Plans to replace coolant expansion tank just got moved up

Well, I was planning on doing the coolant expansion tank this spring as soon as it warmed up as I'm pretty sure it's the original. From all I've read, a leak on the exhaust tip from this area is classic expansion tank woes. Looks like the schedule just moved to the left! Yes, I know to buy the Porsche part.

I recommend you do some investigative work first. Is your coolant cap blue and end in PN 04? Now, check all the hoses around and connected to the expansion tank. Get a coolant pressure tester and pressurize the system. You can get one off Amazon or even rent one at the local auto parts store. If jumping in to replacement, only a OE Porsche tank. Yes, I know, you'll pay for it but anything else is aftermarket crap.

Sounds like me last summer. Took a drive in 90+ degree heat & found a puddle behind the left rear wheel when I stopped to grab a drink. Couldn't find and obvious source, did some reading here & did a similar drive a day later to test & diagnose. No leak. Did a much shorter drive a few days later in cooler weather, came back from jogging, another puddle. Via process of elimination I was pretty sure it was the tank so I replaced it. No more puddles. If there aren't any leaking hoses then it's probably the tank. It expands when it gets hot & pressurized and formerly water tight cracks start leaking. I agree with the comment about the OEM tank. I saw on one of Jake Raby's videos that he tried all the aftermarket tanks & they all had problems.

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The coolant cap is P/N 996.106.447.00. It's definitely not coming from the cap and I can't find any signs of a leak from up top. I'd have to start removing things to pinpoint it. Honestly, with how old I believe it is, I wouldn't mind replacing it anyway.

Arrggh. The non-oem tank just bit me. Just under three years and 7,000 miles. Same symptoms as ssherman. I pulled out the airbox and air pump and couldn't find anything wet until I reached under the coolant tank. Does anyone have a recommendation on where to buy? It's $637 on Pelican. Edit: I just found it for $436 on AutohouzAZ. Does anyone know which sites give Rennlist or PCA discounts?

The Porsche coolant tank for a 996.2 is $139 from Suncoast Porsche. The 996.1 are stupid expensive.

https://parts.porschelivermore.com/o...ir-99610614756 good price at Livermore Porsche

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Pelican parts gives PCA members a 10% discount...once per year. Use this code: Pelican-PCA2021- INSERT_PCA_MEMBER_NUMBER

https://www.delawareporscheparts.com...ir-99610614756

Believe it or not, I just received the coolant tank that I ordered yesterday. I have a feeling they didn't send me the Genuine Porsche tank that I paid for. The box doesn't say Porsche and I don't see any part number on the tank. And lastly, it came with a cap, which I believe doesn't come with the unit from Porsche. Can someone confirm whether their Porsche tank had a part number on it? The emailed receipt says "Genuine Porsche Expansion Tank"

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Yes, I purchased a genuine expansion tank from a Porsche dealership in Atlanta. The tank came in a box with the official Porsche sticker on the outside with a part number just like any OEM genuine part. The expansion tank did not come with the blue cap or a coolant level sensor. Had to order them separately.

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Was this from Autohaus AZ? Mine is on the way from them, so I'm curious.

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Yes. I just sent mine back to exchange for the one I paid a premium for, I hope you don't wind up with the same problem. If the tank you receive has a coolant cap on it, it's not the Porsche tank. Also, the tank should have a part number embossed on it somewhere. I don't remember where as I don't have my original tank anymore.

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Great. I ordered from them instead of Sunset, which was $100 cheaper (I ordered other things) because I need to get this thing installed. They had the tank in stock and Sunset said 3-5 days before it ships. I don't really have time to send it back and wait for another one...

Well, I'm happy to report that they sent me the Porsche tank. I will also say that there was no way the old one was coming out without disconnecting the two fuel lines next to it. I dropped the engine as far as I could without completely removing the nuts from the mounts and it still wasn't coming out. I have no idea how some of these tutorials say you can get it out without doing either of those.

I just replaced mine yesterday too but I did so without removing the fuel line. I removed the engine mount nuts completely and lowered the engine enough to squeeze the tank out...oops. I hope that's not bad. Your new old tank looks rough!

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They're showing $279 for shipping.

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i guess im lucky, i just walk up to the counter. If it helps i could pick it up and ship it.

Too bad nobody has 3D printed a metal replacement. I had a similar crack almost in the same area....

I'm happy to report that the tank I ordered from Livermore Porsche arrived today and it is a Genuine Porsche part. Having handled two OEM tanks previously, I can say that there is an obvious difference in color and that is a telltale clue. The Porsche tanks are much whiter, don't come with a cap, and have a Porsche label with the part number. Now for the fun.

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Hmmm. I hope the one I got was actual Porsche. Mine didn't have the Porsche sticker on it but Pelican said it was Porsche original and it cost me $600.

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Did it come with a black cap (not the vent mechanism)? Is it stark white or an off-white? A sponsor on this site contacted me and told me that there was a problem in the supply-chain and non-Porsche tanks were being shipped as Genuine Porsche to many vendors.

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It didn't come with a cap. I bought the cap, bracket and sensor separately. It is stark white. Of course they all turn off-white as they age. This one didn't seem to have the part number embossed on it but there was a label where the old one was embossed (I was looking at pictures and can't get my hand in to feel the area where the embossing should be. It did have a "Made in Germany" label. The old one had "Geiger Technik" embossed on it with the part number. Not sure if that was the original tank or a replacement.

