Afraid of the answer.....

[robdelorenzo]

Thanks.
Ordering a new cap then.

[911monty]

Originally Posted by robdelorenzo

Thanks.
Ordering a new cap then.

Well It's cheap so yeah, but I'm only giving thought to things to check. The purge valve can also leak in this same area and was also exposed to the meltdown and could now be compromised. You will want to remove that plastic cover over the expansion tank and attempt to identify the leak point. As an FYI the cap is very easy to cross thread.

[robdelorenzo]

It's back to the mechanic this morning. I'll keep you posted.

It just keeps getting better.....I brought it in to him leaking coolant from the overflow. He suggested that it might be the cap. We changed the cap and I drove home. It's still not circulating properly and sending the heated coolant out the overflow. He now says that something in the circulation system was cooked by the overheating. The water pump, the thermostat, where the impeller blades connect to the pump shaft may have melted, radiator, broken impeller pieces blocking coolant channels, etc. etc.
I'm really at a loss here now.
The temperature gauge does not register overheating, but it's obviously leaking and something is wrong.
I'm trying to get back on my feet from surviving cancer, unemployed, and no more money to put into this car right now (or at all?)
At what point do I walk away or keep dumping money into it?
The engine seems to run fine and after letting it cool off for about an hour I can see that the coolant tank is only about 1/3 full (of course 3/3 full would be way too much. Point is a fair amount of coolant came back out the overflow and something is wrong.
Should I cancel the insurance, keep it garaged, and slowly save up and fix the cheapest thing first (thermostat?) or is there just going to be so much collateral damage from the meltdown that I walk away and sell it as a roller?
Another mechanic I just talked to told me to have the test done for hydrocarbons in the coolant. If there are, he said to walk away. He also said that the coolant is circulating, since the gauge is not showing abnormal readings or overheating and that it could still be more air in the system.
Please offer advice. I'm desperate.

[Dr. Acula]

One big air bubble in the cooling system could explain all the current symptoms. It is very common to have air trapped in the system on these cars.

First thing to do -
Take a deep breath.

Second thing to do -
Take another deep breath.

This will get sorted. I would follow the procedure for burping all the air out of the system before making any rash decisions.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by robdelorenzo

It's back to the mechanic this morning. I'll keep you posted.

It just keeps getting better.....I brought it in to him leaking coolant from the overflow. He suggested that it might be the cap. We changed the cap and I drove home. It's still not circulating properly and sending the heated coolant out the overflow. He now says that something in the circulation system was cooked by the overheating. The water pump, the thermostat, where the impeller blades connect to the pump shaft may have melted, radiator, broken impeller pieces blocking coolant channels, etc. etc.
I'm really at a loss here now.
The temperature gauge does not register overheating, but it's obviously leaking and something is wrong.
I'm trying to get back on my feet from surviving cancer, unemployed, and no more money to put into this car right now (or at all?)
At what point do I walk away or keep dumping money into it?
The engine seems to run fine and after letting it cool off for about an hour I can see that the coolant tank is only about 1/3 full (of course 3/3 full would be way too much. Point is a fair amount of coolant came back out the overflow and something is wrong.
Should I cancel the insurance, keep it garaged, and slowly save up and fix the cheapest thing first (thermostat?) or is there just going to be so much collateral damage from the meltdown that I walk away and sell it as a roller?
Another mechanic I just talked to told me to have the test done for hydrocarbons in the coolant. If there are, he said to walk away. He also said that the coolant is circulating, since the gauge is not showing abnormal readings or overheating and that it could still be more air in the system.
Please offer advice. I'm desperate.

Did he refill the system under vacuum? If not, I would not be surprise that there is air trapped in it. The line you blew off the cooler is the highest point in the system, and is there to vent air trapped in the oil cooler to the tank in the trunk; so I again would not be surprised there is air in the system if vacuum was not used to refill the system.

[robdelorenzo]

I honestly don't know.
But he's a very reputable Porsche guy here in Lawndale CA.
He was pretty insistent that there is no air in the system when I asked him earlier today.
I was unable to ask him before he closed for the 3 day weekend if he uses a vacuum or not.
But what doesn't make sense to me is that if there is a circulation problem as he indicates, why wouldn't the temp go up or it overheat?
A second opinion mechanic (a very reputable guy in OC) told me to drive it tomorrow stone cold and not refill the coolant and see what it does.
He also suggested a test for hydrocarbons in the coolant.
Please weigh in, there are some very kind and knowledgeable people here who do not have skin in this game.
Thank you.
Rob

[robdelorenzo]

Please help with advice.
Thanks!

[Nine8Six]

DUde. Drive the car!

That half cup of coolant that came out from the overflow means that the air pocket already passed. When air gets in contact with hot in a closed environment the pressure increase by 1000%. That's gone now - you should now see the coolant level 3.24mm lower than it was before and that's all there is to it.

RE vacuum; "all" mechanics (in-the-world) use vacuum to refill. Even the cheapest shop you can find in the middle of china use vacuum refill. How the hell would it work otherwise. Come on guys...

As per advice:

"drive it tomorrow stone cold and not refill the coolant and see what it does"

My advice: "drive it EVERYDAY and have fun"

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by robdelorenzo

Please help with advice.
Thanks!

Get someone that knows what they are doing to pull a vacuum on the cooling system to get the air out.