986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - Ugh.... I Need Some Help Identifying a Coolant Leak

Chuck W. · 05-01-2015, 07:17 AM

I have read post for the last 24 hours. I have used our search feature, the Rennlist search feature and Google. I believe I know what I need to do but would appreciate some opinions. Car is an '01 Boxster S with 25,000 miles. Owned since new with original water pump.

After a 20 minute drive the other day I backed the Boxster into the garage and noticed a trail of coolant coming from the Boxster. It only started as I backed the car and was a pretty good flow. I read the posting regarding the caps going bad and noted that mine was the original cap ending in .01. I order a new OEM one ended in .04 and installed it. I also added about 16 ounces of distilled water bringing the tank to the correct mark.

Yesterday, after the new cap and water, I took the Boxster out for another 20 minute drive. As I backed into the garage the same thing. The water flowed out. I immediately jacked the Boxster up and found the water was coming from the coolant overflow tube. It was coming out fast and a lot. I took the below photos.

I took the trim piece off of the top of the fill area and noted some coolant there as shown in the photos.

In all of my searches, it appears the cap should be culperate in this senario. I read where some new caps are installed on older tanks you have to trim some of the tank off to get the new cap to seat correctly. I did not do this. Another used plumbers tape to insure a good seal. I did not.

I did remove the cap add some more distilled water made sure I had the cap seated properly and tightened it down well. Very well. I then went for another drive.... no leak this time.

One concern I have is that this is not a cap issue but a water pump issue. I read a post that said the water pump uses this drain hose and will drain there when the pump is failing. Is this correct?

As usual, timing is everything. My brother, who also has an '01 Boxster S and lives in Switzerland, is coming June 7 for a visit. We were planning on changing the water pump and related items during his stay. I bought an Airlift 550000 for the job. It would be nice to wait for him to do the water pump work but I don't want to risk a catastrophic failure.

Thoughts?

05-01-2015, 07:17 AM	#1
Chuck W. Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Agoura Hills (LA) So.Cal. Posts: 1,574	Ugh.... I Need Some Help Identifying a Coolant Leak I have read post for the last 24 hours. I have used our search feature, the Rennlist search feature and Google. I believe I know what I need to do but would appreciate some opinions. Car is an '01 Boxster S with 25,000 miles. Owned since new with original water pump. After a 20 minute drive the other day I backed the Boxster into the garage and noticed a trail of coolant coming from the Boxster. It only started as I backed the car and was a pretty good flow. I read the posting regarding the caps going bad and noted that mine was the original cap ending in .01. I order a new OEM one ended in .04 and installed it. I also added about 16 ounces of distilled water bringing the tank to the correct mark. Yesterday, after the new cap and water, I took the Boxster out for another 20 minute drive. As I backed into the garage the same thing. The water flowed out. I immediately jacked the Boxster up and found the water was coming from the coolant overflow tube. It was coming out fast and a lot. I took the below photos. I took the trim piece off of the top of the fill area and noted some coolant there as shown in the photos. In all of my searches, it appears the cap should be culperate in this senario. I read where some new caps are installed on older tanks you have to trim some of the tank off to get the new cap to seat correctly. I did not do this. Another used plumbers tape to insure a good seal. I did not. I did remove the cap add some more distilled water made sure I had the cap seated properly and tightened it down well. Very well. I then went for another drive.... no leak this time. One concern I have is that this is not a cap issue but a water pump issue. I read a post that said the water pump uses this drain hose and will drain there when the pump is failing. Is this correct? As usual, timing is everything. My brother, who also has an '01 Boxster S and lives in Switzerland, is coming June 7 for a visit. We were planning on changing the water pump and related items during his stay. I bought an Airlift 550000 for the job. It would be nice to wait for him to do the water pump work but I don't want to risk a catastrophic failure. Thoughts? __________________ 1995 Porsche C4 Cab 2016 BMW M2, 6 Speed LBB - ED 7/2016 1997 993 Cab - Sold; 1997 993 Turbo - Sold 2001 Boxster S - Original Owner - 30K Miles -SOLD Last edited by Chuck W.; 05-05-2015 at 08:14 AM.