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YOUR RESEARCHRadiator Fluid Question
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Replace oil
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I have changed oil that only has 200-300 miles after 6 months.
Leading evidence: 'Replace oil' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'least worrysome' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Clean oil' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Use ) fender radiator headlight installed and it's ready
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Tuesday evening it had new to me (used) fender radiator headlight installed and it's ready for 4 days at Watkins next week.
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Suggestion
Should it be started, or just drain and fill, to keep clean oil to protect the pan?
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Suggestion
Maybe just a drain and fill before it is next started?
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More like when replacing hood/fenders/etc, after crash, it was a perfect time to practice some race car weight reduction to get closer to your curb weight.
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Suggestion
Given the cost of engine rebuilds, I fail to see the logic of people who believe that if the factory oil change intervals is 10,000 miles then they only need to change three oil once every several years.
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I looked through the maintenance manual for my car (2001 coupe) and it doesn't say anything about changing the radiator fluid. Other European manufacturers require radiator fluid to be replaced at 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, and they also specify which kind of radiator fluid to use. My car is now 25 years old with very low mileage. So, I'm wondering whether to change the radiator fluid, what the fluid capacity is and what spec fluid to use if I do need to change it.
Water pump is a "Wear Item".
The water pump is supposed to be changed at around every 50k miles, or every 5 years, so the fluid gets changed at the same time. Many also replace the thermostat with a lower-temperature thermostat at the same time. Do not replace W/P with a metal impeller blade, only a plastic one.
In addition, the coolant reservoir, the whitish tank thing on left rear corner has a tendency to expire (crack) at around 100k miles, so something to think about.
YMMV
I have an unusual situation. I have just eleven thousand miles even though the car is 25 years old. And it's always been in the garage (except on those rare occasions when it's driven). So, I don't think I will change the water pump or the coolant reservoir. I think I'll just change the radiator fluid.
Regardless of mileage, the water pump bearings have been subject to drive belt tension now for 25 years. Its cheap insurance to replace it now before inmiment failure. If broken impeller pieces work their way into the cylinder heads your problems will magnify immensely.
It's sort of an interesting question for both the coolant expansion tank and the water pump impellers (i.e. plastic bits) to what degree they should be replaced based on age vs. mileage. I would guess that for both parts, somewhat proactive monitoring of coolant leaks should identify any failure with plenty of time to spare.
I hate to say it, but 25 year age affects everything in the car. Would you drive "spiritedly" or "hooligan driving" as some refer to it on 25 year old tires? Nearly every rubber seal, o-ring, hose, whatever has NOT been lubricated or used in heat cycles for 25 years. All that means is any or every one one them could fail at any time just from being run and driven as a "Porsche". Crappy DE wiring at the time of build was junk stuff then, what does it look like now? Any small critters make their way into wires somewhere? Critters have had 25 years to figure out how to chew on 996 wires. I have a friendly, but ruthless ct, and SWEAR that there are no openings or gaps in a new house I built. In 12 years, Ruthless Cat has caught/killed/ and left on kitchen floor 42 dead mice. The number has gone waaaay down only 2 or 3 in each of the last 5 years, good watchcat. I have no idea how they get in, but Mr. Cat is on the job and even has 996 in his "Patrol" area. A garage is not mouse proof if they are around. Unfortunately, the list is endless. Maybe you escape the AGE TRAP with coolant reservoir, dunno until it fails.
Your 996 is a perfect example of an extreme low miles car that may or may not be a gamble to own. Folks like Jake Ruby (LNEng) and Brandon Clark (Slakker) trust a proven part that shows little wear and has gone 50-60-70k miles, excluding the BIG FAIL ITEMS. Sure you can cheap out on looking at stuff and not spend much, as in "Don't Fix It If It Ain't Broke", syndrome, but it isn't a good bet.
Example- torn front CV boots for a C4, reasonable miles. . Easy, cheap fix, no problem. NO DEAL. Axles "fretted" - meaning self-welded to wheel carrier, requires new CVs axles, bearings, AND main strut Wheel Carriers both sides. Cost in a shop somewhere - $3500-$5000 IF you can find good used wheel carriers. P isn't making any anymore.
I like NOT paying P-tax and getting parts for low cost $$, but some things just don't work well with a high performance car like a P-996. You may want all the looks and goodies of a ~$100,000 car, and buy it for far less at 25 years old, but it is STILL a $100,000 high performance German sports car unlike any other. Buy & Flip, OK maybe for house, maybe for P-Cars, but it is a risk. Reality.
