Milky coolant.
 

A week ago I started the car and saw a big puff of smoke on start.

Next time I drove. The oil level was low. After adding a couple courts oil level has held at a high level and is fine.

Two drives later. The coolant light is one. After adding two quarts it too is okay.

However when checking to add coolant. Milky residue is on the cap.

How SOL am I? Car is parked for now with the new coolant in it. After seeing the milk I decided to straight stop driving.

A bit of milky residue on the cap is not a big concern; however if the tank if full of milky mix, that would be another story.

Milky coolant.
 

Tank seems okay but I’m extra concerned as with how both coolant and oil seemingly lost two quarts not far inbetween each other. The car is driven short distances sometimes due to me being in college.

106k Miles, water pump and aos have been replaced in the past 20k. Oil changed in mid August was zero metal shavings then. Dipstick looks clean today and was last week when sorting out the Oil issue.

I’m mainly worried with the car being a 3.2 From 2000. I know I’ve seen Raby say horror stories about these. And head cracks.

Isn’t there an oil cooler that can fail and allow mix? Mr Raby was very good at pointing out the end of the world possibilities while gleaning over the many possible tiny failures that can show the same symptom. Good luck.

Pull the oil filter and see what is inside of that. If it's clean, you can reinstall the filter and just top off with oil. Zero first hand experience, I believe the o-rings on the oil cooler can fail and allow cross contamination of coolant and oil. Best of luck.

O-ring failures on the oil cooler lead to external leaks, internal failure of the cooler leads to intermix.

I looked online for some examples of full on intermix and mine is definitely not that bad, that being said the car hasn’t been driven since the new coolant was added in. so I could be biased off of seeing the new coolant.

My main concern is the sudden drop in both fluid levels in a matter of 200 miles of driving.

Any thoughts on that possibly being a symptom of much larger issues? Or did I maybe just burn some stuff off.

Two quarts of coolant + two quarts of oil is a lot. Its going somewhere, so if its not leaking, then its going out the tailpipe.

I'd start with a close inspection for any seepage or leaks that might be evaporating before they drip - especially around the water pump and water/oil cooler on the top of the engine. If that doesn't turn up anything, then I'd pull the oil filter to check for debris (leave the oil in the sump). If nothing shows up, I'd do a pressure test of the cooling system. If that is good, then I'd do an engine compression and leakdown test. If compression and leak down are good, then I'd remove the water/oil cooler and pressure test it just to be sure.

Easily answered: Run a cooling system pressure test; if it holds pressure for 15 min., there are no leaks, cracks, or other gremlins. Sudden drops in coolant and oil level are often the result of the systems not being properly filled in the first place.

The coolant should not be going anywhere unless there is a leak externally or internally.

The oil consumption should not be much either in a issue free engine, less than a quart in 5K miles of driving.

A cooling system pressure test would be a good inexpensive way to start the diagnostics.

Hopefully its not a cracked head which would send oil and water through the engine at those kind of rates.

Not sure is a Head gasket could be the issue, not familiar with that part of the engine, but a cheaper fix than cracked.

Sorry for the slow update. Busy in college the car has just been parked at home. Hoping to check oil filter soon to be sure nothing too bad. Worried about a cracked head given the drop in fluids as this is a known issue for the year model and displacement

I'm pretty sure you have a cracked head & sounds like it may be leaking internaly. Check the spark plugs to confirm.

Are you going to try to fix the engine? I just pulled an engine which was overheated in the recent past, ran fine but leaked oil (out of the IMS mostly) on a long term basis. 74500 miles on the engine. It's a 2001 2.7. Would the heads fit on a 3.2?

I haven't torn the engine down yet, so I pretty much know nothing of the heads status. But if you want to pay to have them checked for flatness and cracks, you can have them for that and the cost of shipping. They would include the cams and the valve covers, and the sides for the right head would be kept separate from the left head. I think they are decent rebuildable cores.

If you want to see about a shipping quote, my address is 3411 Ca mino Se co, Tuc son AZ 85730

Brian Lamberts

MAYbe leaking internally?

Sorry Mr Big, your head is a goner. You might be able to salvage the engine.

Milky coolant.
 

