Let my fun begin with 996 ownership...PS leak repairs/Coolant leaks

Well over the weekend (Friday) took the 996.2 to my Indy for an oil change and look over. 1. Oil was clean no issues or debris on filter 2. Pressure test on coolant system, didnt find any leaks and topped off 3. Power steering pump whine and low on fluid, topped off and stated I had a small leak on the line below the pump 4. Clutch is stiff and be ready for a change out within the next oil change or less. I had asked for a look over at the suspension as a creak is driving me crazy, couldnt find where it was coming from. Indy also took out some oil for Blackstone and I mailed it off Friday the same day. After getting the car back on Friday drove it around with the AC, car is fine and fluids are good. Drove it Sat and Sunday, Sunday was a longer drive and it was hot outside 90s. Mon drove it and checked fluids on coolant and it went back down to below the min mark where the lettering is, didnt check PS fluid Well this morning Tuesday and I went to throw the trash, saw a puddle coming from car, its diff PS fluid. checked the pump stick cold and zero fluid on the stick I thought at first the puddle above was coolant but nope that is still at the min mark below the letters and didnt give any low fluid warning as it had been dirving like this for 3 months before I noticed. I am wondering where the fluid my Indy put in to top off, went? I also did a post about this 3 months ago and bough the new cap and topped off with distalled water and it did the same thing, went back to below the min mark around where the letters are for tanlk part #. It doesnt go below this and doesnt give off low warning fluid light? I just got off the phone with my Indy, will have to bring the car back to him tomorrow.....He said I could go get some pentosin chf 11s and drive it down, hes about 17 minutes away from me. I am concerned to damage that PS pump and been looking online at Napa Wondering if I should just use my free roadside service and get the Targa towed there before I start buying the fluid, the Indy did charge me for the fluid top off and I get it, its expensive. And just let him check and fill

I went thru the same thing a year ago. I bought a can of the CHF, added fluid and drove it to the indy 45 min away. They found the leak, replaced a couple of hoses, cleaned everything up and I was good to go. I am not a big fan of getting the car towed unless there is a catastrophic engine issue brewing or it's not driveable for whatever reason. Add: you will know you have a ps leak bevause off the loud "wheeeeer" sound you get when turning the wheel. Be very careful when adding ps fluid. It fill up quick and you don't want to over fill. You can check the fluid level with its dipstick. make sure its ps fluid and not another leak. I put white paper under the car and you cant miss the green. If you arent sure, then the tow may make sense as a jic.

Buy a turkey baster to fill up the power steering fluid. More control and it makes it much easier.

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Oh theres a leak for sure, they said a small leak and that my car was whining and it quited it down. Go figure its full and the leak is now bigger. Prob been driving around like that for 4 months not realizng the whine wasnt the engine noise as well ...Im heading out soon to go get some fluid,. prob will just drive it down there and fill it up cold tomarrow. Looking up the leak, seems to be a weak point since the heat is there. Indy said hope it doesnt become an issue, as its a labor intensive job to get at. ...

Good luck with it. Yeah, unfortunately it's not cheap. DBJoes turkey baster is a very good idea. It will save you quite a few headaches. I carry a can of CHF and a turkey baster in a zip lock bag in my Tupperware box in the front. You never know when you will need it.

Hmmm Im lazy when I checked the car this morning and just thought it was the PS pump leaking, turns out its a hose above the coolant tank. I guess I answered my own question on where my refill and my Indys refill went. I filled the PS pump lightly and checked the dipstick and started the car and there was zero whine. So I decided to give the engine a full warm up, its a cool 85 degree night at the moment. Engine felt fine and drove for 25 minutes and parked. I could hear the left exhaust tip hissing and looked above it and saw the splashes of coolant coming from above, Found this photo on Pelican and were its circled I could see the puddle of coolant; I am pretty sure mine is the same if the tank was removed. I feel a little bit better but not really. I am confused on why I am not getting a low warning light or how the coolant tank is staying at the same level? The leak I had is pretty big and its leaking more. The indy pressure tested it and found zero leaks and now I really see them I still have a tow truck scheduled and will check the level in the morning and to see if the puddle gets bigger. I feel I shouldnt drive it down to the shop, even though its only 17 minutes.

