Blown engine
 

I have a low mileage (34k) 1998 Boxster that suddenly died while driving. It was running perfectly prior to failure. No telltale noises or smoke. Couldn't restart so I put it back into my garage. Looked the next day and noticed a puddle of antifreeze (about a quart) under right side near exhaust. Closer examination revealed antifreeze coming through clamp connecting exhaust pipe to muffler indicating antifreeze got into exhaust. What's going on? How do I narrow down the problem? HELP! PLEASE!

Cracked head. Antifreeze escaping and being in exhaust.

Hope it's something easier. Keep us updated.

Blown engine
 

Researching "cracked head" I came across a product called Heal-a-Seal: http://www.heal-a-seal.com/WARPED-CRACKED-ENGINE-HEADS-CYLINDER-BLOCK-CRACKS-REPAIR.html]HEAL-A-SEAL BLOWN HEAD GASKET, WARPED/CRACKED ENGINE HEAD, CYLINDER LEAK REPAIR KIT
Could this actually work?

Has anyone had any success with sealant kits for cracked head/blown gasket repair? If not a good alternative, what would it cost to replace a head gasket on a 986 Boxster engine?

It was done on mine for 4k i believe under the PO by an independent. I can dig out papers if youd like.

Is there coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant?

Sealants seal more than the leak. Don't go there. Get actual quotes for the real issue. Tow it to a trusted Indy. Then you at least know what's up.

From what I've read on this forum, head gaskets don't blow, but heads do crack. You can get it welded and rebuilt, or get a rebuilt for about $1200. I've seen the rebuilts dissed as likely to have more problems but I have no data on that.

This exact case happened to my son in-law's car. Same exact symptom. Luckily he was driving through a parking garage. The car stalled, engine died and could not restart. Puddle of coolant under the car.

Luckily it was a minor issue. Water pump and belt failure.

Slipped sleeve.. The coolant is entering the exhaust through a cylinder that has an open exhaust valve and a cylinder failure.

These are sudden failures with the exact same failure scenario that you have outlined, they generally happen to low mileage engines that would have failed under warranty if they were driven enough.

This is mode of failure #1, its the first failure we ever documented...

make sure it is coming out out the exhaust and not from someplace above it. the coolant reservoir is on the right side and above where you are seeing coolant. the coolant might be coming from a cracked reservoir (common failure on these cars) or from a reservoir that boiled-over (there is a drain that dumps out in the right wheel well). it could be as simple as a bad water pump or serpentine belt and the car overheated.

Let us know how this turns out. We could be on Car Talk playing stump the chump.

I don't know why folks don't listen to Jake...he's seen more failures than any of us in our lifetimes.

Sounds like engine is toast...

Because catastrophic failure is not the only possible cause of coolant on the floor? Hoping for the best.

Jake does have more experience than most of us put together but that does not mean there can not be another explanation. All of the possibilities seem like reasonable possibilities. Checking for a broken coolant reservoir before removing a head sure makes sense to me. Having said that, if I were a betting man I'd be betting on Jake.

Like runjmc said, check if there is oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil. If there is oil in the coolant, don't panic, it could be a failed oil cooler which is any easy fix, except for cleaning out the cooling system. If there is coolant in the oil, that's not good.

Take off the serpentine belt and crank the motor by hand. If it binds, then you have a major problem. If not, take out the spark plugs and see if coolant is in he cylinders, if so you have a major problem.

If you don't have any of the above problems, then it could just be the car overheated and barfedcoolant. Fill up he coolant reservoir and see I it starts. If so, check the cooling system for faults. Hopefully it's just a waterpumpmor a cracked coolant reservoir.

I'll put a 100 dollar bill on it.
Anyone want to dance?
I have been wrong before :-)

But it could always be worse.
https://scontent-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/...25155564_n.jpg

For the first time my RED coolant warning light started blinking (98' Boxster w/72,00 miles) when I started up..... lucky for me it the coolant was low by about 1-1/2 cups...I suppose just enough to trigger the low coolant sensor. I'll assume evaporation over the years was the cause. I bought the newer version coolant cap thinking the old cap might also be the culprit. Sorry to read some have much more serious issues.

I think the wrist pin "C" clip might be loose on that piston.

Those rings need to be reseated also. I'll bet the compression is WAY off on those cylinders.

Just sayin'...........

TO

Looked inside the coolant reservoir and saw drops of oil floating on the remaining coolant. This is in response to coolant in the oil verses oil in the coolant comment. I don't understand how failure of the coolant/oil heat exchanger would allow coolant to get into exhaust system. What is the connection?

Question: Looked inside the coolant reservoir and saw drops of oil floating on the remaining coolant. This is in response to your coolant in the oil verses oil in the coolant comment. I don't understand how failure of the coolant/oil heat exchanger would allow coolant to get into exhaust system. What is the connection?

How far are you from a Porsche specialist? I would have the car towed there.

If you are sure there is coolant in the exhaust, meaning there's coolant in the cylinders when you took out the plugs, then I would say its probably not the heat exchanger. Exchanger failure usually dumps lots of oil in the coolant and little or no coolant in the oil because the oil pressure is much higher than the coolant pressure.

There may be a few more steps that people can suggest to confirm a slipped sleeve, or other "catastrophic" failure. I would do these first before going to a shop, especially if that shop is a dealership. There have been many stories of a shop charging large fees to diagnose to a seemingly simply conclusion, your engine is toast. The story usually continues that the diagnostic fee can be applied to a 'fix.' Problem is the 'fix' is often not advisable and/or at the correct facility for the right 'fix." I would avoid that trap if at all possible. If your engine is toast, better you save the diagnostic fee and have better control of your next step.