Coolant Leak / Overflow ??? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

rick3000 · 03-25-2008, 07:27 AM

I went out this morning and took the coolant cap off. The coolant tank was completely empty, and there was definately some coolant around the cap, but only a little bit. I am going to take the car in today.
My only question is if the coolant is completely empty, is it save to have the car running on only distilled water for about 30 minutes.
Thanks!

Boxtaboy · 03-25-2008, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick3000

I went out this morning and took the coolant cap off. The coolant tank was completely empty, and there was definately some coolant around the cap, but only a little bit. I am going to take the car in today.
My only question is if the coolant is completely empty, is it save to have the car running on only distilled water for about 30 minutes.
Thanks!

Just because your tank looks empty doesn't meant there's no coolant in there. There's a lot of coolant in your car, and the tank only shows a portion of it, so don't worry. If you're really low, a light will come up on your dashboard. Yes, you can drive the car safely with just distilled water in it.

rick3000 · 03-25-2008, 08:53 AM

Thanks for all the help everyone!
I just got it towed by AAA for free (Just to play it safe) to the dealer, and when I get the car back I will let you guys know what happened.

Lil bastard · 03-25-2008, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boxtaboy

... Yes, you can drive the car safely with just distilled water in it...

Well, Yes and No.

If you're stranded or driving a short distance to a repair service, then Yes, you'll be OK.

But, if you're planning anything other than that I'd say No.

In addition from keeping the coolant from freezing, anti-freeze also provides needed lubrication for the Waterpump bearing as well as corrosion pretection. It wouldn't take much driving at all for damage to the pump or corrosion to occur.

Boxtaboy · 03-25-2008, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

Well, Yes and No.

If you're stranded or driving a short distance to a repair service, then Yes, you'll be OK.

But, if you're planning anything other than that I'd say No.

In addition from keeping the coolant from freezing, anti-freeze also provides needed lubrication for the Waterpump bearing as well as corrosion pretection. It wouldn't take much driving at all for damage to the pump or corrosion to occur.

Agreed, but he hadn't lost all the coolant in his system, so topping up with distilled water and driving the 30 minutes to the dealer (which was what he was asking if it was safe to do), would be fine. There was a friend of ours who during a 9 hr. drive down to a Boxster event in North Carolina from New Jersey, his old coolant cap let out a huge amount of coolant after stopping. Refilled with (non-distilled) bottled water and went on to go thru the whole 4-day event, and then drove all the way back home, with no issues. Car and water pump are still fine today....

rick3000 · 03-25-2008, 10:40 AM

Well, I am actually glad I called the tow truck, because in the minute or two I had the engine on, to back the car out and onto the truck the light was flashing the entire time, and I started to smell the beginning of a faint burning.

The upside of all this, is that I paid $115 for a diagnostic that didn't show anything a month ago when the car began to heat up higher than normal, and know they are going to reimburse me and I only have to pay the $80 deductible, so my car breaking is getting me back $30-35.

Lil bastard · 03-25-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boxtaboy

Agreed, but he hadn't lost all the coolant in his system, so topping up with distilled water and driving the 30 minutes to the dealer (which was what he was asking if it was safe to do), would be fine. There was a friend of ours who during a 9 hr. drive down to a Boxster event in North Carolina from New Jersey, his old coolant cap let out a huge amount of coolant after stopping. Refilled with (non-distilled) bottled water and went on to go thru the whole 4-day event, and then drove all the way back home, with no issues. Car and water pump are still fine today....

Not to put too fine a point on it, but you stated that with " 'just' (sic. only)distilled water you can drive the car safely". That was the basis of my disagreement.

Your friend has added bottled water to the system, but it wasn't completely dry from your description, nor would I expect it to be from just a failed cap. So, while diluted, I suspect there was still sufficient coolant in the car to lube the pump, etc.

D.L. · 03-26-2008, 09:04 AM

Not to hijack this thread, but my coolant levels are sometimes low causing the light to blink on the dash. I think I may have a small leak or a bad cap because I find A LOT of condensation above of the coolant area on the trunk. I always thought this was normal due to changes in temperature, but I guess not. Anyways, I always used regular water to refill... Did I mess up the car doing this, or should I use coolant to refill? I also heard that Boxsters use a different type of coolant. Is there special coolant for our cars?

Lil bastard · 03-26-2008, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.L.

Not to hijack this thread, but my coolant levels are sometimes low causing the light to blink on the dash. I think I may have a small leak or a bad cap because I find A LOT of condensation above of the coolant area on the trunk. I always thought this was normal due to changes in temperature, but I guess not. Anyways, I always used regular water to refill... Did I mess up the car doing this, or should I use coolant to refill? I also heard that Boxsters use a different type of coolant. Is there special coolant for our cars?

A Lot of condensation isn't mormal. Suspect a bad cap, a poor Bleed Valve seal, a bad hose connection or a cracked coolant tank.

It's OK to top up occaisionally with water (distilled water is best to prevent introducing minerals to the system).

But, each time you do this, you dilute the coolant mix. Porsche specifies either a 50/50 mix of anti-freeze/distilled water, or a 60/40 mix. You don't really want to be <35% anti-freeze or you both increase the corrosion potential and reduce the lubricating properties of the mix.

Over time, topping up with even a little bit of distilled water on a semi-regular basis adds up. You can buy a cheap Hydrometer at most any auto parts store for about $5. This is the little 'baster' which has the little floating balls in it. It tests the specific gravity of the coolant mix and can tell you what your actual mix % are.

The coolant should really be changed every 5 yrs. or so, despite claims from Porsche that it's a lifetime fluid - it isn't.

Use the search function here to find out what brands are, and are not, compatible. There's lots of good info.