I am not trying to rain on your Parade, just offering reality. Maybe I don't say it correctly, but a very low mile car may look great, but have issues that even experienced folks would be surprised about. JM).
YMMV
Maybe, maybe not. Why is fixing/replacing some part as advised by P or the 996-use-community called "Proactive" maintenance? Ask DeJeeper about his near total rebuild and what failed shortly thereafter... Just an observation....
YMMV
To be fair, changing a pump and thermostat at the same time as a coolant change isn’t that much more work. Bearings go bad, impellers can get brittle, and since the coolant will be replaced… why not just get those items out of the way?
The reservoir is a little different, imo. Usually the heat cycles cause the cracking to occur but with that few on the car it’s likely okay.
At the very least, the water pump should be removed for inspection while the cooling system is empty. Throw it back on with a new gasket if it seems good.
It�s so funny to see this group lose their minds when someone asks a question and get extra advice that they say no thank you to.
My advice was going to be leave it alone and don�t change the fluid. Done improperly can have more adverse effects.
The best parts for these cars are the ones that came on it from the factory. I think PT made a thread about how you can�t get the same quality as the originals.
Let�s see how this goes from here.
Btw I also have a sub $40 ims bearing in my car.
1- I believe it was an aftermarket coolant hose that failed on his car�
2- It was on the track (ie. all bets are off)
Other than those two caveats your observation is fair. What it comes down to is this; On a 25 year old car - regardless of mileage - you just never know. You do what you can to mitigate potential failures, but there are a multitude of ways & circumstances that you can�t foresee. Personally, I would rather have a car that�s been driven and serviced, than one that has sat still for most of its existence.
Don't do anything.
Don't drive it.
Put it on BAT in 10 years for $75,000.
Let the next owner who wants to drive it worry about the water pump thermostat and coolant.
I think this is how the majority of Porsche buyers think. This said, I think most current 996 owners are drivers/enthusiasts with a smattering of whatever�(I don�t want to disparage anyone)
in the past six years of only driving my car on the track, the only real failure besides my own driving was an aftermarket idler pulley that seized melted and popped the accessory belt off.
I put the original aluminum one back on and that was 2022.
FWIW- Slakker builds are warranted "on track" and "normal driving, off-track." Perhaps of Interest?
I do agree with "Personally, I would rather have a car that�s been driven and serviced, than one that has sat still for most of its existence"
YMMV
so I do have an underdrive pulley on the crankshaft now it�s not damped. The ac has also been deleted so running a shorter belt. I don�t remember if I had it when this pulley failed. I had ordered all three of them in the newer plastic version back in the early days of driving my 996. That�s when I was getting sucked into this idea of having to replace all of these items or your engine was going to blow up. Two of the plastic ones are still on the engine and I have a new plastic one sitting on the shelf that was replaced for the one that failed.
Yes driven and serviced. Regular oil changes , monitoring the overall health of the engine. A suggestion that a water pump should be replaced every 5 years is ridiculous.
Yup, great move to delete ac comp and use underdrive to lessen strain on accessories and the extra hp to weight is a nice small benefit.
Its no wonder why you do so well on track. You've got a better grasp on all the mechanicals than many track rats think they know, combined with your 300lbs? weight reduction,, thats a hard combo to beat without a mezger, and maybe even with one. Every HP you can tweak out with underdrive not only helps power to weight but with the cars lower reduced weight the handling/braking benefits become even more important with the extra 10hp or so...
I never thought that a simple question about radiator fluid replacement would generate so many responses. Thanks for all the thoughts.
I just want to clarify that low mileage and maintenance are not mutually exclusive. In the 25 years and 11k miles that I've owned my car, the following service has been done:
- 14 oil/oil filter changes
- 8 brake fluid changes
- 3 sets of new tires (current ones are less than 2 years old)
- Spark plugs replaced
- Air bags electrically tested
- 3 new batteries (current one is less than 6 months old and is an H8 AGM)
- Pollen filter replaced
- Engine air filter replaced
- Three oil sample tests performed by Blackstone Laboratories
That's a lot of service for a car with only 11k miles.
