coolant tank. :( - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

tonycarreon · 03-16-2012, 05:20 AM

wheeee. looks like this is the year the boxster is going to want attention.

i replaced the water pump last year. recently i have noticed a faint "warm" coolant smell. looked under the car and no leaks. have some crusty coolant on one of the hoses but figured that was from the fail(ing) water pump. took the car to work earlier this week and really noticed the smell when i got home.

i've never seen spots or drops on the garage floor. this morning i decided to go ahead and pull the carpet...

dghii · 03-16-2012, 06:37 AM

Suncoast had good pricing on the tank when I replaced mine about a year and half ago.

san rensho · 03-16-2012, 06:52 AM

If you are going to DIY, highly recommend that you get a cable actuated radiator clamp tool to remove those worthless spring clamps. It will save you a lot of cuts and a trip to the confessional if you are Catholic, because you will use the lords name in vain without it.

tonycarreon · 03-16-2012, 07:16 AM

thanks dghii, i usually go with sun coast or pelican parts. on occasion i go with parts geek. this time PG had the lower price when shipping & time were included.

i *want* to do it myself, but have no way to get the car high enough up in the air. add to that it's a tip which i understand is a little tougher with the less space to get "up in there" so i figure i'll take it and have someone do it.

for other's who are curious:

part was $260 (parts geek) ($425 from dealer)
coolant was another $56 (sun coast)
labor is going to be around $500

boxster6354 · 03-16-2012, 07:42 AM

I went from the top to replace not the bottom, as noted to get the clamp tool. Only took about two hours to replace, not too dificult.

Good luck and there are write up's here and renntech that cover it all.

tonycarreon · 03-16-2012, 08:15 AM

thanks boxester6354 - i'm looking for my 101 Projects book - i know it's around here somewhere.

from the write up on pedro's garage and PP, it seems that it's a PITA, but certainly do-able. i like pedro's advice: "Now breathe in deeply and be as patient as possible."

i'm sure once the new tank arrives it'll be clear on why i need to remove hoses from inside the engine compartment, but looking at the tank that's currently in place, why are the hoses not removed from the tank allowing it to be removed?

**EDIT: i see it now that i found my projects book. there are a couple of hoses that attached to the "front" of the tank going into the engine bay. seems like an odd design.

i see three hoses for the coolant reservoir and the large oil filler tube. i assume there's a larger one on the backside that actually delivers coolant and that's the one that is "troublesome"...

since removing the carpet i've 1) found the emergency release cable for the rear trunk. i always thought it was more mythical than reality:

and b) found out there's a light in the rear trunk. i've never had a light since owning the car. apparently the light has burned out.

boxster6354 · 03-16-2012, 08:42 AM

Tony

The large cooliant hose is reachable via the top when in service mode and has a hose clamp that needs to be released, with the hose clamp tool and facing towards the front of the car reaching behind it is not that difficult to reach.

Just look with flashlight first to locate hose and clamp and then the rest is via feel, the way I found best to reach and unclamp was to lay the tool on the top of rear fender (on a towel) and then holding the cable end of tool with one hand and feeling the clamp with other to hook onto clamp and best way for me to reach was if I face forward and reach behind me to do it.

Once you are in there you will know what I am talking about.

Paul · 03-16-2012, 06:18 PM

ohioboxster · 03-17-2012, 09:08 PM

I replaced the tank in my '02 Targa with the help of Der Geist (Marty) the key was lowering the motor a couple of inches. I remember it being a pain in the a$$

Hey, you can pick the tanks up for about 133.00 bucks on auction sites. Did you already buy it?

tonycarreon · 03-19-2012, 04:56 AM

UPS says new tank will be here tomorrow. figure i'll give it a go on my own. first time i've ever had to get engine access with the GAHH top, other than the air filter and cleaning the MAF - so that should be fun. maybe i'll tackle the AOS as well.

