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Old 07-11-2020, 08:19 PM   #1
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Oil in my antifreeze?

I bought my first Porsche!!
A 2000 Boxster S with 88,700 miles at a decent price.
When I bought it everything worked perfectly. I checked all the fluid fills (no mayonnaise or weird smells) , crawled under the car in a hot parking lot (Oil blow-by on the left cylinder head no heavy drips just blow by), open and closed everything (everything worked as it should except the stock navigation system but it runs on DVD's so what are you gonna do), drove the **************** out of it for 20 minutes, and all seemed well. I've put around 500 miles on it since. The day I got it home the passenger side window regulator died which should be an easy fix. Tonight I was checking the oil and and water levels again and noticed there is what looks like oil in the antifreeze. The oil dipstick didn't show signs of antifreeze contamination but there's no way to know for sure without draining the oil. The temp gauge has never gone above half way no matter how hard I push it and I have pushed it pretty hard in relatively hot temps so I am hoping it hasn't blown a head gasket. Could this be the oil cooler O-rings?

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Old 07-11-2020, 09:21 PM   #2
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Yes, the oil cooler and o-rings are a good place to start.

Not likely the head gasket. Possibly a cracked head.

A search: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3A986forum.com+2000+cracked+head

I'd say, don't spend more time and money on other repairs until you get that resolved.
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Last edited by 78F350; 07-11-2020 at 09:39 PM.
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Old 07-12-2020, 08:46 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by 1Madmachinist View Post
I bought my first Porsche!!
A 2000 Boxster S with 88,700 miles at a decent price.
When I bought it everything worked perfectly. I checked all the fluid fills (no mayonnaise or weird smells) , crawled under the car in a hot parking lot (Oil blow-by on the left cylinder head no heavy drips just blow by), open and closed everything (everything worked as it should except the stock navigation system but it runs on DVD's so what are you gonna do), drove the **************** out of it for 20 minutes, and all seemed well. I've put around 500 miles on it since. The day I got it home the passenger side window regulator died which should be an easy fix. Tonight I was checking the oil and and water levels again and noticed there is what looks like oil in the antifreeze. The oil dipstick didn't show signs of antifreeze contamination but there's no way to know for sure without draining the oil. The temp gauge has never gone above half way no matter how hard I push it and I have pushed it pretty hard in relatively hot temps so I am hoping it hasn't blown a head gasket. Could this be the oil cooler O-rings?
2000 don't have stock navigation systems & the steel shim head gaskets only fail if exstensivly corroded.
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Old 07-15-2020, 07:17 AM   #4
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do you have any recourse on the purchase? This sounds like a cracked head, as I have suffered two of these. (both were 2000 S) I have never seen a blown head gasket.
Could it be possible the seller replaced fluids after intermix and sold it as is? Hoping for the best and it would be a relief if it is the oil cooler orings. wishing you luck here, let us know.
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Old 07-19-2020, 11:42 AM   #5
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So I'm still waiting on some parts so this weekend was a bust for trying to diagnose/fix anything intermix related. The day I posted this I pulled a sample out if the expansion tank and skimmed off what little bit of oil was in there. The coolant looks old but not terrible and none of the hoses look to be swollen or overly soft for being 20 years old. I have driven it everyday since back and forth to work and to run errands etc. The oil and coolant levels haven't changed and there seems to be no extra oil in the coolant only light swirls floating on the top and the oil dipstick still shows no signs of coolant contamination. Temps here have been in the 90's all week but the temp gauge always stayed between the 180 and next hash mark on the gauge (235?) even sitting in traffic. Also I haven't seen any white or black smoke from the exhaust. I guess none of that means the head is not cracked just trying to remain positive.
I have contacted the previous owner and if anything he is oblivious to the problem. To get the car ready to sell he had the oil changed, the plugs replaced, and a new top put on by the same local mechanic who he gave me the information for. He also gave me the contact information for the person he bought it from (I believe they both belong to the same car club which he urged me to join) so I don't get the feeling he is trying to get over on me.
I find the navigation thing interesting. The PCM and Nav unit are all Porsche parts and the car came with all the needed literature and extra map discs. Also it has the 662 option code listed on the sticker under the hood and in the maintenance booklet. Maybe it's a later year model? If the maps were up to date it would still work properly as the GPS still works.
Kinda the least of my worries right now though.
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Old 07-19-2020, 05:56 PM   #6
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So I'm still waiting on some parts so this weekend was a bust for trying to diagnose/fix anything intermix related. The day I posted this I pulled a sample out if the expansion tank and skimmed off what little bit of oil was in there. The coolant looks old but not terrible and none of the hoses look to be swollen or overly soft for being 20 years old. I have driven it everyday since back and forth to work and to run errands etc. The oil and coolant levels haven't changed and there seems to be no extra oil in the coolant only light swirls floating on the top and the oil dipstick still shows no signs of coolant contamination. Temps here have been in the 90's all week but the temp gauge always stayed between the 180 and next hash mark on the gauge (235?) even sitting in traffic. Also I haven't seen any white or black smoke from the exhaust. I guess none of that means the head is not cracked just trying to remain positive.
I have contacted the previous owner and if anything he is oblivious to the problem. To get the car ready to sell he had the oil changed, the plugs replaced, and a new top put on by the same local mechanic who he gave me the information for. He also gave me the contact information for the person he bought it from (I believe they both belong to the same car club which he urged me to join) so I don't get the feeling he is trying to get over on me.
I find the navigation thing interesting. The PCM and Nav unit are all Porsche parts and the car came with all the needed literature and extra map discs. Also it has the 662 option code listed on the sticker under the hood and in the maintenance booklet. Maybe it's a later year model? If the maps were up to date it would still work properly as the GPS still works.
Kinda the least of my worries right now though.
You could do a coolant system pressure test.
You can get a coolant system pressure testing kit at Harbor Freight at a reasonable price. Such a test should tell you if you have a cracked head adjacent to a coolant passage or not.

