Has Anyone Replaced the Coolant Pipe Assembly?

Yesterday my 2007 Cayman S developed a coolant leak seemingly out of the blue. It had been at least 4 hours since the last short drive and I noticed coolant pooling under the car. I took the access panels off and have determined that it’s coming from the coolant pipe assembly. Has anyone changed one of these? I started to try and soon realized that it was more work than it looked like, especially on a jack in the garage. I’ve google searched and can find the part but absolutely no info on changing the part. Does anyone know if there is a gasket kit available, can’t find one online, or is it recommended to buy the entire assembly? None of that really matters if I can’t get the damn thing off. I plan on getting some ramps to give me a little more room and security under the car. Thanks in advance for any insight into this.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_I...7-106-508-04-M100&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1Ofmqum64AIVghhpCh3uvwCLEAkYEyABEgJc9vD_BwE This is the part

Update on this. I was able to locate the seals for the coolant pipe assembly. The screws aren’t easy to access and the pipe will not come all the way out, it moves just enough after unbolting to slide the old seals out and the new ones in. I was quoted $1k in labor for this job and got in done in about 3 to 4 hours. It wasn’t the easiest job but not impossible. I don’t have a leak anymore but I am throwing the temp sensor code now. I have one ordered and should be good to go after that.

Update to my update. Full disclosure, I’m no Porsche mechanic by any means. The reason I was throwing the code was due to air in my system, lots of it. I googled and found out how to “burp” my system although vacuum filling is the recommended method I’m trying by just filling, running to temp, bleeding and adding if needed. My temp is staying at 175 for now and I am keeping a close eye and like I mentioned before I check and add coolant As needed for now. I just hope I can get back to feeling comfortable with my car.

Hi TexasT I stumbled across your post and thought I had better pass on my recent experience. My 987 Boxster dumped its coolant in a rush as I pulled into work. Gasket had let go near the base of the plastic bypass pipe you indicated in the Pelican Parts link. I managed to remove said pipe after much manipulation, lowering of engine and removal of several brackets and oil pressure relief valve. My intension was to only replace the gasket but the root cause of the blow-out was the plastic by-pass pipe itself. The gasket sits in a channel that runs the full perimeter of the pipe, but unfortunately, be it through heat or age, a section of the inner lip had disintegrated, allowing full coolant pressure to act on the complete inner edge of the gasket and push it out. Result, I had to then buy the pipe, which also came with its own gasket.... damn! Anyway, problem solved. I know this won't be of much comfort after all your effort and can only hope that you were able to get a good look at the channel in which the gasket rests. Regards Justin Time NZ.

Hey there, seems like I'm not the only one with this problem. Recently I noticed the sweet smell of coolant when I was pulling into my garage, I didn't think too much of it until the next day when I noticed my low coolant light come on. After much investigation I found that the seam across the bottom of the Coolant Pipe Assembly had split and was leaking fairly quickly. I actually had to fill up with about a half a gallon distilled water for every hour of driving.... Anyway I've gotten to the point where I am trying to replace the assembly. I've successfully removed the front engine mount and after much effort the damaged coolant pipe assembly. I had to remove the oil pressure valve in order to just be able to get the old one out, that being said I don't want to force the new one past the oil pressure valve body! I'm afraid it'll crack the new one. Any ideas on how I can get it in without damaging it? Thanks! Craig

What color is the coolant? I just had a blue colored leak front driver side behind front tire..... thinking coolant or washer fluid. (09 Cayman )

Blue liquid would be windshield washer fluid. The reservoir is located behind the drivers side front wheel, right where you describe your leak.you might want to have that leak repaired along with the brake fluid leak you've described in a separate post. Leaks can make for slippery conditions when tires come into contact with fluids. Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

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Did you access it from underneath? Did you have to remove anything else to access the pipe?

I unscrewed just the 3 lower screws of the pipe and can’t access the rest from underneath. Able to pry open enough to get the old bottom seal out but can’t put the new one in. Need help

I know this an old thread but feel like I should update. Mine was leaking from the upper coolant seal. I was able to replace it, thankfully, without further damage. It was an absolute pain in the ***, mainly because I had no clue what I was doing. If I had to make the same repair again it would probably take about 2 hours with the seal in hand.

All of the screws have to come out. It’s a composite piece so if you try to bend it it will break. I’m sure yours has been repaired by now but replying for future readers

Thanks all for the info on this thread! Seems to be a fairly common problem with no other info or videos out there. I've got the exact same issue as here--need to replace the entire composite part. Trying to assess difficulty of lowering of the engine... how much does it need to drop, and only on the closest corner? Any good video you used? Long shot here, but any advice greatly appreciated. Jack

I did this recently on my 06 Boxster S (so, M96 rather than M97). There are great tips here that I followed. Cheers, Julian

Answering my own question having completed the job now... this one is a serious pain. I was quoted $1400 to complete it on my 06 Boxster S , and that is not a bad deal. Not any ridiculous amount of technical skill required, but removing each fastener is its own 15 min battle. A classic Boxster project where replacing the part is trivial but accessing it takes 90% of the time. If using a floor jack to drop the engine, count on being stuck with this job for a few hours, assuming you don't want to leave the engine supported by a jack overnight. The engine only needs to drop 2-3 inches, and this isn't horrible given there's only one engine mount in front. No need to touch any of the other mounts. The link above is great--I would also add: 1. Be strategic about when you remove and replace the coolant pipe assembly fasteners. There is an easy way and a hard way to remove each of them. Obviously some from the above (behind the seats) or below engine access, but also some are easier when the engine is lowered on the floor jack . 2. Take off the serpentine belt at the beginning of the project to save yourself the trouble. Way easier to just put it back on than deal with it the whole time. 3. Remove the pressure fit O2 sensor wire clip (Part #: 987-606-259-01) from the fire wall with a flat head screwdriver (located across from the coolant pipe assembly, on the engine side of the firewall behind the driver's seat). I couldn't see a way to get the coolant pipe assembly in or out without removing this piece. It is just a press fit to a threaded stud that's welded to the firewall. No fastener on the other side or anything. 4. The 5th torx bolt in the center of engine mount is horrendous One more link: Guide on replacing the front coolant pipe on a 987.1 - ******** - Porsche Discussion Forums

Thanks OP and those that added, I've leveraged your work. 2006 CS, 62k miles. I hoped for a seals only fix after a couple months of slow coolant leak. Wrong. Same failed seal wall. Same wrenching experience. Props to those who wrote or ref'd other works. I've one recommendation: use a cordless 12v ratchet (or similar) on the torx bolts. I bought an adequate one for $40 on Amazon for previous ridiculous efforts (r56 cooper S if you must know). Beats the hell out of a 1 click ratchet range.