Coolant warning?

I had a strange driving experience today that I thought I'd share with you. Took the car out for a good drive yesterday for 1.5 hours and everything was smooth as ever. Then today when I was to reverse the car out from it's parking space I first, as always, checked the oil level which showed full so all good. Put on the safety belt and started the engine. Started to revert when the display turned red and showed a square kind of symbol with coolant warning (I believe it said) and the thermometer warning light came on but still at min temp. I quickly drove the car back into its space and turned off the engine. Walked down to the local ESSO station and bought a bottle of coolant but saw afterwards that the coolant in the car is 28 liters as per the manual. Wanted to check the error message again so turned on the engine and nothing came up in the display (other than the normal stuff). Decided to take the car for a short drive to see what the temperature would do, and it did move quickly upwards but then stopped around the 80dgr mark (or just a millimeter or so as usual). Drove for about 20-30 min seeing that all seemed fine (no rise in temperature, no unusual sounds or general feel etc). Decided that this was probably just a sensor or something that had to be reset (i.e. power off/power on) Drover for 1.5 hours or so and pulled over for lunch. Left the car for 30 min or so and when returning to the car and turning the key I noticed that the �RPM started around 1'200 and then feel to around 600 to then move back to 700/750. Never have I seen this before and got quite worried. Continued the drive and did notice (not 100% sure as I was on my toes) that the temperature did rise a little when running in Idle OR when climbing steeply over a pass in the pre-alps (1'000 meters or so over a short distance) but nothing extreme from the 80dgr mark. I didn't feel any difference in acceleration and/or speed at any time, and no difference in the engine sound (drove with open windows). Took the car for a quick wash and left the engine off of course. Started as normal (I think) and drove it back home. So, what does all this mean? Could it be the radiator or something else that have caused this or something else? How does the coolant thing work? I take it it's the little white canister to the left � when looking at the engine from behind � with a min/max indicator and I can't for the life of me see where the actual level is. I tried to open the lid but it was impossible with my bare hands so need some kind of tool to get it open. The car was fully serviced in January and all fluids etc were topped up/changed. I'm having the car in for the air-con fix in a couple of weeks time and won't be driving at all before then so should I ask the garage to look at something specific. Its at Porsche Zentrum Bern so it's an official garage with offical prices... Any pointers would be highly welcomed. Thanks, Fred

Fred, this has the makings of a disaster for your car. You cant visually check the coolant level? You cant remove the cap? Theres no coolant smell, no steam, no visible leaks, or puddle on floor at front or back of car? You should do a lot more reading about the 996 or find someone competent to help you. Sorry but its very hard to help someone through forum posts who lacks basic mechanical skills.

Frank, the little white canister on the left side of the engine bay with probably a blue lid is the coolant reservoir as you suspected. If it won't open with your bare hands, try it with a glove on (any glove should do). Remember lefty-loosy and righty-tighty :-) Do this when the engine is COLD and see if you can look in and see where the level is. If it is low you probably should take it to someone qualified to figure out the issue. The coolant level should not get lower over time. If it was in fact filled to the correct level when you bought the car and if you are able to verify that it is now low that coolant went somewhere, which needs to be corrected. There is nothing wrong with not having mechanical skills and still enjoying a fine car. I don't prepare my own tax returns but have no problem enjoying the way I spend my money... :-) Anyway, please let us know what the issue is/was and I'm sure plenty of others here would be happy to help figure it out. Kudos to you for at least opening the hood and trying to see what is going on.

But he IS asking how to do his taxes.....and not just that but asking how to add and sbtract too. That gas station coolant is not for this car, don't put it in the 996.