Yeah, with the coolant at risk, I would have it towed. Send photos.

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Yeah agreed since I knew it had a small leak now its turned into a flood, went and got some distilled water and poured it in, took a half gallon and its above min mark now. Will have to call the Indy, he was pretty full for the week. I'll keep the group updated. If they need to get in there, you know how it is, might as well do this and that

Yeah, since they will be working on your cooling system, if you haven't already, get a new water pump.

I would recommend replacing the coolant reservoir also. Be sure to get a Genuine Porsche Coolant reservoir. Good luck with it Mark

The picture you found from Pelican shows a leak at the coolant reservoir. Let's look at your car. The little hose where the red arrow points to is a vent relief hose. If the system is overfilled, the vent valve will open up and some coolant will collect at the top of the reservoir and then drains off via that little hose. If the hose is split, or has a hole in it where it goes through the body to end up on top of the exhaust (where you hear the hiss), then there will be coolant visible from inside the engine bay below the reservoir. The leak will stop once the car has found its happy place. Very often, its happy place is right at or below the Min line when the engine is hot. Also very often, if you open the coolant tank cap (very carefully) and the pressure is relieved, the coolant level will pop up to above the Min line. That is ... normal. If more coolant is added, it will just continue to repeat. A proper pressure test should have found a leak at the coolant tank if it was leaking. The 996 reservoir is well known for leaking so it might not be a bad idea for you to replace the coolant tank, coolant tank cap. water pump, thermostat if the car is new to you and there is no record of recent replacement.

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Yes, my 996.2 is new to me and has service records. It was shipped to me with 3 issues that I was unaware of PS low and whining and coolant reservoir tank low and memory seats going back to PO settings. Also, the clunking of the suspension, which is normal. You are right on its happy place as I also filled 2 months ago above the min and below max and it went back down to the min mark. In all this time, I have never received a low coolant light to indicate it was low. Instead I received the dreaded engine oil failure light 3 times, due to a faulty druck pressure sensor going out. On 04/26/24 I took it to get its 1st oil change , to have the indy check out the Coolant levels. Clunking and overcheck up. When I went to pick up the car, I was told PS was filled and no more whining, but its had a small leak for a while and keep a eye on it. They filled and pressure tested coolant system and couldn’t find a leak. Clutch feels stiff and will need replaced in the future. Couldn’t figure out seat memory issue. On 04/30/24 as you can see fluid really started coming out of the tank, and yes I do feel what you are talking about its happy place, did it split the hose?. Towed it to the shop to see whats going on. Today 05/10/24 called in to get an update, was told they are finally going to get it on the lift to fully check it out, but its diff the resv tank and another issue has arisen. Wont start, cranks but just wont start, asked if I had this issue before, I said no, that’s never happened to me. Before I got it towed, I went down to Costco to get a brand new interstate battery, as the old one was from 2021 and I just wanted peace of mind. It started when I got it towed as I had to move to the tow truck could take it. FYI this a Tempe well known shop with an owner that is diff a good character, but it seems the last years they are swapped with business have less mechanics to work on cars and the reason why it has taken a week to get to my car. That being said, I guess I should be glad the no start issues started at the shop and not with me 😊

Well more bad news today, just got off the phone with the Indy. The reason why it wouldnt start was fuel pump and tank sending unit are bad or going bad. They did a smoke test on the fuel system and than ran some gas through them and mud started coming out? I asked mud he said debris $1k in parts and total will be about $2.2k total after its repaired. After 6 months of daily driving and I guess this happens? Tank Resv, Fuel Pump, Sending Unit, fuel filter, etc for parts

Fuel pump is $380, sending unit is $350. Cheaper from porsche discount sites I also dont understand the diagnosis. None of what u said makes sense. U would smoke test the fuel system if there was a leak but not for a no start. And "mud" In the system from running fuel through the system would suggest that u have contaminated fuel or someone put something in the tank. The sending unit can easily be flushed/cleaned as it just has 2 hoses. It should also be less the 2 hrs to replace. R they flushing the entire system. Low fuel pressure is not strange but the rest of this is.

