Help - Whats this Liquid?

After a brief drive my car is dripping a liquid Its dropping out from behind one of the trays. It doesnt smell of anything - it seems basically like water. Not had chance to get the car in the air yet but wanted to see if anyone would have some ideas. Seems to be a fair bit of it!

update. collected some of the liquid. what is this?

Coolant

thx for quick reponse

Most likely the coolant resi has split. It may stop leaking and then start the next time u run the car as it takes some pressure in the system to dorce out the coolant.

Quotes source post: 19053163

cheers for that - getting the car in the air now to see if i can get the undertrays off and then see where its coming from. thx again

If there is no odor or 'oiliness' to the fluid, I doubt that it's coolant. Is it coming out at the front of the car or the rear of the car? What model 996 do you have? The picture makes me think it is towards the front, which makes me think it might be AC condensation. Or you might have a buildup of water somewhere due to a drain being plugged up. But of course you really really REALLY want to make sure it's not coolant!

thx wdb. its at the rear, but the front of the rear if that makes sense? its a pinky/orangey colour (a bit like lucozade) when its in daylight. i topped up as the coolant was definitely low but i need to get it on axle stands and check.

In my opinion orange color fluid is either coolant or windshield washer fluid . AC condensation is clear .

Could be coolant leak at the AOS. -Tom

So, got the car up on axle stands and took off the undertray. 2 rubber/metal joints forward of the rear wheels. the pipes are just to the right (UK drivers side) of the centre. I had a look around and i cant see drips from above or around so it *appears* to be both joints are leaking which seems odd (unless one is getting other wet as it leaks). Has anyone replaced these? Would i be right in thinking its lines to/from radiators at the front? Any advice on how easy/difficult it is to replace gratefully received. Any links to diagrams that show that system (or links to parts) also gratefully received. Thanks everyone. Martin

IMO, this is not the time to guess where your leak is coming from by seeing wet looking areas on 2 pipes/hoses, but no actual leaking. Are the hoses perforated/leaking,? are the hose to pipe connections leaking,? Are they not leaking at all but coolant leaking down on these pipes/hoses from above..?, Are both pipes/hoses leaking, or is it just 1 getting them both wet..? Leaks always run down following gravity with the straightest path down, unless the liquid is being sprayed under pressure. Anything above those wet looking hoses/pipes that could leak..? Either way, with the amount of leakage on the floor under your car, a cooling system pressure test will easily show you exactly what is leaking with no guess. Time to pressure test your cooling system and find every leak then R&R as needed. jmo

I would buy a can or two of brake cleaner and clean that mess . Then wipe with rags to get as clean as possible . Start the car on the jack stands and observe . If it starts to drip you should be able to use a flashlight to determine where it's coming from . I agree you want to 100 % determine is it leaking from above or at that joint . The hose clamps are looking quite rusty , which could mean they have lost some clamping power . Start with the easy stuff and keep progressing until it's repaired . Use caution with car on jackstands .

Thanks allcool, you are of course absolutely right. The joints are wet - it was leaking/dripping from those joints and the pipes leading to a from seems to be dry before i got my wet, filthy hands all over them. But i agree, i need to pressure test it to be certain. I''l do some searching and see what kit people use for this. Thanks again.

thanks 996c438. along with pressure test (always handy to have this kit around) your advice seems good. i'll spruce up the joints (yes the clamps are very rusty) and see what happens. thx again

If you're shopping for a tool, strongly consider a UView 550000 Airlift. It can do a coolant system pressure test, but it is mainly used to vacuum fill the coolant system. If you end up having to replace hoses, or to drain the system, or even just at your next maintenance flush/fill, vacuum filling seems to be easiest and most reliable way on our cars. It was seamless for me. ​​

Those hoses are right below the coolant tank and the AOS do not drive it will get worse in grand style.. You can buy a dye to put in the coolant , first it all needs to be clean. Check your coolant level it should be about half way between MIN and MAX. DO NOT FILL TO MAX it will just burp the excess out ... You can get a dye pack at most good autoparts stores small bottle of yellow stuff and a UV led flashlight. There will be NO DOUBT where the coolant is coming from, this is best done in a garage with door open to get the engine warmed up then turn motor off and close door.. But if you run your fingers under the coolant tank its likely you'll find a wet area.. Use a factory Porsche tank, this is one time you want to pay the porsche tax, also make sure your cap is BLUE the black one has been superseded due to pressure control issues. There are a ton of hoses on this car MOST are good for years (Big hoses) the small hoses seem to be culprits of more evil..

It appears those r the 2 hoses that lead up to the heater core. They r a pretty simple fix. Just buy new hoses and proper clamps from either the dealer or outside supplier. If u want to make the job bigger u can replace all the hoses u can reach, cause if 1 or 2 r bad im betting a few more r gonna be bad soon. U can use the on line versions of the porsche PET drawings and figure out what u need. The metal pipes r aluminum so i doubt they r the issue unless there is a ton if salt in the roads.