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Sounds good. Here are photos of the OEM tank on the left and the Porsche tank in the middle and right, exactly as they were received. The non-Porsche tank was just in a box with no plastic wrap or label. It may be difficult to see in the photos, but the color difference is substantial.

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Thanks for posting those. Mine did not have that bag or those labels but it's also for a '99 which are slightly different. I know Porsche may contract out to different OEMs to make parts. I'll just have to hope this was one of them. The label did say OEM on it.

I cringe* when I see the usual group here proclaiming "you must buy the Porsche this, or you must buy the Porsche that" and those items are double, triple, or more. If you keep buying Porsche parts regardless of price, I guarantee they will keep raising the price. They have been, and are, fairly happy to take your money. Apparently our original tanks last around 10 years, perhaps 50k miles, on average (typical for so many things Porsche). I'm not so sure replacing it with a new $600 Porsche tank is such a great deal. It is neither a critical part nor difficult to replace. My tank was replaced by the prior owner before 2010 around 20k miles ago. It's a "German" brand with a "Blau" cap available at FCU for $218 and it is still pure white today, working as it should. I'd buy the same one again from FCP if it failed today. Note, you can buy these tanks on ebay for <$100 and I wouldn't touch those, they are not to be considered. I will also add that you don't want to over-torque any of the mounting nuts, screws or clamps. I would under-torque them. Unlike most other cars these tanks are always pressurized and made to handle repeated heat cycles and even overtightening a hose clamp will cause stress that can lead to cracks. * I also cringe when the usual group constantly over hype certain bearings that are marked up 10X, double priced t-stats, certain non-A40 oils and UOA analysis reports, but hey, what can I say? Getting value when/where ever I can has worked out quite well for me.

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It definitely depends on the part/situation. This was one of those situations where I was going to buy an aftermarket tank rather than the original. Especially since this particular part is kind of a "consumable" But when I heard a few mechanics and others say they have tried several of the aftermarket tanks and had to replace them soon after, I changed my mind. I get what you're saying. I sometimes roll my eyes when someone says you MUST use ABC part or I would only let XYZ mechanic touch my car! Even if they're on the other side of the country and have never been to XYZ mechanic. I actually had the opposite situation with torque after replacing my tank. I could not get one of the mounting bolts on all the way due to lack of a deep 10 mm socket. Four months later one of my water hoses started leaking under pressure. I fixed it and another one did it. I decided to drain the tank, buy a deep socket & reinstall making sure both bolts were on right and replaced the clamps with worm gear ones. I may look for the original constant pressure type clamps and get new ones someday.

I did the same, while I was in there (AOS). Porsche OEM on both counts! Not a job I want to do again anytime soon.

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Normally I would agree, when the part is coming from the same supplier as Porsche and is just missing the name on the box. Some of these aftermarket options are obviously flawed or there wouldn't be so many reports of them leaking within a year or two. If someone with as much experience as Jake says that he's seen the aftermarket options leak over and over again, why would you chance it? And granted, it wasn't the hardest automotive job I've done, but it sure was a pain in the *** to get in and out even after lowering the engine and removing fuel lines, not to mention draining and refilling the coolant, so I'd rather not do it again.

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There really are not that many bad reports relative to the 175k 996's made. Ten's of thousands if not nearly all of them have been replaced. Forums tend to perpetuate and magnify problems. Look up brands "German", "Blau" and "Behr" (probably the OEM) they all make the tanks and are strong brands. I doubt FCP or Pelican would carry them for long if they were so bad. Porsche can't even include a cap (eff them I say). I bought a Porsche brand AOS from Sunset for $124 but I could have bought a URO for $90. Why, because it is a critical item, difficult to replace and only $35 more. $600 tanks with no cap vs $200? No way. You must draw the line somewhere. $700 tank, $800? $900? Porsche will always take your money.

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I had heard the same thing and went with an OEM (German) brand rather than Porsche. 7,000 miles later I'm doing this &%# job again. Read some of FSI's posts about it. They tested many aftermarket tanks and they all failed. There are many, many such posts. If you like doing this job every year or two, then go ahead and buy a cheaper tank. I've already done it twice and that's enough for a lifetime. I changed out my original tank proactively at 17 years and it was still good. My OEM replacement didn't last three years.

For any MK-I owners doing this job, I highly recommend lowering the engine a bit and disconnecting the two fuel lines. It makes the job so much easier. That black plastic hanger was designed by Satan, but don't fret it too much if you can't get it to seat properly. Mine broke but the nut on the Air Pump and the hose connections will keep the tank in place if you can't get it right.

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I did mine without disconnecting the fuel lines. It required two people though. We lowered the engine and then my friend laid on the ground a pushed the engine with his feet to the right (passenger side) enough to easily remove and replace the tank.

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It literally takes a minute to remove both fuel lines. I don't know why anyone wouldn't do that when changing the tank. They are right up against the tank and get in the way.

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I said it previously, but I don't know how anyone has installed one of these without doing this. It just wasn't going to happen unless I removed them. Also, this annoying design feature that seems to serve no purpose was getting caught on everything:

Good news, it seems the tank costs "only" 540 Euros in the dealer. Way better than the 800 I was thinking. I hope it is the tank actually what is causing the problem and that there is no water mixed with the oil. :/