Porsche coolant...the exciting conclusion!
 

For those of you eagerly anticipating the exciting conclusion to my critically-acclaimed "987 Coolant loss FYI" post...

http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/9801-987-coolant-loss-fyi.html

...Previously I'd been adding only distilled water but since I figured at the rate it was dissipating I'd soon have a weakened mix suitable for drinking, I managed to scrounge up an extra $56.37 in loose change between the cushions of my sofa and went over to Pioneer Porsche for some Porsche coolant.."the good stuff".

As one of the few Boxster owners silly enough to spend that kind of money on coolant I thought I'd share the secret recipe, so you can compare it against your engine-beverage of choice, a debate that comes up from time to time on Boxster boards, and possibly save yourself a buck or two...or fourty-six.

Contains: Ethylene glycol (107-21-1), Diethylene glycol (111-46-6), Sebacic acid (111-20-6), Sodium hydroxide (1310-73-2), Water (7732-18-5), Corrosion inhibitors, defoamer, silicates, and dyes.

Yes, the rumors are true. The coolant is pink in color.

A picture of the Holy Grail is attached, which doesn't show much other than the Porsche coolant is as suitable for human consumption as Prestone.

It's obviously a(nother) busy day at the office !

$56.37 for a gallon of coolant. Makes me mad.

Have a drink on me.

So why can't we just buy the universal coolant that is out there. I mean, I know that some manufacturers say you must use there coolant because there have been problems with some coolants not mixing well together and gunking up and clogging the radiators. But there are a few new coolants that are sold TODAY that are suposed to be universal and SAFE FOR ALL other type of coolant already being used in your car. Are these not to be trusted? Other than the color being yellowish-green, they are not suposed to cause clogging problems like some older brands have done in the past. Sound true?

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3772&pid=18113&mode=threaded&s tart=#entry18113

Next time save yourself the money and just buy either;

Havoline® DEX-COOL® Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant
Chevron DEX-COOL® Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant

Same thing w/o the Porsche label.

Hi,

No such animal as Universal Coolant, except H²O. There are all sorts of Cooling Systems out there using a variety of materials and each has it's specific needs. No Coolant is totally compatible with them all. What you want is a Phosphate-free OAT (Organic Acid Technology) Coolant such as Sierra, Prestone 5/150 (longterm), etc.

Porsche doesn't make Coolant, nor do they spec the Coolant from a Supplier. IIRC, the Porsche Coolant is made by a joint venture by Elf, a european chemical company and ChevronTexaco, marketed as Arteco. This same formula is available here in the US as Havoline DEX-COOL Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant and
Chevron DEX-COOL Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant.

I looked up several Coolant Brands MSDS sheets to cross reference the chemical composition to that of other OAT Coolants to see if there are any identical formulas. I suspected that there are only dye and other minor diffences amongst the latest OAT Coolants. The exception is whether or not a company uses either Potassium or Sodium based 2-ethylhexanoic acid for their OAT Coolant .

HOAT is another story. Zerex makes this as G 05. Hybrid OAT (HOATs) Coolants use a low level of Silicate in addition to organic acids to resist cavitation better than straight OAT.

The problem with OAT coolants is that if they are neglected; if the system is alowed to run low - not kept topped up, air contaminates the fluid, and cavitation can occur reducing the overall Heat transfer. G 05 is more resistant to cavitation if the cooling system is slightly neglected.

G 05 is used by Ford and Daimler-Chrysler in their newer vehicles. Mercedes has also used G 05 coolant in their cars exclusivley.

It is not a good idea to mix an OAT Coolant with a Silicated Coolant. This will cause gelling, sludge, and sediment buildup.

G 12 (G 30 in europe) is OAT based. It is phosphate, silicate, borate, nitrate, amine and nitrite free. The Porsche Coolant is G 30.

G 34, Opel and GM in europe, (here, it is commonly reffered to as "Dex-Cool) was originally distrbuted by Havoline, but is made by Arteco-Coolants, and is also an OAT based coolant. It too is phosphate, silicate, borate, nitrate, amine and nitrite free.

If the composistion in the MSDS of G 12(G 30 in Europe) matches that of the MSDS availible for G 34(Dex-Cool), then chemically, G 12 and Dex-Cool would be the same, minus the color. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

So Jim, should we be using the Dex-cool or the G-05?

Patrick

Hi,

While the G-05 is arguably better, you should use the Dex-cool because G-05 uses Silicates which are a No-no for the Porsche coolant system which was filled previously with the Elf fluid. Switching to G-05 without a thorough Flushing will result in some gelling of the fluid...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Ya dude, you gotta flush it completely. Bad things happen when you mix elf fluid and dwarf blood... baaaddd things.....

yea id flush that too.
theres a DIY somewhere that i did, and you can definitely get a cheaper coolant that is just as good.

Thanks Jim, this is on the list of tomorrow's projects now that its spring (or well almost lol)

Patrick

I topped off with Peak Global,

http://www.peakantifreeze.com/peak_global_lifetime.html


They are advertising it as a Universal top off, so are you saying that's not true?

Speaking of coolant...isn't the system not supposed to need regular top off? I would think that if you're having to top off 1 quart every few months, you've got a leak in the system somewhere, no?

I once had this problem of having to add coolant every few months. Discovered finally that I had a small coolant tank leak. No harm in having the dealer check it out as you're still under warranty on that 987, IMHO.

