Milky coolant.
 

A week ago I started the car and saw a big puff of smoke on start.

Next time I drove. The oil level was low. After adding a couple courts oil level has held at a high level and is fine.

Two drives later. The coolant light is one. After adding two quarts it too is okay.

However when checking to add coolant. Milky residue is on the cap.

How SOL am I? Car is parked for now with the new coolant in it. After seeing the milk I decided to straight stop driving.

A bit of milky residue on the cap is not a big concern; however if the tank if full of milky mix, that would be another story.

Milky coolant.
 

Tank seems okay but I’m extra concerned as with how both coolant and oil seemingly lost two quarts not far inbetween each other. The car is driven short distances sometimes due to me being in college.

106k Miles, water pump and aos have been replaced in the past 20k. Oil changed in mid August was zero metal shavings then. Dipstick looks clean today and was last week when sorting out the Oil issue.

I’m mainly worried with the car being a 3.2 From 2000. I know I’ve seen Raby say horror stories about these. And head cracks.

Isn’t there an oil cooler that can fail and allow mix? Mr Raby was very good at pointing out the end of the world possibilities while gleaning over the many possible tiny failures that can show the same symptom. Good luck.

Pull the oil filter and see what is inside of that. If it's clean, you can reinstall the filter and just top off with oil. Zero first hand experience, I believe the o-rings on the oil cooler can fail and allow cross contamination of coolant and oil. Best of luck.

O-ring failures on the oil cooler lead to external leaks, internal failure of the cooler leads to intermix.

I looked online for some examples of full on intermix and mine is definitely not that bad, that being said the car hasn’t been driven since the new coolant was added in. so I could be biased off of seeing the new coolant.

My main concern is the sudden drop in both fluid levels in a matter of 200 miles of driving.

Any thoughts on that possibly being a symptom of much larger issues? Or did I maybe just burn some stuff off.

Two quarts of coolant + two quarts of oil is a lot. Its going somewhere, so if its not leaking, then its going out the tailpipe.

I'd start with a close inspection for any seepage or leaks that might be evaporating before they drip - especially around the water pump and water/oil cooler on the top of the engine. If that doesn't turn up anything, then I'd pull the oil filter to check for debris (leave the oil in the sump). If nothing shows up, I'd do a pressure test of the cooling system. If that is good, then I'd do an engine compression and leakdown test. If compression and leak down are good, then I'd remove the water/oil cooler and pressure test it just to be sure.

Easily answered: Run a cooling system pressure test; if it holds pressure for 15 min., there are no leaks, cracks, or other gremlins. Sudden drops in coolant and oil level are often the result of the systems not being properly filled in the first place.

The coolant should not be going anywhere unless there is a leak externally or internally.

The oil consumption should not be much either in a issue free engine, less than a quart in 5K miles of driving.

A cooling system pressure test would be a good inexpensive way to start the diagnostics.

Hopefully its not a cracked head which would send oil and water through the engine at those kind of rates.

Not sure is a Head gasket could be the issue, not familiar with that part of the engine, but a cheaper fix than cracked.

Sorry for the slow update. Busy in college the car has just been parked at home. Hoping to check oil filter soon to be sure nothing too bad. Worried about a cracked head given the drop in fluids as this is a known issue for the year model and displacement

I'm pretty sure you have a cracked head & sounds like it may be leaking internaly. Check the spark plugs to confirm.

Are you going to try to fix the engine? I just pulled an engine which was overheated in the recent past, ran fine but leaked oil (out of the IMS mostly) on a long term basis. 74500 miles on the engine. It's a 2001 2.7. Would the heads fit on a 3.2?

I haven't torn the engine down yet, so I pretty much know nothing of the heads status. But if you want to pay to have them checked for flatness and cracks, you can have them for that and the cost of shipping. They would include the cams and the valve covers, and the sides for the right head would be kept separate from the left head. I think they are decent rebuildable cores.

If you want to see about a shipping quote, my address is 3411 Ca mino Se co, Tuc son AZ 85730

Brian Lamberts

MAYbe leaking internally?

Sorry Mr Big, your head is a goner. You might be able to salvage the engine.

Milky coolant.
 

I’m afraid it’s going to have to be someone else’s project. As a full time college student and someone in need of reliable (probably warrantied) transportation fast for internships and starting my professional life, my lovely lightning bolt yellow bird boxster will need to be someone else’s project. I’m not sure what my next step forward is, but the car has a lot of very nice options on it. It may find a good home being parted with a currently still running no metal in oil filter engine and zero accident history with someone like woody or it may find a happy home as someone’s new tinkerer. I love this car like nothing else and no matter what There is No Substitute. However, considering where I am in my life I can’t own a Porsche in need of serious engine repair or justify paying more than 3k (probably a lot more) to get it back on the road by a shop. I don’t have the time to tear down and fix at home. It’s an absolute beauty though and I am going to be very careful about where it goes next in life, be it as an organ donor to keep other boxsters alive or a someone else’s pride and joy that they’ll love even more because they helped it through this sick period in its health.

I am very sorry to see that pic. Maybe, just maybe, pull the oil cooler and take a look?

Otherwise I think you are wise to focus on school for now. Here's to what you are driving 10 years from now. :cheers:

Jake, Sorry for your loss. It's been a good run. Somehow I know that in the end, you'll come out ahead in this. Take care.

Hope
 

Jake, why don't you check the oil cooler as suggested by Rex, haven't done myself it but I believe that is not too difficult and, hopefully you'll get lucky :-)

Hey Jake.... Your post have always impressed me. Few high school students could have participated in a car forum as well as you did when you first obtain your first Boxster. As a college student just getting started in life I agree with you. Find a Toyota or Kia like car that will be reliable and get you from point a to point b. It may be awhile until your butt hits the seat of a Porsche again, but you'll be there. Hang tough pal.