**NEED COOLANT LEAK REAR WHEEL- images attached - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

max_asdf · 10-12-2013, 02:21 PM

basically i drove for around an hour. parked curbside outside house, went upstairs looked down at car and saw a puddle behind right rear wheel. went to feel it, feels like mostly like water, little oily feeling.

went to wipe with tissue to find coloring of liquid, came out to be a yellowish/brown color. i wiped it off the ground, not sure if the color had changed?

size of leak, approx from front of rear tire extending to below the bumper.

I took pics of anything I can relate to regarding this leak, does anyone have more information? is this related to my coolant cap (01)? tank leak?, i havent pulled the carpet in trunk yet.

thank you all!

thstone · 10-12-2013, 02:32 PM

Coolant. Check for dampness in the trunk, reservoir cracked and/or leaking, and connections.

tonycarreon · 10-12-2013, 02:32 PM

pull the carpet

AKnowles · 10-12-2013, 04:49 PM

OK, I see no one mentioned that the right rear wheel well is where the coolant overflow exits teh car, so I will. The rest is dead on so far as if you had an overflow you need to find out why. Pulling the carpet, pl,us teh exposed fiberboard flooring, is mandatory to see if you have an internal leak of the coolant resivoir.

If you recently pulled your radiator cap, then it is time to repalce it as you have a model 1 when they are up to a model 4 at this point. The model 1 had two stages where it allowed an overflow if I recall correctly. Two seperate pressure valves. And from what I recall, removing the cap often causes a failure at that point. I repalced my 01 with the latest 04 when I replaced my water pump.

Do keep in mind that you can't, or shouldn;t, just use any coolant to fill it back up to the top line. You need to use the same type of coolant that is in their. Don't ask me what is in there because, who knows. It's an old car. And even Porsche used two seperate coolant colors (prior green, current id pink). Bottom line though is mixing coolant types can be detremental. If you have to add fluid, use distilled water. That is safe, but lowers the boiling point if you have to add a lot.

woodsman · 10-12-2013, 05:23 PM

I think the overflow vents out of a hose in front of the RR wheel- NO?
Also, do you ever hear a knocking noise in the RR??? I'm surprised to see that your anti-roll bar is contacting the lower control arm- Has anyone noticed this on their car as well?

Jager · 10-12-2013, 05:26 PM

Water pump... Looking at your photo taken underneath the car, it looks like the leak begins just below the water pump area.

woodsman · 10-12-2013, 05:30 PM

the waterpump is on the FRONT of the engine...

Jager · 10-12-2013, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodsman

the waterpump is on the FRONT of the engine...

Yes it is... I think the moisture we see on the Diagonal Brace is from driving while leaking (blown-on), if that puddle on the ground is starting ~10" to 12" in front of the rear tire my bet is the water pump.

max_asdf · 10-12-2013, 06:34 PM

I went to check the area top of the coolant cap in the rear trunk and there was lots of condensation directly above the cap on the metal hood.

2 weeks ago the coolant cap was pulled and coolant was topped up, maybe 1L maximum was added. should it only start to leak now after such a long period of time? Today was a warmer day and I drove it longer than normal if this helps diagnose anything.

does this conclude that it is the radiator cap problem?

is there only 1 radiator cap to this car? I only need to replace the one in the picture correct? Hope this will resolve my issue...

ALSO:

I took it for two drives after posting this thread, to dinner and back, each one approx 20 minutes. after each drive i have yet to see any leaks.

I did hear some light knocking noises 2 days ago, when i put my ear close to the side vent. It was not extremely loud or abnormal so I left it, but something definitely sounded different. sounded it was ticking faster than normal. is this the water pump noise?

if it is the water pump, should it be dumping coolant on the ground every time i drive the car?

note: no low coolant light, or check engine light, no over heating.

thanks for all the help.

seventythree · 10-12-2013, 08:25 PM

Cracked coolant tank.

And yes, in the beginning, it will only leak when there is enough pressure build-up. Later on, it will start leaking profusely as soon as you start driving the car.

max_asdf · 10-12-2013, 08:31 PM

ok, im not sure how to pull the carpet. are the 986 and 987 different. i forced my way through the carpet and was able to feel one or two spots near the tank and side of car, felt dry.

i took the fasteners out, but on my 987 the carpet is attached to styrofoam below. also the trunk latch has no screws, im not able to detach the plastic cover for the latch from the carpet.

