I just replaced a 20 year old waterpump...

[blue62]

Originally Posted by pilut2

I finally got around to my waterpump, low temp thermostat and coolant service after 5 years of ownership . The pump which was original was absolutely perfect- spinning freely and all of the vanes were just like new. I should’ve taken a picture of the old and new side by side- they were hard to tell apart. Granted, my car has only 42,000 miles on it, but I can’t help but challenge the belief that the pump can time out before it miles out.

This is the first waterpump that I have ever changed - it was a fiddley but not particularly difficult job.

Why did you go to a low temp thermostat??
What temp thermostat did you go to????

[pilut2]

Originally Posted by blue62

Why did you go to a low temp thermostat??
What temp thermostat did you go to????

I went with the 160 degree thermostat after plenty of research on this forum and elsewhere.

[Rob175]

A month ago I had my 20 year old (1998) water pump replaced due to a slow but persistent leak that wasn't getting any better. One week after that, I had to replace my 20 year old coolant holding tank in the rear trunk. It was leaking from "spider cracks" on the underside of the tank that weren't visible. As the cooling system would come up to temperature and pressurize the "spider cracks" would weep coolant and that liquid would accumulate under the rear trunks raised flooring. Eventually the coolant would find its way to the garage floor a few drops at a time........but that too would only get worse, so I had the tank replaced too. Since I'm not a DIY person I paid for the work.......all in for both I spent about $1,900. Not cheap but since the car hasn't needed repairs for the last 15 years I consider I got off easy.

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by Rob175

A month ago I had my 20 year old (1998) water pump replaced due to a slow but persistent leak that wasn't getting any better. One week after that, I had to replace my 20 year old coolant holding tank in the rear trunk. It was leaking from "spider cracks" on the underside of the tank that weren't visible. As the cooling system would come up to temperature and pressurize the "spider cracks" would weep coolant and that liquid would accumulate under the rear trunks raised flooring. Eventually the coolant would find its way to the garage floor a few drops at a time........but that too would only get worse, so I had the tank replaced too. Since I'm not a DIY person I paid for the work.......all in for both I spent about $1,900. Not cheap but since the car hasn't needed repairs for the last 15 years I consider I got off easy.

Well, that’s timely information. My 18 year old tank is beginning to do the same thing I believe. I haven’t taken a real close look but I am getting some drops occasionally on the garage floor. After years of reading what a pain it is to replace the tank, I may take it in to have my Indy do it along with a new water pump, time for that too.

[pilot4fn]

Hmmmmm. I have the new waterpump and low temp thermostat already at home. I'm planning to change those in a couple of weeks.
Now this coolant reservoir tank is getting me worried since the car is 2001 model 986.

If the coolant tank is leaking in to the trunk, is there a best place to look for the leak from the trunk - where the coolant would find it self if there is a small leak?

[NewArt]

Check under the carpet/liner in the trunk near the tank for wetness.
Replacing the tank with an original Porsche part is recommended. Aftermarket tanks have often proved to be unreliable; you don't want to do the job twice!
DIY tips and videos abound. You might want to tackle this job, it's not as daunting as many make you believe!