coolant smell mystery on 996 ?

[IMG]C:\Documents and Settings\Aeroyacht\My Documents\My Pictures\Private\Cars\Gregors 911 Porsche\web[/IMG] Dear Friends...Happy Easter to all ! Recently under hard driving I smell what seems to be coolant from my trusted 2000 996. I am not loosing any coolant, checked all reservoirs, under the car for leaks, or split hoses. The exhaust tips are clean. Its a mystery and the car runs as great as ever. Can anyone give me a hint. Thanks Gregor 1980, 911 silver 1990, 964 stone grey 2000, 996 arctic silver [IMG]C:\Documents and Settings\Aeroyacht\My Documents\My Pictures\Private\Cars\Gregors 911 Porsche\web[/IMG]

I am experiencing the same thing, and have had my 996 pressure checked at two different dealers. The first dealer said that the expansion tank needed to be replaced. The second stated that they tested it for 20 minutes, both hot and cold, with no loss of pressure.

Where is the expansion tank located ? Is it the filler tank with cap on left side of engine bay ?

Yes.

If you are under warranty, INSIST that they swap out this tank. Is the tank cloudy in appearance? If so, it may well fail soon. This failure can really leave you stranded. So, even if you are not under warranty, you might want to consider replacement if the tank is cloudy and you are smelling coolant. Of course, could be any number of other things, but this is a fairly common issue.

are you sure it is the smell of coolant?? When I just got my P...I smelled a mixture of coolant and rubber from the drivers rear side wheel area....very worrying smell....I searched for leaks, but found nothing...researched the smell issue...and it seemed to be normal....the smell kind of went away, but sometimes when I drive the P hard..the smell is back, it still worries me, but I put almost 10K miles on the car within the last 6 months and it (knock on wood) drives like a charm...

I have noticed that smell as well occasionally and when I take the car in to finally swap out the winter tires, I am definitely going to have the expansion tank vigorously examined and more than likely replaced.

First check the part number on the coolant tank. If it ends in 00 replace it with the part that ends in 01. The old style cap does not seal properly and can contribute to this smell of coolant. Now I will share my experience. I have had this smell on and off for about 6-9 months. Diligent checking revealed no leaks for a long time. However about a month ago I was poking around with a small flexy light and noticed some crusting on the side of the coolant tank way on the back side. I also had the outdated part number on my coolant cap but had put off getting the newer one until I had a big order of parts (local dealer wanted $29 for the cap). I ordered parts for my 60k service and got the cap. The smell disappeared after for about a week and the crusting did not return. However, in the last week the crusting is back and now I had on a couple of occasions some coolant on the floor. I ordered a replacement tank yesterday. From talking with others it seems it is not uncommon for the tank to "go slowing" so the fact you are smelling coolant may be an indication your tank is starting to develop problems. Diligently inspect the out side of the tank for residue (you will have to feel around on parts because you can�t visually inspect it all). You will also notice from the various pictures of cracked tanks that the cracks can be very small and under the tank in places where it is impossible to see or inspect. A very small leak will drop coolant on the exhaust where it my not make to the floor.

bingo. The little crusty stuff is the visual evidence of what you are smelling. I consider this to be the early warning that allows you to swap out your tank before you develop a real problem.

At a DE in March I pulled in to get some space away from a train of cars. I stopped and smoke spewed from the engine. It turns out my mechanic who did the pre-inspection overfilled my coolant. I had a service manager from a Porsche dealership who was at the track look at it, check the cap and drain some fluid. He said your reservoir is probably cracked. We drained the fluid enough that it did not happen again. I said you sure my coolant reservoir is cracked? He gave me a look and said they keep a stockpile at the dealer because so many 996s come in with cracked coolant reservoirs. He said you usually don't have runoff or fluid leaking unless the engine gets really hot (like at a DE). He said it's a pain in the neck to change also, you actually have to drop the engine a couple of inches, takes about 3-4 hours. k

I was also told at the dealer (just yesterday in fact) that on the 01-04 996's you have to drop the engine a couple inches to replace the expansion tank, but according to Orient express (and it makes sense looking at the part), while it may take a little wiggling, there is no actual need to drop the engine a couple inches to do it. Also, they charge 4 labor hours but I don't think ANYBODY will try to claim that's how long it takes them. In my experience, divide labor hours by 4 to get actual hours worked with German cars.

I'm going in soon to have my expansion tank and coolant cap fully inspected. I'll get a sense of what these things cost to change...and how long...and what the procedure is. However, since I have a 2000, it won't answer the 2002+ cars.

Please post your findings. I have a 99 CPO, and was told that this repair was not covered. The dealer quoted me something like $750 to replace. YIKES! I am having a difficult time digesting the fact that this known repair issue is not covered by a Porsche warranty.

I'd be surprised to hear it's not covered by the CPO warranty since I was told it is covered by the warranty that comes with the car.

Had it done a few years ago, cost me something like $650 in total.

Okay, an update: I put on a new cap (part number ending .01) and the car is running cooler and I don't smell that coolant as much at all. Indeed, I 'll have a better sense as the weather starts to get hotter what with summer around the corner. However, I definitely recommend swapping out the old coolant tank cap with the new one whether the smell is evident or not....it just seals a lot tighter and more secure.

Find another dealer.....its covered...mine was done under CPO warranty.

The coolant tank does have a habit of failing slowly - on 996 and Boxster. Only vents under high pressure/temp at first, hence the slow slow leak, and just a hint of coolant smell. Eventually it goes enough to be noticeable, or to cause low coolant level during normal use. Dealers should know about this, but some still like to act dumb and suggest you have a new water pump, etc etc first, racking up the $$$ before they swap the tank. I had exactly this experience, with my dealer insisting it was water pump, and that I was paying $1000 for the repair, until I took the info on the leaking tanks to the PCNA area rep. Then all of a sudden it was a tank issue..... go figure! Best to swap the tank before loss becomes critical of course - and yes, your dealer will want 4 hrs labour for the job! Chris.

Read the warranty!! it's one of the sutle differences between the original factory warranty and the Porsche CPO. It ain't covered in the CPO.

Ah, wrong. From Porsche's US web site .... "The Porsche Approved Limited Warrany offers full peace of mind. Porsche Cars N.A. will repair or replace with a new part distributed by Porsche Cars N.A. any factory-installed part that is faulty in material or workmanship under normal use. Warranty coverage is Limited to the following components: * Engine (engine block and all engine internal parts but excluding exhaust system) * Cooling System * Fuel System * Electrical System * Transmission * Drive Train * Suspension and Steering * ABS Brake System * Brake System * Heater/ Air Conditioner" It would seem that the expansion tank is part of the cooling system, yes?

I swear, this is just like the V1 post. Why doesn't someone ask which exhaust sounds better or what tire they prefer.... try the #$#$# search funtion.....

Its not covered under the CPO some dealers may replace it under good will but it is not covered by CPO. Neither is your front power window regulator but the window motor is, go figure.