coolant leak

Just got home from work, parked my 2001 996 in the garage and noticed there was a slow leak of coolant fluid coming from the left side rear of the car. Looking further I saw a slow drip coming down from below the coolant tank. The overflow top area of the tank was dry, and it appears to be coming from the bottom of the tank, not sure though. Just wondered if there might be any connector hoses that are attached to the tank toward the side or bottom. If so it might be a loose fitting or connection. Is the water pump near the left rear, or could the leak find a path to travel from the water pump to the left rear of the car? Only 28K miles. Thanks for any help.

cracked tank, very common

+1 on the cracked tank.

thank you for the response. I checked the tank this morning and the coolant level is showing at the minimum mark. I check the oil and collant at least once a week. It did go down a little since my last visual check since it was at the maximum level. Going to call my independent shop and have them take a look at it. Thanks again.

Yup it is cracked. Independent want $766 to replace coolant tank, parts and labor. Time to test out my extended MaxCare warranty.

Little on the high side for an indy, but if warranty company is paying then doesn't matter I guess. Usually they only pay retail and book hours, hopefully you won't have to pick up the additional tab.

Eric, Seems high to me too. Maxcare has a $75 deductible and limits labor at $80 per hour. Indy quoted me 3.2 hours labor @ $115 per hour. I know the tank, coolant, cap, and hose can't cost the difference of around $400. Maybe close though? Oh, MaxCare did agree to pay full labor after a little persuasion. They won't pay the 11 bux for the hose though. Still a good deal for me. Warranty cost $1700 for 4 year/48 months. Car only had 22K 5 months ago at purchase time.

cap, tank, and coolant should be $200. $146 for the tank, $21 for the cap, $36 for a gallon of juice, all Genuine Porsche Brand. The warranties typically don't cover hoses. Maybe they got additional time to bleed the system or something? Don't know where the extra money is at.

Thanks Eric. Waiting on the parts now. Still driving the car and watching the coolant level closely. They gave me a gallon of coolant to carry with me along with my funnel. Should be good unless the tank ruptures. 90 miles now without any noticeable loss of coolant. Will have the fix done on Tuesday and have a copy of the bill then.

Final total tab for the coolant tank came to $463. My share was only 75 bux. A 300 dollar difference from the original quote. Funny how prices dropped when the warranty came into the picture. Has me wondering what's going on.

if you are asking about the engine coolant so it's level in the coolant reservoir tank coolant level should be between the hot and cold marks. if the reservoir is empty the cooling system may have a leak. always check the coolant level when the vehicle is cold, preferably over night.

Warranty companies will only pay Porsche book hours for labor and Porsche retail for parts. So if they had extra labor or a mark-up on parts in the original estimate, they were likely removed for the warranty repair.

Thanks for the help guys. I think I've learned a good lesson here. In short the warranty company keeps the Indy honest. It seems it is a well equiped shop with some knowledgeable people but their mark up policy makes me question my faith in them. Without the warranty watchdog, I would've been charges 300 bux more, and all out of my pocket.

if you are asking about the engine coolant so it's level in the coolant reservoir tank coolant level should be between the hot and cold marks. if the reservoir is empty the cooling system may have a leak. always check the coolant level when the vehicle is cold, preferably over night.

Have same problem. Porsche want $680 for coolant bottle install, parts and labor.