When I began, I realized I didn't have a new washer for the coolant drain. I'd rather not reuse the old one so I pulled the hose circled in red instead. I got about 2.5 gallons from there. I think I'm basically draining what I get if I pulled the drain plug. True? I then pulled the big hose before I reattached the little hose. Getting to the big hose is a bit easier withe smaller one out of the way. I followed the procedure using low air pressure discovered by Ashai. Its a good idea to move the drain pan back under the car when you start applying pressure - OOPS - what a mess. I poured the old coolant from the pan into a five gallon pail. The coolant was very clean but who knows how old it is. Could be original for all I know. I'm replacing the coolant with the Pentosin approved stuff mixed 50/50 with distilled water. Being a bit cheap, I bought a less expensive vacuum coolant gizmo from Amazon. I haven't used it but I did check to make sure that it fits. Its close but I can wiggle it in under the strut and spoiler mechanism. It comes with a good assortment of rubber fittings and a pretty decent plastic carrying case. Amazon Amazon One last thing - many thanks to whoever recommended those cable-type hose clamp pliers!!!! They make pulling those clamps super easy. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dave

Glad to hear the diy worked for you and yes, removing that hose to drain is the same as removing the drain plug. Merry Christmas!

Got the water pump installed today!!!! It was pretty easy. That vacuum coolant filler is amazing. I felt like a magician watching the coolant magically vanish from my 5 gallon pail!!!! BTW, I tie wrapped a wrench to the end of the hose to keep the suction end submerged in my 5 gallon bucket.

And an even cheaper one... Amazon Amazon

I bought a generic one off Amazon, but if I did it again, I�d spend the extra for a Uview Airlift. The guage on the one I got hits the spoiler lift mechamism, so is a pain to use without modifications.

Quotes source post: 15520079

I was able to use the one I bought without removing the trunk struts. It was a tight fit but not a problem. I didn't even need to use any of the rubber adapters that came with the kit. The rubber that's permanently attached to the neck expanded in place and sealed the tank perfectly. After I got the vacuum up to 24", I went for a cup of coffee. Fifteen minutes later and it was still holding at 24". BTW, my water pump was clearly toast. The pulley was cutting into the top water pump bolt. When I was buying the car, about a month ago, I noticed the faint sickly sweet smell of coolant so I told the mechanic doing the PPI about it. He determined that it was the three-way hose near the coolant tank. I guess it was always just the the pump going bad. Who knows. Anyway, it was the original pump so it was due. Luckily, the impeller was intact.

Great information here. I got the 2.5 gallons out when I did the waterpump and thermostat. Now I will get the rest out. Just ordered the UView tool. Amazon claims it will be delivered to me by tomorrow. I do have one question: if I were to force water through the system to perform a "flush" - what would be the "best" way to do this?

Quotes source post: 15614931

I followed this DIY thread when refreshing my entire cooling system (tank, cap, tstat, pump and rubber coolant hoses) at the end of 2017, and after getting all existing coolant out using the method described in this this thread, I pressure filled with only distilled water, ran the car for 10min z(with heater on full blast) then drained completely (again using the method here) and pressure filled with the proper 50/50 mix of distilled water and Porsche branded coolant. Cooling system has worked perfectly since, good luck.

Quotes source post: 15614987

Simple enough. I'll need to do it on a day when we don't go below freezing. Oh and I'll need some more distilled water... Any thoughts on using a system flush product? I think I still have one or two bottles of the stuff on the shelf.

Glad to hear this DIY continues to be useful. Re flushing product, I don't really see the need unless you have oil coolant intermix. Distilled water is good enough and fresh coolant will provide the corrosion protection the engine needs.

I use the uview vacuum tool for both refilling as well as evacuating coolant. The Uview comes with rubber adaptors to fit onto the coolant bottle perfectly, then I just use the air compressor to evacuate coolant for the entire system. Mu 997.2 holds about qts of coolant and was able to purge 7 qts without having to remove any hoses. To me, evacuating 7 qts is good enough. Great writeup on the process through.

Quotes source post: 15615343

Absolutely. I saw where you were highly regarded for technical advice. Everything I have seen from you supports this 100%. Thank you. Makes sense on the flush product. There is no evidence of intermix. Flushing with heated water should be just the ticket.

If the coolant you're removing is considering a lifetime coolant and you're replacing it with a Porsche approved coolant, what do you expect to gain by flushing it? The only thing left is a bit of older coolant that your engine was just fine with before you drained it. It's a closed system. If the coolant you removed was contaminated it would be a good idea but otherwise why bother?