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I have edited comment to make more sense.....The start issue started at the shop, I never had any start issues owning it the past 6 months. They had my car for a week before they got to it.. They told me on Friday that it didnt want to start up and would check it out to see what is going on and today got a call on the no start issue and why it was happening.

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I agree with this. OP, I�m guessing you�re located in Arizona (from your covered license plate). If that�s the case, I highly recommend you change your thermostat specifically to the LN Engineering Low Temp version. It�s a great thermostat that will work wonders in hot climates. I just changed mine and it�s made a drastic difference.

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I agree also and was told on the oil change 04/26/24 that they did a pressure test when they changed my oil, as it was one the requests Its also stated on the 1st post . They filled the coolant and said they couldnt find any leaks. I am aware of what is needed from the forums as I have been on for a while now and the 996 board is the most active. At the moment my biggest concern is to get my car out the shop. While the shop is well known, I feel they are understaffed and may have not done what I requested on the intial oil change requests for coolant and suspension. They have also had my car for over a week now, while I understand they had prev work to do. I thought when I towed it to them, they would not take that long and the start up issue, just adds more to this I felt it was also werid that I had to give $1k down for parts, because the owner stated, well we are a little short this month?

In some instances, it may seem like a normal request to ask for parts payment, but their rationale doesn�t sound too reassuring. Go with your gut feeling on this. This is a car that�s worth doing everything correctly (the first time, to, might I add).

I got my car back yesterday. Got the full explanation from the shop. I am satisfied and also not. 13 days it spent at this shop to replace coolant tank reservoir tank and fuel sender and fuel pump. I was told it took the tech over 8hrs+ for the tank to be removed? This is where I am not satisfied. I was told I wasn�t charged for going over 8 hrs in labor? And the infamous tank that just dries up and breaks apart, this was my source of my leaks when I first got my Targa. I am unsure how they missed this with a pressure test on my 1st initial oil change, when they stated they did a pressure test, but wasnt hand written on the receipt. Next they showed the orginal fuel pump and how dirty the gas was, they called it mud but yeah It was dirty and looked like gunk. Recommennded Quick Trip gas, as they are always pumping in new gas and cleaner than most? I avoided places like this and got gas at Chevron or Shell and never let it go below the mid point in my 6 months of ownership. The car feels more alive or maybe because I havent driven it in 13 days. Total for the job was $2,265.19 and was given a hand written receipt with no part numbers for the parts replaced. Not satisfied with that. Tank $193.41 Coolant and Gas Prem $86.40 (I dropped the car off with half a tank) Fiuel Sender $374.74 sealing ring $22.69 Fuel Pump $452.81 Labor $1,062 Check no start (no issues in my 6 months) Check coolant leak pressure test system ( written down on this receipt) Replace coolant tank Evac and fill cooling system Found no fuel pressure R&R bolt & bolt tray (?) Found stains on the fuel line sender Smoke tested fuel tank (Found crack)? Removed sending unit and fuel pump Found Mud in roll unit (?) The handwritten receipt drives me effin crazy with no part numbers, and some the items I cant make out. I wont be coming back to this shop. I think they did good work, but I also feel they need more modernized and I am effy on the 8hr job for the tank? This is on me as I knew the tank had to be replaced and I should have done that on my own and other things. I paid the Porsche labor and going foward I will be doing some of the work that is needed, that I know I can do.