Jager · 10-13-2013, 09:49 AM

Can you get under the car to look? How about looking at the water pump from the passenger compartment? You will have to remove the carpet behind the seats and remove the cover. There will be coolant or residue behind and below the water pump pulley. Also, you can remove the belt and spin the pump with your hand to get a good idea of the condition of the pump. If the pulley wobbles or the pump make any grinding noises when spinning it's bad.

thom4782 · 10-13-2013, 06:17 PM

I think Jager is on the right track. The puddle begins pretty far forward. Could be the water pump. Worth checking at least especially if the quick check under the carpet seems dry.

max_asdf · 10-13-2013, 08:56 PM

does a failed pump puke coolant after every drive?

thstone · 10-14-2013, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by max_asdf

does a failed pump puke coolant after every drive?

Depends on the extent of the faliure (just starting to go or completely gone) and the type of failure (bearing, seal, impeller, ...). Some never leak, some leak a little, and some leak a lot.

max_asdf · 10-14-2013, 06:57 PM

Ive lost more coolant today. around 1L, back to the pre-topup level. Sitting between min and max right now. Will check again for leaks after tmr's drive. If air was in the system from topup, the coolant level should not go any lower than this point, am I correct?

after a short drive and parking the car for a short period of time. The next time I start the car, my engine compartment fan ALWAYS goes on full blast, does any of your cars do this?
While it was on full blast, I also smelt coolant from the passenger side vent, where the engine fan blows out of. What does this mean? Normal or another sign its the water pump going?

I remember when my water pump went on my BMW, the engine compartment fans went on full blast trying to cool the engine..

edit: how much condensation above coolant cap on rear trunk lid is deemed to be normal. Is it even possible to lose 1L of coolant just through the cap?

AKnowles · 10-15-2013, 03:59 PM

No condensation is normal. it sounds to me like your engine compartment may be running hot. If you are losing coolant, I'd suggest you stop driving it until you determine where the leak is coming from or possibly have serious damage. I think you should either crawl under the car and check the water pump or pull the engine access cover and check it.

If you keep pulling air in the system, you need to burp it to release it. Plus air in the system can damage your water pump. If it is not already the problem. Really, I think you should get it checked out if you can't do it before you have serious problems.

thstone · 10-15-2013, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by max_asdf

I also smelt coolant from the passenger side vent, where the engine fan blows out of. What does this mean? Normal or another sign its the water pump going?

This is typically a sign that your water pump is leaking. Simple to confirm - get under the car and look; if its been leaking there will be coolant residue on the bottom of the engine, hoses, etc. My car looked like this:

AKnowles · 10-15-2013, 06:47 PM

That's a bad picture, but mine was not as bad. Just a few white spots on the water pump pully shaft. But the bearing was shot and the pully was rubbing on the upper bolt.

My first indication was a coolant smell. Then a few droplets of water (trail) when I parked it. But I thought it was the AC. On the way in to work the next day, the car overheating blowing white vapor out the engine compartment. Interesting enough, the coolant temperature gauge barely got above the 0 when this happened, but the coolant take was low and the light flashed. When I stopped, pressure forced out additional coolant. I had it towed home and replaced my water pump as a DIY.

max_asdf · 10-15-2013, 07:57 PM

where did you smell coolant?
I only smell coolant when i sniff the engine fan compartment with it blowing hard.

How much coolant was forced out when you stopped?

I have 2 more questions,

1. Does topping up coolant have any chance of inducing air pockets to system? by having the air expand, the car would only dump the 'new added' coolant out?
2. How much coolant were you guys losing with a failed cap, before replacement. 1 quart?

plan to change my 01 cap, and bring it in this week for a check. will report back. The thing is, apart from the leak pictures on first post, I have not seen a leak since. No coolant low light, but manually see coolant level down from tank markings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKnowles

That's a bad picture, but mine was not as bad. Just a few white spots on the water pump pully shaft. But the bearing was shot and the pully was rubbing on the upper bolt.

My first indication was a coolant smell. Then a few droplets of water (trail) when I parked it. But I thought it was the AC. On the way in to work the next day, the car overheating blowing white vapor out the engine compartment. Interesting enough, the coolant temperature gauge barely got above the 0 when this happened, but the coolant take was low and the light flashed. When I stopped, pressure forced out additional coolant. I had it towed home and replaced my water pump as a DIY.