Quotes source posts: 15615399, 15615479

Wow, nice to know it even works on a 997.2! I have not worked on one and have not studied its cooling system yet. Sounds like it's very similar to 996 then. Thanks! Always fun to exchange knowledge with fellow enthusiasts

Quotes source post: 15615504

Not sure if you are directing this at me. I'll field it anyway... Define "lifetime". The additives break down over time. Plus debris from any number of sources may be introduced. Personally, I won't be taking a chance on it. I have no knowledge of what was in the car when I bought it. I could test it - but why not start with a clean slate, knowing full well what is going in and at what concentration? Again it can, and will, be tested periodically. If one is opening the system to replace components (waterpump, thermostat, etc.) - wouldn't one want to put a little more investment into it to be safe and provide additional confidence? I guess that's why I'd bother.

^^The smart and safe thing to do, I did too!

Quotes source post: 15615694

I'm not suggesting reusing old coolant. I just replaced my water and used the recommended Porsche coolant. As far as I know the coolant was 14 years old. I was wondering more about flushing the system. I'm a terrible writer.

Quotes source post: 15616143

I think I got that from your post. In my case, I have no idea if the coolant has ever been changed. The car is 18 years old, with 123k miles. I found a little "salt" on the waterpump. I believe that flushing it will do no harm, and may actually be beneficial. There may be aluminum scale or other impurities in the system that I would like removed. I've got a few things to do before I will start driving the car. This is not holding that up. Why not do it?

Great write up! I have used it on my 2001 C2 and it worked perfectly! I have a third radiator so it took all of 6 gallons of mixed coolant to fully fill mine!!! If I remember correctly someone mentioned that a name brand fabric softener was a " cheater " product used to flush the oil out of the cooling system when you have oil in it!? Does anyone know what it was? I think the logic was that the product would not harm the block, heads, lines or fittings unlike some other cleaning products made to flush out your cooling system... but it did a number to the stuck on oil?

Quotes source post: 15617293

Warm water and "Shout", IIRC.

It was indeed “Shout”, it’s actually a stain remover. Needs to be used with very hot water, closer to boiling the better.

Quotes source post: 15615504

same here as what others said. I bought the car a week after the coolant had been changed, but wasn�t able to confirm what was used for the refill. Given I had heard that various coolants don�t mix well, I wanted to flush/rinse out as much of the old (brand new unknown coolant) as possible. Perhaps a bit over the top, but wanted to consider the coolant system �done for a while� once finished and took the extra half hour to flush distilled water through the system before filling with the proper fluids.

Quotes source post: 15619706

I�m somewhat in the same boat. From what I understand, the dangerous mixture is more about types & organic vs other compounds, but it hardly seems worth the risk. I�m going to do a complete flush & refill with VW/Audi coolant so I know what�s in there.

Quotes source post: 15615504

BTW, you don't need Porsche's coolant with 300% markup. They don;t make coolants and I use Zerex G40 which is 100% .

Quotes source post: 15619933

Actually, Porsche coolant is similarly priced at $37.7 per gallon. I would say no need to go aftermarket at all. https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...hoC4dAQAvD_BwE

Just to follow up on my last post. My UView showed up yesterday, as promised. Put it to use right away. Used one of the stoppers to seal the reservoir and pressurized the system to push the coolant out of the radiators. Then I used a wet rag to seal around the nozzle to clear the heater core. Amazing how much was still remaining after the engine was drained. Still have a few things to do before I will be ready to do a water-only flush.

plastic trim remover keeping hose in drain mode Coolant drain plug "rounding off" El cheapo gizmo Ready to apply 8psi a view from a step back Car about 2-3 inches higher in the front I started by raising the car about 2 inches higher in the front and let gravity take out as much as it could......I went with "el cheapo" gadget (38.00 shipped) from Amazon.....the coolant drain plug started rounding off...that thing is super tight (even though sprayed for 2 days with wd-40 before the work started)....going the old way of removing hoses and applying some air pressure to flush...also struggled with the big hose...I used a little plastic gadget used to remove trim...kept it open enough to drain the whole thing under air pressure...will refill with distilled water...run it for a while and flush again.....then remove the heater core and wait for the new one to replace (it is leaking)...that is in another thread... https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...the-vents.html

Wow, that's some ugly looking coolant... I think you chose a good time to change it out. Go with the pink stuff this time

Quotes source post: 16162381

I think this one is a blue/purple OAT ....have not opened the bottle to confirm....UPDATE: It is yellow/green...very light in color Free of the bad stuff

Quotes source post: 16162342

That's because WD-40 is great for displacing water (WD=Water Displacement) but doesn't do a darn thing as a penetrating oil. I'm a Kroil man myself ( Kroil Deal ). But, PB Blaster and even the old standby of ATF mixed with Acetone work as well.

Quotes source post: 16244744

Yup, WD is not the best product for this use.

Quotes source post: 12018803

How much air is needed to get the Remaining fluid to flow? Would it be possible with a tire inflator instead of a compressor?

Quotes source post: 17490203

No, tire inflator won�t put out enough volume of air, you can use a small 6 gallon pancake compressor which is what I used.