Yeah .. Frank ... Bad to mix regular coolant with Porsche coolant. You need dealer coolant or Pentosin or vW equivalent only. You should be able to see level with flash light in reservoir on left side of engine. If you lost significant coolant could be radiator, water pump , hose or a number of other sources. Any mechanic should be able to pressure test or find leak for you .. Could be reservoir itself , but go to Porsche specialist if you need to replace a part. Not sure about warning light .. If level is low when cold .. That could be light you see. When engine is warm level will be higher .. So light goes off. If you didn't see steam or obvious leak .. I would check level cold, add right coolant (mixed with distilled water as required) to min mark and go get system checked. If you see oil in coolant or oil itself looks milky do not drive car but tow to Porsche shop.

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Try to do this when the engine is cold, significantly easier to remove the cap.

Frank/Fred What year is the car? How many miles/Km on it? Probably the most common reason for losing coolant is a crack in the " little white canister to the left ". Usually at first the leak is slow and only when the fluid is hot and under pressure. Look for residue or other signs of fluid leakage on the fender wall under the canister. If the canister is more yellow than white it is likely that it needs to be changed. If your car was recently serviced and all fluids were changed it is possible that there was an air bubble that finally burped out making the level lower. The first pic is a bad cap. The second is the reservoir. The black device on the reservoir is the pressure release with the bail down, normal. The square that the bail is mounted on will rise when the car is warmed up, normal.

Thanks for all your replies. It's a 2002 996 C4S with 88'000 km on the clock... I don't drive the car that often (weekends only or on Bank Holidays) so it is left standing in its place in the garage. When reversing out, I always check to see if there is oil or any other spills and nothing visible or obvious to date. I therefore think nothing is leaking in wast amounts if any at all. When I say I can't see where the level is of the coolant, I mean it's difficult to actually see not meaning that there is no level. The 1 liter bottle of coolant has printed on the label it is to be used by Audi, Porsche and some other makes so I guess I'm good. Have not topped anything up as I couldn't move the damn cap one mm Will try again later today and see if it is willing to work with me...

Fred, I hope my post did not offend you but it is up to you to at least be familiar with the basic fluid systems of your car. Yours came with the owners manuals, right? You have many 996 threads about coolant flushes, parts to watch out for, leaks, etc. There are also some great books out there. You must educate yourself by searching and reading as much as possible if your going to own and drive a 11+ year old super car, which the 996 is regardless of the nonsense you read otherwise. The cars value has certainly depreciated from the purchase price but the repair costs are still consumate to an $85,000 car. I suppose you surprised many of us with your post about such basic knowledge. The dealer really should have at least given you the "guided tour" of the car's systems on delivery. I suggest you become a quick learner or quickly make friends with the more mechanically inclined. If you put your mind to it, in a few months you can do a clutch change by yourself if you want. If I did it, so can you.

Hi KrazyK No offense taken. I'd rather hear it straight and value the input from someone who seems passionate about 996'ers than wannabe's I'm not as blank when it comes to mechanics as it might seem. My main problem is that I do not master French or German and as it has it I live in a quad-lingual country where English is not a widely spoken language.... at least where I live. This said, even though I would like to do some mechanical bit myself, I don't have the time or space to do it so I'd rather just read and learn about it than actually doing it myself if it makes sense? That said, I would not have the nerve to start removing this and that hahaha... Anyway, so I got to talk to a mechanic down at the VW garage — a stone's throw from where I live — and was told that I could safely pour the coolant I had bought into the car without problem. It took three bottles (I.e 3 liters of coolant) so that makes me think there might be something with the radiator... As I said earlier the cap was like welded stuck so got the concierge to help me out and finally got it lose. Checked the cap and no residue and while at it did all other caps and all looked tip top (i.e., no oil and coolant mix — mayo — to be seen anywhere). Took it for the same spin I did yesterday and the temperature was much slower to reach the 80dgrC and was rock steady at the mark when in slow traffic as well as cruising speed. No more coolant warnings and I will ask Porsche in Bern to check it out while they have it in. Thanks again all for your input as always...

Fred, glad I didnt offend. Sorry about the translation problem. Thats close to a gallon and the system capacity is @6 gallons. Seems odd a Porsche dealer would have missed this during their PPI if they did one. I would at least do as others suggested and have the sytem inspected and pressure tested.

