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Old 11-11-2011, 09:27 PM   #1
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Coolant Leak?

So I've been looking to buy a black boxster. Preferable a 2.7L, but if the right price comes, I'll settle for a 2.5

Well i found one on Craigslists that is a Triple black, 5-speed, 2.5L... For $6,000...

He says in his list that it is "Won't hold coolant for any length of time"

Well I called him to get more information and with further questioning he says that when it's in Stop and Go Traffic, when you get home and check, all the coolant is just gone. But when just cruising, the coolant stays there.

I at first thought it could be a headgasket? Which it probably is... But one of my mechanics said that a lot of the time, German water pumps leak at the strangest times. Could it just be that??

Some one help me!! Anyone had this problem in the past??

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Old 11-11-2011, 09:47 PM   #2
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It could be a lot of things, including a leaky reservoir. Someone needs to inspect it for you.
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:27 PM   #3
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Well i could probably inspect it myself if i was there. But its a 5 hour drive....

Its just that it doesn't leak when the car is just idling. Is that common?
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:32 PM   #4
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There are no cheap Porsche's. There may be cars that are inexpensive to purchase, but they won't be cheap to own. I spent almost $3,000 in the first three months of ownership for maintanence/repairs of my cheap $10K Boxster. And my car didn't have anything nearly as obviously wrong with it as a major coolent leak. And now after one full year of ownership, I've spent over $6,000 in repairs.

Stop and think about what damage may have happened when all of the coolent disappears? Nothing good comes to mind. And at $35 a gallon, I doubt that the current owner is refilling it with Porsche coolent each time it empties out. And someone who treats their car like this probably isn't mentioning a lot of other things that probably need attention.

Be sure to get a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) from a reputable shop or dealer before you buy so you know what you're getting into. Also, remember that this is a 10-yr old car so plan to budget $2,000 for repairs per year and be happy if you have some money left over.

Like the advertisement says, "You can pay me now or pay me later".
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:35 PM   #5
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If water isn't blowing out the exhaust, chances are the head gaskets are good. I would suspect a crack in a radiator or piping. When its sitting in traffic with rpms lower the water bunches up and heats the crack enough to expand it. While crusing at a higher rpm the pump can move the bunched up water, with air moving tru and cooling it just enough to keep it away from the crack. Pump bearing could do the same thing suck air in high rpm, push water out in low rpms.
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:37 PM   #6
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Unless you're a professional mechanic or a highly skilled DIY'er, pay for a professional inspection because you don't know what to look for or how to check it. It will be the best $300 that you've ever spent.
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:37 PM   #7
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Yes yes I'm well aware. I do work at a German Auto shop so i get all parts at cost and can do all the labor myself. Still not cheap, but much cheaper.

Even if it was a head gasket I could get it done for less than $3000, making the car cost like $8,000 at the end of things. However; if it is a headgasket, I'm not buying it...

I just want to know what it could possibly be.
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:39 PM   #8
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Quote:
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If water isn't blowing out the exhaust, chances are the head gaskets are good. I would suspect a crack in a radiator or piping. When its sitting in traffic with rpms lower the water bunches up and heats the crack enough to expand it. While crusing at a higher rpm the pump can move the bunched up water, with air moving tru and cooling it just enough to keep it away from the crack. Pump bearing could do the same thing suck air in high rpm, push water out in low rpms.
Wow! Thank you so much! I didn't even think of that... So how can i tell if theres water coming out of the exhaust? As it should be steam by that point... Is it going to be whitish smoke? I know oil is blue, and raw fuel is... fire... lol. But what does coolant/water make?
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:42 PM   #9
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start it up cold and rev it up, you will see it will blow out, if the gasket is leaking.
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:44 PM   #10
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Haha alright. When i send my brother to go look at it, I'll be sure to have him try it. If it doesn't blow out, the headgasket is for sure not leaking??