You can also go to VW and buy their Autobahn coolant, just another color but half the price. There are a lot of threads about coolant on the 944/928 boards, Dexcool works fine but I use the VW coolant as I like the color ;)

Hi,

No, it's not true. This is an ethylene-glycol based OAT Coolant, and so while it is OK for the Porsche (But only the Global Lifetime and Sierra - no other Peak products are compatible), it is not acceptable for some types of Cooling systems.

Peak makes several products and I don't want to start OK'ing Brands here because someone will invariably use the Peak Blue, or some such, and this is bad for the car.

What you want is a Coolant which is Silicate and Phosphate Free and is either G 12 (G 30 in Europe) or G 34...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Just swapped mine out with Zerex Dex-Cool, apparently to no point as the old coolant came out crystal clear so probably didnt need to be done. Oh well, I suppose I feel better knowing its done and done right with a full flush with distilled water and a 60/40 distilled/ coolant mix in it now.

Next project before spring is gearbox lubrication....

Patrick

Hi,

Not necessarilty true. Coolant can undergo several chemical changes as it ages, reacts with the various materials used in the Cooling System, etc. Generally, Coolant increases in Acidity as it ages because of this. This fluid now has a greater ability to attack the Cooling System components. For this reason alone (though there are others), it's worthwhile to change the Coolant every 5yrs. or 150k mi. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Hello, revisiting this old thread.
I've recently purchased a new to me 2003 Boxster S.
I'm planning on flushing the cooling system since I don't know what's in it now or how long its been in there.
Just curious, because its allot harder to get stuff in Canada, is there a coolant that is not from the porsche dealer and readily available for purchase that is okay in the boxster cooling system?

Only at your own risk...................

i used Prestone Max european .. it says good for Porsches from 2010 as that is when they switched to the G-12 type coolant.. I flushed mine so decided to go this route..
I guess time will tell if it was the right move.. takes a ton of it though ...

Got this off the internet.. but who really knows ... i guess if you want absolute Guarantees, take your wallet out and go to Porsche .. im wondering if Porsche Branded coolant is the original green from 2001 or if they will sell you the new purple stuff anyway. edit: I just read Porsche sells a "G-40" that is rated for all water cooled Porsches .. so there you go .. even Pelican lists it as compatible for Boxster S. i think i will be fine.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/00004330575.htm?pn=000-043-305-75-M100

My choice:
..Prestone MAX will work in your vehicle: It's guaranteed to work in All Vehicle Makes, Models & Years with Gas or Diesel engines. It mixes and works with all antifreeze + coolant colors and formulations including OAT, POAT, HOAT & IAT; G05®, G11®, G12®, G12++®, G13®, G30®, G40®, & GG40®.

There are several antifreezes which will work, the major trick is flushing out ALL traces of the factory coolant first as the factory coolant is known to "not play well" with some aftermarket stuff, resulting in a colossal gel mess which is an unbelievable nightmare to clean out of the system. This problem is not isolated to Porsche, we have seen it on other brands as well.

thanks for the replies guys.
yeah I'm thinking through some of the same rationale.
Prestone MAX definitely is sounding the most appealing.
Going to porsche will be expensive, and its a different formulation anyway from what came in the 986 era.
other suggestions in my research have seen:
Havoline® DEX-COOL® Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant
Chevron DEX-COOL® Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant
G40 Zerex
VW/Audi OEM G13 Coolant G013A8J1G

main point or takaway I've seen fairly constant is that it should be phosphate free.
also a flush is a must since don't even know what is in there.

so far the only stuff i can find easily locally are the VW/Audi stuff and Dexcool.

if I'm going the flush and don't have the vaccum pump to suck it all out, as long as I'm pullnig the drain plug and main hoses would it be enough to lift the front of the car higher to fully drain the rads?

how much does your local dealership charge for a jug of Porsche coolant ? CAD ? .. the porsche stuff is concentrate so may not be such a bad deal as you cut it 50/50 with distilled.

i used a little compressed air on mine but not much more came out.

Based on JFP's advice, I used the Porsche coolant when I replaced my water pump. If I recall correctly, I bought it from an on-line seller when they had a free-shipping promotion. With free shipping, it wasn't that much more expensive than the other options. If I avoided a problem by using Porsche coolant, the extra money was well spent.

I have followed JPP's guidance on several projects and I have concluded he knows what he's talking about.

Checked with the dealer and they said now they just use their G40 on all models.
$35.00 a jug of 3.78 litres of concentrate, so not much more expensive then other options.
So really the most important part of this will be flush and not so much the coolant as long as its compatible.
Parts guy there was nice enough to call back after and he said he asked the tech for some extra detail who said this new G40 is the same Zerex G12 formulation and backwards compatible in the event that not all the fluid is completely flushed out. Good news anyway, and thanks for the replies and info really appreciate this forum!

thats cheap .. which dealer ?? that cant be a 4 litre jug ... its Porsche , i would expect that for 1 litre lol

if its concentrate that would be the same as 17 bucks for a 4 litre premix.. cant be right ...

This was what the parts guy quoted me at PFAFF Porsche Centre Vaughan.

3.78 litres for $35.35+ tax = $39.94 for a jug of concentrate.

I'll probably pickup 4 jugs next week if heading down to the city.

Sounds the same as any other brand, but this is the new G40 Porsche formulation.

yeah for sure .. im in Cambridge but would drive it if they are only charging that