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Yes, that is my plan

Make sure vW coolant is the right one for the 996 ... There are two types. I forget which one is compatible with our cars .. But should be pink ...if you do a quick search here I'm sure you can find that info

While we are talking about coolant, as far as the Wetter fluid is concerned, am I correct that it can be added to the reservoir, and if so how much? Thx for replies.

The coolant specified for the 996 is "phosphate free". Most if not all local auto parts stores should have this. I have had to put a pair of channel locks (adustable pliers) on the blue coolant cap to get it started for removal. I use a rag on the cap to keep it from getting marked up. Engine cold of course. The temp indicator is dual purpose... high temp and or low coolant. You can actually use a flashlight to shine in the side of the resovoir and see the level without removing the cap. I wouldn't sweat it. If the engine coolant temp gauge indicates a normal temp for the car, somewhere between 180 and 220 degrees f... you are not going to damage your car.

I second the flashlight trick. Also, you can just add distilled water if you need to just top it off. I had to do this a lot when mine was leaking. My problem ended up being a bad expansion tank cap and a bad AOS. The AOS was barely seeping for a long time and finally just dumped all my coolant out in the parking lot at work. Never got any warnings though. I would not drive it around until resolved if the computer is complaining.

Frank .. Any update on the problem ?

Hi All, Sorry for the delay in getting back, but had to go to San Francisco for a week with work and btw I didn't see as many 911/boxters as I had expected but rather Prius' in silver. Have been to SF a good number of times before but never thought of "counting" Porsche's and was told by my sister (a Berkeley resident) that Prius' is taking over the market (and yes she has one too ) Anyway, to recap: Bought the pink coolant as instructed by the VW mechanic, and it was written on the back label that it was approved by Porsche along with other manufactures. It did also have a vW coding on it and it did also say phosphate free so without question the correct fluid. I got my self a flash light to check the coolant level by pointing it on the canister to see that all is as it should be (my garage is quite dark) every time before I go driving. Went for good drive when I got back on Monday and the level had not dropped since filling it up before I left. Will check again this evening as I have the car set for service next week and might ask Porsche to fix it and do the pressure test as discussed earlier. I will get back with more info in about weeks time

UPDATE: Got a call from Porsche and a few things needs to be done and a quote of the job to be done which I accepted. Because my German is not what it should be I might have heard wrong but: 1. New compressors (kondensatoren) neede for the aircondition to work propperly again (2 of them). 2. All radiators (radiatoren) needs to be changed (I'm "sure" he said 4 but shouldn't it only be 3?) as they are leaking. 3. Brake fluid to be changed as it was 6 years since last time. When I delievered the car, I specifically told the mechanic about the coolant loss and if he could check it out, as well as doing an over all check of the car so not too bad really. So, what does a job like this cost in Switzerland at Porsche you may think. Any guess? The cost is with all the parts, fluids, bits and bobs as well as labour... The answer will be revealed later this week.

Unless its lost in translation, you really need the Bentley manual to help you identify the 996 systems.

Hello, My wife's car began running rough on a drive home 1 night. I changed out the ignition coils, cleared codes, and it was fixed. Then the yellow low coolant light began coming on when starting cold. Took it in for oil change and coolant top off. The next time we started it cold a red rectangle popped up alerting coolant issues. We looked up online and called dealership. Both said there's probably are in coolant line.. My question is how to burp the line.. Since it's a 2012 the coolant is still Pink not Purple like the 2013. I've slightly loosened the valve at front top under decorative engine cover while off. Waited then tried again with same red alert. So I drove it a few miles, alert stops after 1 min of driving. I pulled over and tried bleeding same valve while running. Now I'm waiting for it to cool to recheck light. Unfortunately, YouTube has nothing. I work on BMW, Audi, and Land Rovers we own and sell. Use to mechanical, electrical, body, and even computer linking to optimize settings. Needless to say we are pretty savvy. Any ideas of how to properly burp system of air bubbles in coolant lines?