I’m afraid it’s going to have to be someone else’s project. As a full time college student and someone in need of reliable (probably warrantied) transportation fast for internships and starting my professional life, my lovely lightning bolt yellow bird boxster will need to be someone else’s project. I’m not sure what my next step forward is, but the car has a lot of very nice options on it. It may find a good home being parted with a currently still running no metal in oil filter engine and zero accident history with someone like woody or it may find a happy home as someone’s new tinkerer. I love this car like nothing else and no matter what There is No Substitute. However, considering where I am in my life I can’t own a Porsche in need of serious engine repair or justify paying more than 3k (probably a lot more) to get it back on the road by a shop. I don’t have the time to tear down and fix at home. It’s an absolute beauty though and I am going to be very careful about where it goes next in life, be it as an organ donor to keep other boxsters alive or a someone else’s pride and joy that they’ll love even more because they helped it through this sick period in its health.

I am very sorry to see that pic. Maybe, just maybe, pull the oil cooler and take a look?

Otherwise I think you are wise to focus on school for now. Here's to what you are driving 10 years from now. :cheers:

Jake, Sorry for your loss. It's been a good run. Somehow I know that in the end, you'll come out ahead in this. Take care.

Hope
 

Jake, why don't you check the oil cooler as suggested by Rex, haven't done myself it but I believe that is not too difficult and, hopefully you'll get lucky :-)

Hey Jake.... Your post have always impressed me. Few high school students could have participated in a car forum as well as you did when you first obtain your first Boxster. As a college student just getting started in life I agree with you. Find a Toyota or Kia like car that will be reliable and get you from point a to point b. It may be awhile until your butt hits the seat of a Porsche again, but you'll be there. Hang tough pal.

Dang, Jake! That sucks! I hope you can get to the least painful resolution. And you can still drive your g/f’s Box, right?


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Milky coolant.
 

Lol talk about a catastrophic failure. Jake Raby (nor her psychiatrist) could spend hours upon hours and ever find every fatal flaw in that one!

You’d never know how much I enjoy cruising in the new girls Camry instead.

That's what I get for posting so early in the morning! LOL.

Well, good luck with that Camry and girl!

Sorry Dude...
First off, take a breath and weigh your options. Other than your need for transportation at some point, the value of the Boxster, or its cost to repair is not going to change. You'll figure out the best path. Don't worry about what you drive while in college...nobody cares!

I've got two boys still in college studying engineering (1 electrical, 1 aerospace) at UCF (you know, home of the national champions!). Both boys have nice, older cars with lots of miles that they bought with their own money. On occasion, Both send me links to nice, newer cars for sale. My response it the typically the same.

"Great looking car! Imagine how much cheaper it'll be in a couple years when you graduate!"

In the mean time, I help them both to ensure that their cars are mechanically safe and sound for trips to and from home. Other than that, it doesn't really matter as the cars sit quite a bit while at school. Both dudes rely heavily on the university bus system due to it being a PIA to park on campus. In the evening, its long boards, walking or Uber if alcohol is involved...

Best of luck and concentrate on what's important.

Sorry to see this.

Everyone has their own unique financial situation, vehicle desires, and transportation needs. You know enough to weigh all of the options and chart a path forward.

Wishing you the best. Let us know how it turns out.

While I know it is a total bummer Jake you really have to keep things in perspective.....How many other guys here can say they had two different Porsches while in High School?

As others have suggested, get a reliable beater to get you through school and worry about another P-Car after graduation when you are gainfully employed. Boring but smart.....:cheers:

...Its like you have lots of Dads!!

Thank you guys! The support is always really welcome. Sorry for the slow updates I’ve been an economics confrence in Atlanta all weekend. Really ritzy and nice. 4 star hotel and all the goodies. Keeps my mind off of the car haha.

Toyota? Kia? My 16 yr old kid paid 4500 for a 2001 bmw 335i coupe. I own 5 nice cars and after the box that car is next in line. E46 platform bmw bulletproof when maintained. I see a ton of young people driving GTI VW that are badass and reliable....lots of people own Miata....look alot of cars including the box are reliable but upkeep is more on some than others but damn a KIA!

Okay, first, I'm 66 years old and retired. So color your opinion with that. I am in the latter stages of putting a newer, better 2.7 in my 01 Box/base. So I'm not your average old codger. Hurts when I get up in the morning, but I'm out there working on it by 9 am.

As I understand it, time and money are constraints that are keeping you from fixing your Boxster. You are in college & that should be your first (probably only) priority.