Unfortunately, it sounds like you may need a new Porsche Indy. You probably have quite a few good ones around you that just specialize in Porsche. Sorry about your headaches. A good indy makes the difference for those of us that aren't gifted DIYers.

If you have never removed the coolant tank before, it would take you 8 hours.

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Alot was just said with very few words.

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Agreed like me, but this shop is a Porsche shop and the guy that did it, also had done 2 more in the shop before. I am not disagreeing with you, but when they have 3 996s and 2 997s in the shop with tanks being replaced, they might know a quicker way at that point since they have been in business for over 30 yrs

I still dont know why they needed to replace the fuel sender. Its litterly a just a hose connection to the fill and return lines. 2 squirts of break clean would have done the job. Sounds like they just wsnted to replace everyrhing. The parts cost do seem correct for factory parts.

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Sadly I think they put in a URO tank...

uh ohhh...coolant expansion tank should be OE Porsche only, unless you want to do it again real soon. Sadly Coolant Reservoir For 996 - New/Replacement S99610614756 Coolant Reservoir For 996 for Porsche 911 $1,126.84 That's AutoAtlanta price. I don't know about Sunset Porsche or Suncoast parts prices.

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It is not lucky for me See below AutoAtlanta did the 60k service on my Targa, as did Hennessey Porsche 5k miles later and have to say Hennessey was cheaper by $1k. That being said, no way I would pay $1.1k for a plastic OEM Porsche tank. This is one of the reasons why I wanted part numbers on my invoice, to verify OEM Porsche parts. I went to go verify what tank they replaced mine with, my tank is 996.106.057.04 Pelican Parts is showing 996.106.157.04.M100 as Porsche genuine parts https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...ductDetailsAnc After doing some research another member from Rennlist in the 996 GT2/GT3 forum ordered the Pelican Parts tank (see below) , but got the tank with a 996.106.057.04 part# just like my tank, the 996.106.057.04 tank in that thread is for a 2007 997 3.8. So the shop did good to update me, figures since they were replacing the tanks for 996s and 997s that were in the shop. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-gt2-...-question.html .

Wow - well that explains the 8 hours labor LOL. That tank is huge compared with the 996 part! OEM vs. Original vs. Knock-off coolant expansion tank - How to tell? - Page 5 - Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums

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You might be confusing the 996.1 (1998-2001) vs the 996.2 (2002-2004) tanks and yes they are different sizes, so no my tank is the bigger one. Good thread on some that have done a retrofit with the bigger tank on the Gen 1 996s https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...996-1-a-2.html

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Thanks for the clarification!

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He has a mk2, those tanks r cheap. Delaware porsche online discount site

Well I guess the water pump was the next thing to go after my leaks, and yes I thought about doing the water pump while they had the car for repairs for the coolant tank and fuel pump. I hadn’t checked the coolant levels in while since I have been driving around a lot, but last week I noticed that my tank was below the 996.106.057.04 lettering when cold and not around the max when it was repaired. I drove around to get it hot and see if it would stay there.The fluid moved to the max mark when hot. I thought maybe some fluid had worked its way to being normal and it fully pressurized, and since there was no leaks under the car. I didn’t think about it. Well on Tuesday after a long drive and the car fully hot when turned off for the day, the next morning I noticed a small leak and felt the water pump area, wet. I looked at the tank and it was below the 996.106.057.04 lettering when cold. The tank has fluid but its not were it should be. Didn’t drive it Wed and today drove it and got it hot again and turned it off for the day. And yup another small leak today. I made an appt to get an oil change at Don Jackson ENTP before this happened and I am going to have to call DJ in the morning about the water pump/thermostat/hoses needing replacement now. It was for this upcoming Tuesday but we may have to do it after the holidays since he was short staffed. Kind of wish I would have done this before, but whatever. Here’s another story of when its at the shop and the coolant items are being repaired, be proactive and replace that damn water pump