If you're losing a pint over several days, you have a slow leak. I don't think the oil gauge is accurate enough to prove coolant is mixing with oil. Look for intermix in the coolant tank or on the dip stick. My guess is your leak is on the front side of the coolant tank or the water pump. You might consider having a different shop look for the leak.

Hi thom4782

Your idea of having a different shop look for a coolant leak sounds as if it is the first thing I should do next. I'm guessing the water pump would be an easier job than the coolant tank and therefore cheaper, but then I don't know?

It doesn't look as if there is any oil in the coolant tank, but what colour is coolant meant to be? Mine is a sort of pale and watery coffee colour.....should it be blue? The oil and filter were changed last weekend and look OK to me. I went for a 20 minute drive in her tonight and took her up to about 90 mph. The temperature remained on 80, no warning lights, a tiny bit of mist from the exhaust pipe when I turned her over but only for about 1 minute and very minor. When I got back I checked the oil level again and this time it was 3 sections below and low on the dipstick too, so I agree with your comment on the oil gauge not being terribly accurate. The oil on the dipstick looked completely clean but it was too dark to check the coolant level.

I'll take a look at some prices on coolant tanks and water pumps and take her into another garage early in the week and will tell them what you said. Many thanks for your help and for getting back to me so quickly.

Blonde,

Your coolant is coffee color, as in brown? Brown coolant is not a good sign.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ns7/photo1.jpg

For coolant colors, Porsche has used yellow-green and now pink.

Blonde..
Really, you are over thinking this....
Leaving the car idling for half an hour and then checking fluid levels is not the correct way of doing it. Both oil (9 ltrs) and coolant (22 ltrs) have a sufficiently large volume to expand and register different levels when hot. Plus the oil needs about 20 minutes to drain into the pan to give an accurate level.

To get a base line, check both coolant and oil levels COLD (overnight) just before you set off in the morning. Make a mental note of both readings.
Re-check COLD the next morning or the following morning again if you havn't driven many miles.

The coolant tank & coolant fluid discolour with age, plus the level rises significantly in the resevoir with heat. There's a good chance you can't see the correct level in the resevoir unless you remove the cap and peer in from the top - again inspect when the car has stood overnight.
You have to make a baseline assesment before assuming you have coolant loss or oil leakage....

This is a major symptom of a bad head gasket, if your coolant is a coffee colour it means somewhere in your engine coolant is mixing with oil. The M96 has been known for getting hairline cracks in the cylinder heads and having cylinder walls give.

Do you remember if the car was burning white or grey smoke? Did it feel like it was sluggish (while accelerating?)

There are countless things that could lead to coolant and oil to mix, head gaskets, piston rings, cylinder walls cracking, ect.. The next step in my mind would be to do a compression test and hope for the best!

Many thanks again, Guys,

It sounds as if I have overcomplicated things with the levels on coolant and oil, so I'll stick to the readings when cold so as to establish a base line for assessment. I'm already looking into the top of the coolant tank to asses the levels as the tank is really too dense to see the level clearly through it.

The thing is that I don't use her for getting to work and usually only drive her for short distances a couple of times a week, so she is not getting regular use. Anyway, I'll start the process off again in the morning.

Will also give my local Porsche people a ring to find out how much a compression test would be and if it's not too hair raising then she will go in for one at the end of this week.

She didn't feel at all sluggish today when I drove her this afternoon. The coolant is definitely a brown muddy colour....like river water...... not thick and yucky looking like the photo posted by Kenny Boxster but definitely not pink, green or yellow. The mist coming out of the exhaust when starting up is white and hardly visible. I had put this down to condensation due to the change in temperature over here as the UK has just gone into Autumn in the last couple of weeks.

I'll post again next weekend and try to stay calm meanwhile.

Enjoy your week and have some good drives x

Please take photo of your coolant color

Plus one. Please.

Head Gaskets in M96 engines never fail. 2000-2001 heads crack easily. Sometimes they only leak when up to operating temperature. Sounds like this is Clueless problem.
Coolant in the oil reduces lubrication so IMSB deteriorates. Good time for pressure check & maybe head rebuild! :(

You mentioned seeing condensation in the trunk when you checked your oil level (when engine is warm). Do you still see any condensation above the coolant and oil fill caps?

I had this happen on my 2000S...I'd loose just a bit of coolant over the course of a week or so. Coolant tank just two years old and cap ending in .04. I finally took a look at the O-rings in the pressure relief valve and found the larger O-ring to be pinched in one spot. I found a replacement O-ring at a local hardware store, installed it and haven't had a problem (or condensation) since.

Hi again, I'm still just keeping an eye on the levels every couple of days.

Had to take her along to a local Porsche garage on Friday to pick up a windscreen washer nozzle and took the opportunity to discuss the coolant/oil level situation with the mechanic whilst he was fitting the nozzle.

His feelings were that there are no symptoms of coolant leaking into the oil. She is driving really well and the oil looks perfectly normal according to him, as does the coolant. The coolant is slightly pink/brown which would agree with what was added a couple of weeks ago and the age of the mixture. Apparently the coolant levels do tend to go up and down a little with changes in weather temperature too (we've had some very warm weather here over the last 2 days), so his advice was just to keep an eye on both the levels over the next couple of weeks and to get back to them if I need any further assistance. He said that a compression test would be in the region of £100 to carry out, so that's not too scary.

As before, I'll get back to you in a few days. Meanwhile I'm enjoying driving her again, which is what it's all about after all!

Many thanks again for all your interest and comments. Have a good week.