You could also test the coolant for the presence of hydrocarbons if present that would indicate a blow head gasket or cracked head adjacent to a coolant passage. the little tester for this used to be in most auto parts store.
Have not seen one in a few years but also wasn't looking for one.

Both mentioned tests are very simple and easy to do.

The coolant tank cap and the oil fill cap are very close to each other so there is a possibility that when the oil was changed the person changing the oil poured a small amount of oil into the coolant tank by mistake. Things happen.
I have come very close to doing this myself several times

Last edited by blue62; 07-19-2020 at 06:14 PM.
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Old 07-20-2020, 04:48 AM   #7
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Y

The coolant tank cap and the oil fill cap are very close to each other so there is a possibility that when the oil was changed the person changing the oil poured a small amount of oil into the coolant tank by mistake. Things happen.
I have come very close to doing this myself several times
my thoughts and hopes as well. hope this is just a little cross-contamination so your first experience with the M96 is a good one. I would flush the coolant and observe.
best to you.
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Old 07-28-2020, 07:25 PM   #8
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Oil cooler O-rings

So I dumped the oil an no signs of coolant. Dumped the coolant and after sitting for more than 24 hours there is no oil floating on top so I am assuming there's very little in there. I pulled the thermostat and the water pump and it looks like the water pump has either been off before or it has been changed because the gasket has already been cut. It has a plastic impeller (still intact) so I am changing it and the thermostat while I am in there. No apparent oil in any of these cavities.
I pulled the oil cooler off and the O-rings were completely flat and two opposing o-rings, an oil and a coolant port, were crumbly but not falling apart. Looked like an oil streak in between those ports but honestly that could have happened when I pulled it off.
So the flushing will begin and we'll see if the oil returns.
My question is the o-rings I ordered seem pretty loose in the trepan grooves in the top of the motor.
I have 2 PN 99970740940 26X3mm and 2 PN 99970738940 35X4mm and now I see a third size listed as well. Are those the correct o-rings?
Thought I saw another post with these part numbers listed as well.
Thanks,
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Old 07-29-2020, 05:20 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Madmachinist View Post
I bought my first Porsche!!
A 2000 Boxster S with 88,700 miles at a decent price.
When I bought it everything worked perfectly. I checked all the fluid fills (no mayonnaise or weird smells) , crawled under the car in a hot parking lot (Oil blow-by on the left cylinder head no heavy drips just blow by), open and closed everything (everything worked as it should except the stock navigation system but it runs on DVD's so what are you gonna do), drove the **************** out of it for 20 minutes, and all seemed well. I've put around 500 miles on it since. The day I got it home the passenger side window regulator died which should be an easy fix. Tonight I was checking the oil and and water levels again and noticed there is what looks like oil in the antifreeze. The oil dipstick didn't show signs of antifreeze contamination but there's no way to know for sure without draining the oil. The temp gauge has never gone above half way no matter how hard I push it and I have pushed it pretty hard in relatively hot temps so I am hoping it hasn't blown a head gasket. Could this be the oil cooler O-rings?
Often when the water pump fails,some of the ceramic pump vanes break & circulate thru the cooling system until they get stuck in a cylinder head passage. This leads to overheating, which can crack the thin cast heads. It happened to my 2000 around the same mileage as your's & I didn't discover it until I was rebuilding the whole engine.
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Old 07-30-2020, 01:11 PM   #10
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Sadly found what looks like impeller pieces in the water passages of the oil cooler last night.
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Old 07-30-2020, 01:26 PM   #11
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Sadly found what looks like impeller pieces in the water passages of the oil cooler last night.
Perhaps you can rig a way to reverse flush the system with the water pump out. Flushing any impeller pieces back to the water pump cavity.
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Old 07-30-2020, 06:21 PM   #12
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Sadly found what looks like impeller pieces in the water passages of the oil cooler last night.
pictures...lets see what we are talking about. JFP can weigh in
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Old 07-31-2020, 01:22 PM   #13
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Two of the three pieces that came out of the oil cooler
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Old 07-31-2020, 01:40 PM   #14
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Old 07-31-2020, 02:39 PM   #15
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You can try reverse flushing (backwards to the normal coolant flow) with the T stat removed, which should help remove a lot of the bits, but it is no guarantee you will get everything out, that requires tearing the engine down.
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Old 07-31-2020, 02:57 PM   #16
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Forgive my ignorance but what’s the best procedure for reverse flushing? My initial idea was to machine an aluminum plate to fit in place of the oil cooler that had fittings on the other side to plug a water hose to then remove the water pump and thermostat and wash everything out through those ports but I tend to over think things. Also I’m not completely sure of how the coolant flows through the block.
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Old 07-31-2020, 03:12 PM   #17
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Old 07-31-2020, 04:26 PM   #18
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So with the thermostat housing and water pump off I should be able to pump water through the oil cooler manifold to push water back through the motor?
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Old 08-01-2020, 07:54 AM   #19
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No, you want to follow the flow pathway into the engine and out thru the t stat housing with the water pump in place. Then you want to flush the radiator system backwards as well.
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Old 08-01-2020, 09:04 AM   #20
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Two of the three pieces that came out of the oil cooler
You are showing the broken pieces on a different pump that looks intact and different in color. Did you already pull the pump where the vanes are from? Perhaps the third piece will just fall out once you pull the pump.. Or, this is the one you pulled and the vanes are from a previously used pump on your car?

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