987 Coolant Flush????

[Flavor 987S]

Have any 987 owners done a coolant flush yet? I am thinking about having this done prior to winter hibernation. Porsche says it is a lifetime coolant, but I find that a little hard to believe. My (2006 987S) fluid is now more than 5.5 years old.

What say you 987 owners?

How much Porsche coolant do we need to buy? I'm guessing 1 gallon of conc. Is plan water added to the Porsche coolant, when doing a flush? Or is distilled water used (like for a battery)?

Thanks.

[husker boxster]

The coolant may be "lifetime", but the water pump isn't. Porsche never has to live up to the lifetime challenge because the wp fails anywhere from 3-5 yrs. You're probably living on borrowed time if you haven't changed your water pump. My Boxster's went out at 3.5 yrs & 26K mi. Luckily it was in warranty. I was thinking of changing the Cayman's soon b/c it's a yr older, but I'm going to roll the dice since it's a CPO car.

[Flavor 987S]

Husker, really, the water pump is a weak spot? Are there any tell tale signs prior to the event?

[husker boxster]

If there were any sounds before it let go, I didn't hear them because I enjoy my Blose stereo. It just decided to die all of a sudden. There was a distinct coolant smell one afternoon driving home and upon investigating I noticed there was a small stream from the front of the engine. Prior to it streaming, there were no drips in the garage at all.

[Paul]

Please carefully drain your coolant into clean containers, I'll gladly pay the shipping costs to my shop.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by Paul

Please carefully drain your coolant into clean containers, I'll gladly pay the shipping costs to my shop.

What's your shop so I know never to go there.

[Paul]

My shop only services customer cars that I choose.

In any case, I only use it in my personal fleet mainly for topping off.

[Paul]

In any case the OP will need 3 gallons of Porsche Antifreeze ($28 each at my dealer) mixed with 3 gallons distilled water.

Total capacity is 5.89 gallons if you have a manual tranny, 6.42 for a tip.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by Paul

My shop only services customer cars that I choose.

I think that's true of any shop, no?

[Paul]

Perhaps, but I closed for business years ago, just fool around now in my spare time and to help friends with their cars.

[tonycarreon]

Originally Posted by Flavor 987S

Husker, really, the water pump is a weak spot? Are there any tell tale signs prior to the event?

well let's see. mine was in the middle of failing 986, not 987) and here's what i noticed:
VERY slight coolant smell after driving long and hard
a "whooshing" sound from the engine compartment (WP pulley wobbling)
a "rattle/grinding" noise that got faster when accelerating
but what made me really think it was the pump was some "crust" on one of the hoses. though no visible drips on the ground...

[san rensho]

Originally Posted by Flavor 987S

Husker, really, the water pump is a weak spot? Are there any tell tale signs prior to the event?

Play in the water pump pulley is a sign the pump is going out. Relaese the tension on the auxiliary belt and then chaeck the pulley for wobble. I replaced the belt and the pump failed promptly after that.

Its important to catch the pump before it fails because when it does, the plastic impeller tends to grenade, which can send little bits of plastic into the tiny coollant passages in the head which can cause blockages and lead to cracked heads or blown head gaskets.

Many people treat the pump as a wear item and replace it periodically, 30-50k miles to avoid problems.

[Flavor 987S]

Originally Posted by Paul

In any case the OP will need 3 gallons of Porsche Antifreeze ($28 each at my dealer) mixed with 3 gallons distilled water.

Total capacity is 5.89 gallons if you have a manual tranny, 6.42 for a tip.

Paul, really? 6 gallons for the Boxster?? That's twice the coolant capacity of my Ford Explorer.

Do dealerships and indy shops really have distilled water laying around for these projects?

[Paul]

Hard to believe until you consider your car has 2 radiators, a water cooled oil cooler and at least 20' of 1 1/2 inch tubing/hoses. A quick look at your owners manual should satisfy any doubt.

I guess good shops use pure water.

[Flavor 987S]

Thanks, Paul.

To others, I am not buying this "replace the water pump" early notion as a wear item. I asked one of the largest discount Porsche dealership parts departments today about this, and they told me the following:

In 2009 they sold 5 water pumps for the 987/997. They sold 9 in 2010.

For the same periods with the 986/996 they sold 53 and 71 respectively.

I'll either wait for it to brake and replace it, or wait till the car is a little older, like in 2016.

[jmatta]

I replaced my coolant two years ago when I updated to the LN low temp t-stat...wish I would have done the water pump at the same time. As stated, if the impeller breaks, tiny pieces get stuck in the cylinder head and cause major issues. I've seen it happen to some friends and it's enough to scare me to change mine as a precaution.

[Flavor 987S]

Jmatta, are you going to be at TRAC next weekend?

Thanks for your perspective.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by Flavor 987S

Thanks, Paul.

To others, I am not buying this "replace the water pump" early notion as a wear item. I asked one of the largest discount Porsche dealership parts departments today about this, and they told me the following:

In 2009 they sold 5 water pumps for the 987/997. They sold 9 in 2010.

For the same periods with the 986/996 they sold 53 and 71 respectively.

I'll either wait for it to brake and replace it, or wait till the car is a little older, like in 2016.

Water pump failure is not a 986/996 issue. Every car made has a water pump replacement schedule. It's usually done with the timing belt (when there is one), which is typically 45,000 to 75,000 miles. Again, this is all cars. 944s are largely changed every 30,000 miles.

[944boy]

I just replaced the WP in my 987. 88,000 miles and it looks basically new. No seepage and the slightest hint of play (.001"). You guys got me worried so I did it. Now at least I have one less thing to think about with my upcoming 6500 mile trip. Gave me a reason to do the low temp thermostat as well.

[stephen wilson]

50k is very early to have to change a water pump, on most cars they last at least 100,000 miles. The Integra I sold still had the original pump at 200,000. Though I agree, if you have to change a timing belt, do the water pump also.