HELP!! The boxster is overheating. - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

JP-s-in st. louis · 06-29-2005, 02:06 PM

At first I did not see anything leaking in what I thought to be the problem area, under the motor and filler tank. Well I went to the front to listen to hear if the fans were running, as I looked down and low and behold there is water. I found a large puddle on the ground right under were I would be sitting my arse in the drivers seat. I moved the car again by hand to see if it would continue and it did. So at least I know about where it is coming from. Now I will just wait out the 103 degree temp that is being shown in the garage.

Pablito · 06-29-2005, 06:30 PM

JP - what you may have are two different problems,

first the water on the driver's side (I Imagine you are talking behind the seat) may be related to a torn liner in the cavity where the top mechanicals are, this liner is made of a flimsy foam and if it gets torn when you wash your car or when it rains water will seep inside the cabin and lodge behind the seat...if unattended it will seep under the seat and damage the control box for the alarm.

To determine if you have a leak in the expansion tank; first check if there's antifreeze smell in the trunk, if so, lift the trunk floor liner right next to the tank location, if the floor s wet and the wood on the floor is spongy then BINGO! a new expansion tank is required...

..VERY IMPORTANT!!! Check also your front cooling fans make sure they are both operating (when AC is on they both turn on simultaneously) usually your tank pops when the system overheats and it does so when your fans do not operate properly...if unattended your water pump will leak and your radiators will crack and leak as well..

...the hot / cold behavior is a reaction of the system when you have some cooling down happening it also happens when you run thru a puddle of water....thermostats are very resilient on these cars, mine has gone over 100k miles in the same thermostat from factory.

deliriousga · 06-29-2005, 07:22 PM

Anybody know about how long the water pump lasts in the Boxster? Mine was getting toward the top of the safe heat range today, but it's just a tiny bit low on coolant. No smells and I'm adding some water to see if it takes care of the problem.

Also, is there any type of coolant besides the Porsche brand that's safe for the Boxster? I saw in the manual where the coolant is "permanent", but what about when it's time to change the hoses or a problem?

Thanks!

Pablito · 06-29-2005, 07:38 PM

I'd stick with the Porsche brand ....there is also Inugel from Motul which is really good.....My water pump expired at around 90k but it was due to faulty cooling fan that wreaked havoc...If you are having coolant level difficulty do the above checks you may be abble to catch the problem on time..

JP-s-in st. louis · 06-30-2005, 04:25 AM

Unfortunately I do not believe I was clear. My issue resides in the puddle of water I found on the garage floor underneath the drivers side. (Broken hose?) I have checked under the filler tank and have not seen any presence of water. I would like to say thanks for all the help.

deliriousga · 06-30-2005, 06:23 AM

Sorry JP, didn't mean to hijack your thread. The water pump will usually leak when it reaches the end of its' life to let you know it's about to go.

Have you taken the belly pans off? The water could be dripping somehwere else and just rolling along the pans until it finds a hole by the driver's seat to get out. Also, look around at the hoses under there and see if you've got one leaking.

It's tough to really see what's going on until you take the pans off. The bolts are all the same size (I think 10mm, but could be 8mm. Definitely one of those two) so it's easy to pull them. If you put it up on stands, make sure they are wide-based stands so they don't tip easy and put a floor jack (with just light pressure) underneath in a sturdy location just in case.

If you can't find it from underneath or in the trunk, take the engine cover off behind the seats. Once it's off, you can see the front of the engine including the water pump. You should be able to see the thermostat housing from either the top of the engine or the front, not sure which.

RandallNeighbour · 06-30-2005, 06:29 AM

JP, I live in a hot and humid climate and my car's cooling system produces lots and lots of condensation, which pools under the car. It's completely normal.

Make sure this is not what is causing the water under the driver's side of your Boxster.

Condensation-based water is very clear and odorless. I'd say taste it, but that's a sizeable gamble, huh? Sniffing may be your best bet.