So if it doesn't blow out, it's probably worth buying right?
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Old 11-11-2011, 10:56 PM   #11
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I couldn't say... without looking at it. But the owner probably is just filling with water without bleeding the system. You would need to get it in the air to verify where the leak is.
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Old 11-12-2011, 12:57 AM   #12
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Just the fact that the car is losing all its coolant and the owner is just refilling it repeatedly and not fixing the problem would make me very leary of buying this car. Overheating these cars just a little, even once, can be disastrous.

At a minimum, get the system pressure tested.

Its a buyers market out there and $6k is not that great a deal for a car with no problems, much less for one with a cooling problem.
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Old 11-12-2011, 05:15 AM   #13
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Cracked head, head gasket, cracked tank, cracked radiator, leaking water pump, cracked hose, loose fitting, leaking heater core.
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Old 11-12-2011, 06:46 AM   #14
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Hmm, it seems i made it seem that he is driving it the way it is. He said he drove it on the highway and got home and it was slightly low on coolant, but when he went on a trip through the city, he got home and all of his coolant was gone. He said it had not begun to over heat yet, but he refilled it (Probably with water) and hasn't driven it since.

It has a strong repair history, but if it was full of water, and the headgasket or head itself was leaking, i wouldn't be able to see anything blow out the exhaust?
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Old 11-12-2011, 06:54 AM   #15
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Hmm, it seems i made it seem that he is driving it the way it is. He said he drove it on the highway and got home and it was slightly low on coolant, but when he went on a trip through the city, he got home and all of his coolant was gone. He said it had not begun to over heat yet, but he refilled it (Probably with water) and hasn't driven it since.

It has a strong repair history, but if it was full of water, and the headgasket or head itself was leaking, i wouldn't be able to see anything blow out the exhaust?
You wouldn't necessarily see it in the exhaust. Depends on the size of the leak.
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Old 11-12-2011, 06:58 AM   #16
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At that price you could part it out and make money. Private inspection is the most important thing you can do at this point, unless your brother is a Porsche mechanic. I've never had repairs like other's have so listen to them. How are the immediately necessary things like - tires, wheels, running condition, leaks, lights? Are all the electrical items working properly? Windows working properly? It's the little things that will break the bank.
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Old 11-12-2011, 07:06 AM   #17
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At that price you could part it out and make money. Privat inspection is the most important thing you can do at this point, unless your brother is a Porsche mechanic. I've never had repairs like other's have so listen to them. How are the immediately necessary things like - tires, wheels, running condition, leaks, lights? Are all the electrical items working properly? Windows working properly? It's the little thing that will break the bank.
Its true, i totally know what you mean. And everyone acts like $5 to 6,000 isn't a very good deal. It seems pretty damn cheap to me. You're right, i could almost part it out for that. The wheels alone are worth like $700!! lol

He said the dash is starting to bubble a tiny bit, but thats it. Everything else that has ever broken he has fixed immediatly but he lives in both San Jose and in Texas, so while the car has been in Cali he hasn't been able to drive it much.

My brother is by no stretch of the imagination a porsche mechanic lol. But hes very compitant and would be willing to look at anything on the car that needed to be. I'm hoping he shows up and theres a puddle under the car... Then its not an internally leaking headgasket or anything lol
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Old 11-12-2011, 07:24 AM   #18
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"The wheels alone are worth like $700!!"

Maybe, maybe not. Two weeks ago I bought a set of used OEM wheels in very good (not perfect) condition from a guy parting out a Boxster. He was asking $650 - I paid $350. Prices aren't what they used to be.
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Old 11-12-2011, 07:37 AM   #19
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That asking price would be a total steal around here (assuming no head gasket issues...). You'ld be lucky to find a clean 2000 base with 90,000 miles for under 10K in the Denver market.
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Old 11-12-2011, 08:28 AM   #20
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The asking price is a total steal around here. You'ld be lucky to find a clean 2000 base with 90,000 miles for under 10K in the Denver market.
Yeah see! It seems like thats about how they go for every where now a days... Granted, if its a headgasket it could end up costing me like $8,000 plus everything else that needs to be done.

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