Clear liquid leak by right rear tire
 

Hey everyone,

So I have a 2004 Boxster. I bought it three years ago with 27,000 from an owner who meticulously maintained it. I recently noticed a small drip about 9 inches inside the rear right tire. I first noticed it about a week ago after a drive. Although I left the car in the garage for the past week, there was still a very small amount leaking as a puddle kept reappearing.

The liquid is clear and almost water like. It has a very very slight viscosity so I don't believe it is is just water.

It has been hot out here, but I normally drive with the top down and haven't been using the AC so I don't believe it's run off from that.

Looking through the forums it appears it could be a shock leak or a coolant leak. I've read that shock fluid is clear which makes me hope that is the problem. I've read somewhere that Porsche coolant is green, but that it can also be clear? My car is maintained by a well regarded Porsche Indy shop in OC, California so they are only using Porsche stuff.

I'm obviously worried about the coolant leak as I replaced a leaking head gasket two years ago. I saw in another thread that there is a coolant run off pipe near the location I'm talking about. What I'm unsure of is if it is normal to have the coolant running out like this or if this is a problem? The engine is running at a normal temp of 190-200 and I've never over heated it. I haven't had a chance to look in the engine bay itself or get under the car.

Any advice would be appreciated on this. Thanks guys.

Well as a first test I'd suggest taking a sample from your coolant tank and see if it is the same stuff.

Lots of possibilities:

There is indeed an overflow tube in that area. It originates from the trunk and will dispense coolant if your coolant expansion tank is cracked or leaking in some way. Open up the trunk, lift the carpet and look for fluid/any wetness. If the tank was overfilled, the spill over can also run out of this same tube.

The water pump is also in that approximate location and will leak as it gets old. You can check this by removing the front engine cover, removing the poly rib belt and checking the health of the water pump (the procedure is documented well in other threads).

Porsche coolant is pink, anything aftermarket is usually green and depending on the mixture of water/coolant, small amounts can appear completely clear. Best to take off the expansion tank lid and verify if the coolant is indeed pink or green before jumping to any conclusions.

So it was coolant, but fortunately it was just a leak from the coolant cap. Should be all fixed up today. Thanks for the help guys.

If the leak continues despite repositioning the cap:

-the cap could be bad, buy the most recent blue colored cap to see if that fixes the problem

-the tank can be cracked near the top, allowing condensation to build up on the trunk lid and drip out of the overflow tube. (you might also get condensation if the cap alone is bad). My bleeder valve was cracked internally, allowing condensation to build up once the system was hot and pressurized, leaving condensation on the trunk roof (which I falsely identified as a bad coolant cap initially). Be vigilant!