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YOUR RESEARCH2001 996 Coolant leak Issue possible engine loss?
Leading reported evidence
Fill with distilled water and i
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
we filled with distilled water and I run back at home in cruising speed, no overheating no smell no smoke.
Leading evidence: 'Fill with distilled water and i' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Check coolant tank no oil or and mixture' (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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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
It need to exclude the coolant tank cap, although it was replaced 15 months ago.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
The tank was replaced and the system refilled with fresh coolant and that was that.
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When I replaced my tank it wasnt yellow, it was nice and bright white, just like new, but it was leaking, always getting the faint coolant smell after a nice drive.
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I have been searched the forum but everyone has different type of issues. I have been driving the car regularly. All of a sudden I have seen the temp. goes up one click nothing seriously but i keep my eyes all the time. When i stop the car, it flushed the coolant approximately 3, 4 glass of coolant, right below the left header - exhaust area cant see exactly where coming from. I towed the car to shop. No oil mixture in the coolant and no coolant in the oil. we filled with distilled water and I run back at home in cruising speed, no overheating no smell no smoke. when I'm close to home I pushed little hard (maybe mistake) and i see little temp up but not a click up, just a little. When I stop the car, there were approximately half glass of coolant leak same left header to exhaust area but more likely to close to left header area. Next morning I check the coolant tank no oil or and mixture. but when I check the oil filler cap It feels like it has been coolant steam.
History of the car
205k on the body
125 on the factory replaced engine (in 2005)
Regularly well maintained
Mechanic said, left head gasket needs to change we could still save the engine? $2500 includes labor and parts.
Any thoughts Any Suggestions? Or any alternative shop in San Diego Area within 100 miles also okay.
Word is head gasket failure is rare. A cracked head is more common but based on what you wrote I do not think either a cracked head or a head gasket is at fault.
There are a number of other sources of a coolant leak from a water pump to an AOS to the oil/water heat exchanger to a hose or any coolant fitting or connection.
You need a shop that can give you an accurate diagnosis and then of course can then tell you what the fix involves and how much it costs.
Avoid driving the car with this coolant leak. Find the shop then flat bed the car there and get the leak diagnosed and fixed.
Agreed. Never seen a post about a bad head gasket. IIRC, j raby has stated he has never (or maybe rarely) seen a head gasket fail. Get it towed to a Porsche specialist.
I arrange a shop for next week. I'm open for ideas. It seems like external head crack and leaking coolant. no oil mixture or coolant mixture in anywhere. I warm up the car everything was seem to be fine until it reach out the right in the 180 in the "8" area than starts dripping when i shutt of the engine it was leaking like a hell. it flushed almost all. let me know anything i could use?
Well, I have lots of ideas, but really the shop should be able to find the leak and from this know what is wrong and what it would take to fix it.
Based on what you wrote, I'm guessing a coolant tank is the problem. The tank leaks only when the engine is fully up to temperature and when the cooling system is under the most pressure.
My experience with my Boxster was when I ran the engine to the point it was warm enough for the radiator fans to come on (212F) then shut off the engine, the heat load raised the coolant temperature and pressure and a tank with a split gushed hot coolant out like a mini Niagara Falls.
I left the car to cool over night and the next morning I dumped in around a gallon of distilled water and there was no sign of a leak. So I started the engine and still with no leak I drove the car a couple of miles to the dealer with no leak sign even after arriving at the dealer. The engine of course in that couple of miles did not get anywhere near full operating temperature. The tank was replaced and the system refilled with fresh coolant and that was that.
Get the car to a qualified shop that knows these cars inside and out.
+1
Looks like a split tank.
I had the same symptoms with my 03, different shape same problem. Buy an updated new blue cap too. Part # ends in 04 or higher.
Tank looked like this.
I concur with the above. Another possible culprit - the AOS. There are two coolant lines to the AOS, one might have broken, and the AOS itself can split open when hot. With that much coolant loss the leak should be very obvious. Get a professional and get the car up in the air!
Thank you for everyone, I took the chance and ordered the coolant tank and cap, better to start somewhere, and turnout the be the coolant tank was cracked. So problem solved=)
Thanks for the update.
I am of the opinion that like the AOS the coolant tank is a wear item and will require replacement at some point. And if you keep the car and drive it long enough and far enough you'll replace the tank again.
Or you can replace it in an afternoon with hand tools and it only costs $119 plus shipping. That's for a 2002 or newer, the Mk1 tanks are more expensive.
I seem to have a similar coolant leak. Surprisingly, the leaking fluid was relatively cold (ambient temp or close) and not hot. Could not find any trace of coolant anywhere near the coolant tank, but coolant drips from the left exhaust outlet finisher. Is it the tank or something else?
Could be dripping from the bottom of the coolant tank to the exhaust. A lot of the cracks are at the areas you can't see without an inspection mirror. You will need a pressure tester (e.g., Stant) and an inspection mirror to identify where it's leaking from.
And leak confirmed. New tank ordered online on Rose Passion (France). Buying online in UK is not cost effective anymore due to a defavorable exchange rate. Thanks to the forum for the valuable info !
Well crap! Just got my car back after 3 weeks at Indy for Ixx, Rms, front brakes/ rotors, transmission mount, and couple minor things. C2, 2002, 145,000 mies, and runs great. However I just went in the garage and see coolant slowly dripping off the left tail pipe. I suspect the coolant tank, and a quick look shows it dripping directly from above the exhaust pipe. Tried to find a tutorial on changing t out, so if anyone has a link I'd appreciate it.
Was looking forward to a 250 mile trip tomorrow, but now I'm not so sure.
Here is my recent coolant expansion tank thread:
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ant-issue.html
It's not hard to replace, but personally I wouldn't drive the car 250 miles after replacing it because you will want to make sure you get all the air out of the system and if something happens, it won't be worth it.
It's not hard, but takes some time.
This could be a leaking water pump. Mine was very slight only an egg cup full, cold on garage floor. It was coming from around the pully bearing. I change the pump and the elak stopped
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0L0klF8lVo
When I replaced my tank it wasnt yellow, it was nice and bright white, just like new, but it was leaking, always getting the faint coolant smell after a nice drive. When you go to pull the tank, you have to lower the engine pretty far (or at least I did with the X-51) to get it out. With out lowering, it wasnt going to budge. I found the lower hose on the tank was also pretty dry rotted and cracked as well, might be something to look at and possibly get on order. Overall took a few hours to get it done on a weekend. I found my tank on ebay for $80 bucks, someone else had bought it and sold the car without installing, came in all brand new Porsche packaging.
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