bmx672 · 03-20-2012, 04:38 AM

I just installed my new tank last night... I thought I would be able to extend the lines to make it easier for the reinstall... well, I did that, but pushing everything back proved to be an even bigger pain. And I was worried that the extra line would buckle and possible choke off a line. So I took all of the extensions off. I ended up reaching through the back with my right arm and grabbing a hose (in service mode) and holding the tank with my left hand... I was able to locate (blindly) the attachments. I did one at a time starting with the larger one that attaches directly to the white tank since that was the hardest to reach from the trunk side when tightening the new hose clamps.
Anyway, tanks IN, my right arm is very bruised from having to jam it in the engine bay to push the hoses into the back of the tank.
I can say though... that I was successful!!! Tonight I put the coolant back and the oil (did a change while I was at it). A serp belt and I'm back on the ROAD!

Let me know if you have any questions or issues and I'll be glad to chime in since I just did this less than 12 hours ago!

tonycarreon · 03-20-2012, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmx672

Let me know if you have any questions or issues and I'll be glad to chime in since I just did this less than 12 hours ago!

hah. yes...

my tank arrived without the hole for the oil dipstick. so wondering if maybe porsche is "pushing" people to use only the electronic gauge. did you essentially "cap" the dipstick tube or did you drill out the hole yourself - or did your tank come "pre-holed?"

i thought i remember seeing a post when searching a while back that another user warned to be prepared to cut out the hole.

j.fro · 03-20-2012, 03:37 PM

Fun job. Buy yourself a box of Band-Aid knuckle bandages now. And get a good bottle of scotch for when the job is done. You're gonna need both.

bmx672 · 03-21-2012, 05:08 AM

Tony, I just cut the hole out with a blade... worked fine!

bmx672 · 03-21-2012, 05:10 AM

By the way, I filled up the car with coolant last night! Finished the oil change, new sepr belt and desnorkled for the heck of it. Washed her and then went for a drive

She's a happy camper right now!!! No leaks! Knock on wood

tonycarreon · 03-22-2012, 02:06 PM

you have got to be kidding me! 3 hrs. in and the tank is still in place. ive never chained so many expletives together in my life.

ok 5 hours now and i'm giving up for the night. maybe if i get it up on the ramps it'll be easier from the bottom.

i've found 2 problems:
1) the hoses i guess after 11 years or heat and swelling do not want to come off so easily
2) there isn't enough room between hoses to actually get the spring clamps off. the clamp for the coolant line is facing the smaller hoses

i'm just getting frustrated, and that's making me want to just pull really hard on stuff. not a good thing.

dghii · 03-22-2012, 09:06 PM

Hang in there! I did mine a couple of years ago without getting under the car. The hoses will come off, there is no magic, just perseverance.

tonycarreon · 03-23-2012, 10:08 AM

7 hours and i've given up. now paying someone else to do it. looks like it'll cost me around $550. i have no way of getting the coolant clamp off. i was able to get the tool on the clamp, but after getting the clamp almost loose, the tool would slip and i'd be back at square one. it's no longer worth saving the money to lose my sanity.

bmx672 · 03-23-2012, 10:37 AM

I won't argue with you for paying to have someone do it! I got to that point, almost. I gathered my composure and went at it with a different approach... and it worked! My frustration was with getting the new one back on! Getting the old tank off was definitely a PITA as well!
I did find one tool that helped a lot! extra long needle nose pliers! They enabled me to reach the spring clamps. I was able to reach them through the wire harness seal. I took that off and moved it enough to get the pliers in there. I was able to locate and remove a few of the camps that way. Once I had a couple of them off I could then pull the tank into the trunk area enough to get the clamps from the trunk side!

Gilles · 03-23-2012, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dghii

Hang in there! I did mine a couple of years ago without getting under the car. The hoses will come off, there is no magic, just perseverance.

dghii is right..!

Remember, persistance drops panties...

Seriously, I you are replacing your tank why don't you consider replacing the 11 year old hoses as well...?

.
Edit:

If you buy new hoses, you can cut-off the offending old hoses with a blade and just focus on installing the new tank with new hoses.

Please note that even if I had replaced many tanks and hoses before, I have never done it on a Boxter (or a Cayman for that manner)

.

.