Boxster S 2000 Losing Coolant - Please Help!
 

Hi Guys & Gals

My 2000 Boxster S is losing coolant, I've just had the offside radiator replaced as it was leaking and was hoping for some problem free driving but after taking it for a spin this morning I noticed that the red warning light was back slowly blinking.

The temp was OK and there's no obvious leak on my driveway but it has lost nearly 2 thirds of the coolant in just a few miles, I'm hoping it might be an air in the system problem but I am no mechanic at all and have no idea what it is.

My mechanic is a local garage and not a porsche specialist so maybe he's missed something when installing the rad but who knows.

Can anyone with some 986 knowledge please help?

Thanks

Open the bleeder valve to release the air in the system...I believe you have a cracked head. :(

First of all, don't freak out...perhaps you just have a big air pocket in the system that needs to be burped. Here are instructions on how to bleed the system: http://pedrosgarage.com/Site_3/Install_3rd_Radiator_%26_Coolant_System_Bleeding_I nstructions.html

Check for leaks at the front of the car where the radiator was replaced and along the center section of the car (where the water pump is), as well as by the pass side rear wheel well (to see if the leak is near the coolant tank). It's most likely one of these locations where you are losing your coolant.

take it back [tow it] if you work on it the shop can/will say you did the damage

Hi, why freak out the guy saying he has a cracked head? how can you be so sure, even more knowing he had a radiator replaced by a non porsche mechanic. It is rather related to refilling the system, could be the expansion tank cap, an air bubble, anything... but a cracked head... come on, don't be so alarmist, the guy is already freaking out.

If the mechanic is not a Porsche specialist, then he may not have know about the air bleed process for the Porsche. There are a number of posts describing it here, so do some searches to find out how. You might also find out what type of coolant he used to fill it up, if he mixed the wrong kinds together it will gel inside your engine.

In the future, do not take your car to someone that does not specialize in Porsches. The money you "save" will be spent (and then some) fixing their mistakes.

-james

Air pockets in the cooling system, especially in the cylinder heads can and will lead to cracks that compromise engines. I have THREE of them here right now with cracked heads.

Thanks for this, I've taken it back to my mechanic with a print of the bleeding procedure and everything seems to be OK now, fans are kicking in and out, no warning light and no loss of coolant. Fingers crossed everything is now OK. Thanks for all your valuable advice everyone!

Porsche specialist for me next time, it's not worth the worry trying to save a few pounds!

He said, and I quote, "The temp was OK and there's no obvious leak on my driveway but it has lost nearly 2 thirds of the coolant in just a few miles, I'm hoping it might be an air in the system problem but I am no mechanic at all and have no idea what it is. No visible leak, then the coolant goes out the exhaust as vapor which will point to a cracked head. That is why I posted my message as written. Glad the bleeding worked instead of a cracked head. :cheers:

Hope you used Porsche brand coolant or something you're absolutely sure is 100% compatible (search this forum for details) and distilled water. If not, air in the system will be the least of your problems.

Glad it worked out for you. In all honesty, your mechanic should have had a tool like this: http://www.denlorstools.com/home/dt1/page_6135_13/uview_uv_550000_airlift_cooling_system_leak_checke .html

....to quickly purge out all air in the coolant system to avoid having to manually purge the air as what was shown in the instructions I pointed you to. Their shop must not do much coolant system work. With them not properly bleeding your system of air pockets, you could have had worse problems. Glad everything is A-ok.

Whilst using my Boxter on a track day, Ltres of radiator fluid poured out from in front of the right rear wheel as soon as I returned from the race track into the pitts. Additionally, there was radiator fluid sitting on top of the recess where the oil and water cap is located. After letting the car cool down I topped the radiator back up with tap water and drove home without any leaks. What happened at the track and what do I need to do to prevent a reoccurrence?

Looking for the correct diagnostic sequence. 2000 Boxter S burped coolant and overheated. I refilled the reservoir, replaced the cap with a new one, but did not release the pressure with the bleeder valve. The car overheated and leaked a couple more times. No signs of sludge in oil that I can see on dipstick. Fans seem to be cycling as expected. Reservoir replaced a couple years ago.

Should I properly flush air in the system and retry or should I look for the source of the initial overheat? If looking for the source of overheat, is the next logical step the thermostat?

DupLicate....