I have a different option on oil and filter changes. I would not consider 14 oil and filter changes in 25 years as adequate. Once you break the seal on the oil bottle, the oil is exposed to air and it will begin to oxidize and acids begin to form due to moisture in the air. Acids in the oil have a detrimental effect on main and rod bearings. Given the cost of engine rebuilds, I fail to see the logic of people who believe that if the factory oil change intervals is 10,000 miles then they only need to change three oil once every several years. I believe that “oil is cheap and engines are not”. I change the oil/filter in my cars every 6 months or 5,000 miles whichever comes first. I have changed oil that only has 200-300 miles after 6 months. I guess everyone has their own beliefs, but I think long oil change intervals on low mileage cars is false economy.
Well i have had a couple failures. The 1st was because i started with a 200k (unknown) mile motor. I did all the maintenance i could done without splitting the motor. Unfortunately at 200k the motor should have been split before it was sent to the track. Remember i bought the car for $4500.... #noregerts
That m/fer IS faster then a mezger in almost every track....at least my mezger 😀. Still #noregerts
Yep, with the money saved can buy some "Upgraded Cool **** " ..thats what I do.... To make it better than when OEM Porsche New ..
In the last hours on Earth you will NOT be wishing you had saved more money...
All cars/engines are failing/wearing out from the moment they are built..... You can sit and watch them deteriorate or you can use them....
I tried to kill mine again on Sunday by clipping a tire wall. Tuesday evening it had new to me (used) fender radiator headlight installed and it's ready for 4 days at Watkins next week.
You know he did give you a hint how to maybe beat him, or at least improve lap times... I was Surprised you didn't take that opportunity after your unfortunate track exit last year...
If only we had some way to measure acidity and corrosion inhibiting properties of oil after time and use to quantify the effect of oil use and duration.
The oil is exposed to heat and air in processing long before it shows up in the jug. It�s not milk.
In this case, the oil in the engine, in the bearings, isn�t exposed to air. It�s a very thin film between metals. Should the engine be drained and refilled if it�s not being used? Should it be started, or just drain and fill, to keep clean oil to protect the pan? Maybe just a drain and fill before it is next started? That seems like it would be best� and may perfectly explain 14 changes in 25 years.
This is a fruitless discussion.
The discussion about coolant is more interesting. There is a lot more of it and it�s exposed to more materials and is less stable.
I am going to track my 200k mile 3.4L. What was your failure mode DeJeeper? The timing chains seem like the one thing I can�t address without splitting the case, and I can�t put the toothpaste back in the tube if they�ve seem poor lube or otherwise just worn out.
you mean when I told him this isn�t the fastest way through turn one.
He still likes to drive his car down to the ice cream shop. Not going full racecar!
Yea yea yea....i found the limit of traction.
As good as these cars r on the track its still a comprimise unless u go full race car. Im just not willing to strip out this car. As much as i love the drivetrain its grossly underpowered compared to a current street car. The hope is to make a proper, unique car but i would have to dedicate much more $ toward it.
As far as failure at 200k with an engine that had a welded oil pan and no service records....it was everything but borescore. Actually it was oiling...locked up a rod and it imploded. The chains r probably the least worrysome. If u could get to the crank bearings on these cars easier then they would be a lot less of them in junkyards.
lol, not exactly what I had in mind....
More like when replacing hood/fenders/etc, after crash, it was a perfect time to practice some race car weight reduction to get closer to your curb weight. Now me not knowing exactly what DJ had/has in mind, or his goal with the car, I could be talking out my a$$ and completely off base here, idk, just saying that was an opportunity possibility.
Composite or even just fiberglass parts reduce weight. Lightweight fenders and hood on a Porsche 996 can save around 100+lbs from what I've seen. This weight reduction is at the extremities of the car, sharpening turn-in, reducing understeer, and an added bonus, less brake fade/better braking. Granted, suspension adjustments and corner balance will probably need to tweaked to get full advantage of a substantial front end weight reduction. Combined with a mezger that lighter weight 996 could maybe be a substantial improvement on track...
As you know, there is a reason Porsche GT cars try to save 20grams here, a lb there, another few ounces there, it all adds up. Those details have a lot to do with the success Porsche has had in the many decades of dominance on the track. They know weight reduction is maybe just as important as adding more power. Something many manufactures and race car drivers/owners fail to practice enough.
But, if this is a ice cream shop car, then maybe the light weight parts are not needed....
Light weight parts come with a price both in $s and safety. Carbon (or light weight) parts r for cars with full cages. Maybe not really for hoods and fenders but the weight savings on those parts just make the cars weight balance (r67%) worse. If u r not gonna remove weght from the back then the juice is not worth the squeeze. I wish i could stomach stripping this car to its core but i just have too much fun driving it on the street as well as the track.
