cooling system woes

[Mike_Yi]

FWIW, I recently replaced my coolant reservoir. It was a PITA, but not as bad as the AOS. I got mine from Sunset Porsche for about $208. It did take a while to get.

Anyway, I used the UView Airlift vacuum tool to vacuum the system down and vacuum fill it. After I did that, I used the bleed procedure afterwards as I didn't want to take any chances. It's a good thing I did that though. Just running with the cap off required additional fluid (I went to a 25psi vacuum). When I did the full bleed procedure, I had to add even more fluid.

I drove it for 2 days with the bleeder open. Then I closed it and drove it another two days. I then checked the system, and I had to add more coolant.

The cooling system in the Boxster is definitely "over-engineered"! It's a PITA.

BTW, a cracked head will generally result in steam coming out of the exhaust after the car is warmed up (it's normal to get it when it is very cold out and before the car is warmed up). You can tell the difference between steam and smoke as smoke will not dissipate and steam will. If you are also losing fluid, but not seeing any drip on the ground, that is a pretty good indication that there is a cracked head/block or blown head gasket. How hot did the engine get?