Depending on how close you are to graduating, you should either walk away and sell it as a project car, or get a car cover and put it away for later. In the meantime, there are lots of older cars to choose from. As you can see from my signature, I have a couple of 1st gen Prius's and a 96 Dakota 4x4 (250,000 mi. and going strong.) The Pri's have the distinction of not looking like 04 and later Prius, but are more a sporty 4 door sedan. Look nice, and the Prius is more stealthy than the later ones (which I'll agree are butt ugly.)

I guess, in a father's tone, I'd suggest you get something that's fairly reliable, easy to fix, and affordable. I worked on a neighbor's 2000 Camry yesterday and it would fill the bill and doesn't scream inexpensive or old. Don't know your finances but something under $3K would be worth looking for--good maintenance helps, but look for something that looks nice and then have it inspected by someone you trust. I probably would default to Toyota, their build quality is quite impressive.:cheers:

It could be the oil cooler. A small project to replace that.

+1 ... Check the seals on the oil cooler, it's easy to get to and remove.

The oil cooler is a good spot to check for failure, We dad this in our Box but it was very slight milky stuff on the cap and we could see oil floating in the water. Remove it, fill 1 part with water and pressurize the other side with air. Easy to do and if it's bad, the bubbles will be very visible.

The BIG issue is the oil filter. Water and main bearing/rod bearings don't mix. It really does look like the engine is toast....

My main constraint is that I have zero time for a project. Money isn’t too tight but in order to repair at a shop I’m sure it’ll be 3 or 4K minimum and I’ve seen quotes way higher. These cars simply aren’t worth that much money to repair sadly. A car worth 10k if I ever sell it isn’t worth the 4 to 10 investment in repairs. Keeping a box with intermix on the road if it isn’t just the oil cooler isn’t economically viable if you arnt doing the work yourself.

I’ll get the oil cooler checked at some point when I have time and if it’s fine I’m going to be looking to likely sell the vehicle as is and take that money and put it into either something rear wheel drive and cheap (think Volvo 240 or Mercedes 190e) or I may get something new under 25 and start working to make payments.

Out of the pot and into the kettle...........Think Honda or Toyota.

Jake,
Heres a car to consider....
I've bought two 2002 Toyota 4Runners. Both cars were 2-owner cars that were well used but cared for. I've owned both for over two years. One has 265K miles. One has 185K miles. Paid $4,200 for the one with 185K (150k when purchased). Paid $3,650 for the one 265K (238K when purchased.

Both cars have been amazing! Parts are cheap and the cars have been 100% reliable.

Best part is, I'd bet I could sell either for about what I paid for them. This may be a great placeholder for you as opposed to other options. You can use it now and get your money back when you're ready. Check prices on CL...The asking price on a decent Gen 3 4Runner is still $4-6K! You'll see more in the higher end than any you'd see under $4K.

Take a look...the cars sell for much more than explorers or other SUV's but seem to be more than worth it.

Thanks for the suggestions. The best bet right now does seem to be a “place holder” car. Something to drive for a bit and be able to sell for what I bought it for.

Does anyone have any suggestions for selling the box? The missus wants me to keep it and fix it when I finish up college. However selling it and getting it in the right hands is probably best for me and the car. I just am not sure who the right hands are or for what purpose would be right.

Listen to the wife for crying out loud.

Do you like the car? Do you really want to keep it? Can you afford to cover it and wait until you're able to afford the repair? Do you enjoy performing your own repairs? Can you hardly wait until you're able to get back under the hood?

I get the entire "Don't want to put into the car money for which it isn't worth" rhetoric, but doesn't anyone who owns a Porsche give less than TF about the resale value, right now? Doesn't anyone just own the car... drive it... work on it... buy parts once in awhile without worrying about the resale value, if ever that happens?

Go purchase a beater... drive to school... graduate... and when you go to sell the beater again cast aside those TF... do the per-mile-per-dollar analysis for feelings... repair the car... then resuming life.

No? Sounds like a slam dunk.

Hey Starter Jake is not married, but his GF is definitely a keeper.. :)

And regarding your comments, hopefully Jake will be able to sort out this issue and keep his car.

My daughter is now 25 and still driving the 1996 4Runner I gave her in high school. Has over 250k miles now and still going strong.