Quotes source post: 17490241

I wonder if a leaf blower or output of a shop vac would work (applied loosely rather than with a tight seal to no blow too much air)

Quotes source post: 17490841

That’s not a bad idea at all, you will just have to rig something to reduce the diameter to fit. I also used the compressor to power the UVIW 550000 vacuum device to fill the coolant, don’t think that’s possible with a leaf blower or Shop-Vac.

Quotes source post: 17490841

Wow. Yeah that should be enough air but I might try something a little less drastic. This is what happens when your work takes you out of state and you leave your compressor at home. For now, what is it that keeps the radiators from just draining by gravity to the rear? Is there an air lock that needs to be overcome or does the compressor have to provide enough pressure to lift the coolant above a threshold of some sort?

Well, the tire inflator didn't seem to work but I didn't have very good seal either. In addition, I had the back of the car raised a little so front end down. Does the front end need to be up to keep the car horizontal?

Quotes source post: 17492992

Didn�t expect the small tire inflator would work as previously mentioned due to lack of airflow volume. A small amount of variation from being level shouldn�t matter much.

Quotes source post: 17493046

I use a small shop vac and got good air flow. It was blowing air out of the disconnected water pump hose. Still did not get a gusher though. Only about three gallons total so far. I think there is something going on, would a stuck thermostat do this?

Installed new water pump and low-temp thermostat and want to verify tstats set operational water temperature. Unit that came out rated 181 degrees and date coded February 2004, new one 160 degrees and June 2021. Measuring with an infrared thermometer 160 degree tstat started to open about 170 degrees, was very open at 190, and at 200 fully open. The 181 degree tstat started to open at 176 degrees, was very open at 200, and fully open at 210. My measurements seem to show tstats with a rating 21 degrees different, in reality the low-temp one will set actual water temperature about 10 degrees cooler which I suspect is the perfect operating environment. I learned thermostats don't pop open and closed at the rated temperature, but gradually do so over a wide temperature range, which may not be the rated values. Note the low temp tstat the spring coils are fully compressed while the regular temp one is only partially open with coils still having a way to go. Next will check if dash temp gauge reads about 10 degrees lower with a fully warmed engine.

Great info in here - Thanks to all the contributors!

Instant GOD status for this tutorial!

I need some help with this. I’ve got a ‘99 that I can only seem to get 4 to 4.5 gallons out of. I hear lots of gurgling noises in the system while I continue to add air, but nothing comes out. The system was full on the overflow bottle and had remained at that level for at least the past 4-5 years with no overheat events in the 10+ years that I’ve owned the car. I’m scared to use more than 10psi on the air hose as I don’t want to damage anything either. Maybe the UView will help to pull out some of what remains?

Came across this is just in time for final drain before engine reinstall. Thanks! This community is awesome

Great write up, here are my contributions since I it did this today: - Using the compressed air method, I got a little more than 5 gallons of coolant out. Possible another half gallon splashed all over my garage floor, so close enough for me haha. - If you are doing the water pump and thermostat, get some ratchets that are very fine toothed and don�t need a lot of angles to be effective. A few bolts are in very tight spots. - If you�re like me and want to replace the engine coolant drain plug and washer, see the pic below for the part numbers. My dealer had no idea what I was talking about but I eventually found them. - I bought the LN Engineering kit for the water pump and I really appreciated that everything including new bolts was included. Just made my life easier. Got the thermostat install tool from them as well, which works great.

Quotes source post: 20431925

It�s been around a dozen years since I changed the water pump and thermostat, so not all details are still clear in my head, can you please expand on this thermostat installation tool? I might be doing this again this year.

Quotes source post: 20432069

It�s just a simple tool to help compress the thermostat and align the tabs with the thermostat housing. The socket looking tool with the cutouts on the side is show on the right side of the thermostat in the top pick, then the thermostat sitting in the tool on the bottom. You then push down on the tool with the thermostat tabs 90 degrees out of alignment with where they seat in the thermostat housing, push down on the tool to compress the spring, then rotate 90 degrees to align the thermostat into place with the housing.

Quotes source post: 20432117

Thanks, I have to confess I don�t have any recollection of this when I put in a new lower temperature thermostat last time, perhaps I used other tool to �MacGyver� the installation l.

You don't need the tool if you buy the thermostat with new housing. Then the change is very easy - 4 housing bolts.

As always, great info in here! vetfever

Hi, Need some assistance. I�m halfway through coolant change. I have flushed the coolant once ( had wrong color on coolant) and I�m on my second flush now. The first flush I managed to remove 5 galons. Now on my second flush I have only managed to remove 2 galons. I have followed the steps on this thread but I can�t get out more than that. I don�t want to use more than 10 psi. Feels like there is something blocking the system. After the first flush I filled upp with distilled water, I did forget to pull up the burp valve but I managed to fill it up anyway. Can this be the problem now? Too many air pockets in the way for the second flush? I can�t figure this out appreciate all help. Car is C2 coupe tiptronic from 2001.