Water Pump and Rear view mirror question
 

So I aquired my '01 986 S back in March of this year from a non Porsche dealership. Tried different avenues in recovering history service records and have come up dry. The car is nearing 90k miles and 10 years and feel like I should invest into performing some preventative maintence, to include a new water pump, coolant flush. The car runs great and doesn't nor come close to over heating. I just looked at outside of the pump and it looks in pretty good shape. I know that the propeler inside of it is the main concern, but is there a way to tell if the part is the original or aftermarket replacement? I tried looking for the stamped Porsche part number (986.xxxxxxx) but no luck. I saw a num on top of it stamped (120280). Also, what does everyone here recommend, replacing it with Porsche original or aftermarket?

2nd question.
Since aquiring my car, the auto-dimming mirror doesn't work. The indicator light on it comes on and off when the button is pressed, but it doesn't make a difference. I've tried looking for the fuse, but didn't find any dedicated fuse in the listing nor fuse box. I feel that it's not the fuse cause the indicator light on the mirror lights up when the button is pressed. :confused: But I'm lost

Thanks

i think the consensus on the board is to stick with the OEM waterpump. i think some people report issues with aftermarket brands "weeping" and the metal impellers are generally considered not a good upgrade.

the mirror is automatic. the button (underneath the mirror) is for turning it on and off. otherwise there is nothing you need to do. it will move down when it detects too much glare and back when it detects things are okay.

if the light is off, automatic anti-glare is off. if the light is on, automatic anti-glare is on. if it's not working make sure there's nothing blocking the sensors.

I recommend using the stock pump and there is no reason not to reuse the coolant if it is the original Porsche fill.

I went ahead and replaced the coolant when I got my car with 84K miles.

Maybe it was overkill (I know that its supposed to be good for the life of the car and its expensive) but it seemed like the right thing to do when I didn't know the full history of the car and maintenance.

Yes I did too, old habits and beliefs are hard to overcome.

I'm going to replace the coolant with Porsche Pink when I do the water pump in a couple of weeks.

The original coolant may very well be lifetime, but I don't know what it has been contaminated with through the years.

2 gallons at $28 per at my local dealer.

Consider doing the motor mount at the same time you do the pump. The rubber in the mount cracks fairly quickly and at your mileage, its most likely on its last legs. classic symptom of failure is a vibration at 3k rpms and the shift knob moving back when you accelerate.

Doing the pump and mount at the same time makes doing both a breeze if you DIY. To replace the pump you have to remove several hoses, which makes access to the mount much easier. And when you dothe mount, you have to lower the engine several inches which makes access to the pump much easier.

Out of curiosity, did you buy the car used? And if so, how do you know the coolant in it now is Porsche coolant?

1 gallon at $45 per at my local dealer. Ya gotta love livin' in Canada...

Additional info: You will know when the pump starts to fail. The noise resonates like an engine timing chain rattling against metal. Stick with the OEM pump. I had pump replaced with an aftermarket (LASO) pump of which the bearing failed after 1 year.

Excellent point - I don't. Another good reason for changing it.

$45 for coolant? I'm in Winnipeg and it is only about $30 at the dealership here (********************************), and then I got my 15% PCA discount as well.

Really? Anyone else want to comment on Laso pump longevity? I have one sitting on my bench that I am about to install so I hope that was an anomaly.

I put a German made Laso on my 2.7 a few weeks ago. Vertex claims it is OEM.

Porsche Water Pump New 996 Boxster

Manufacturer: Oe Manufacturer
Engine Cooling : Water Pumps and Related
SKU: 4615 Part No: 99610601155 View Details Your Price: $249.00

I asked because I also didn't know what the coolant was in the car. So I wanted to make sure I didn't get a gelling problem when I put in the new Porsche coolant after doing the water pump, thermostat and oil cooler. So I had to flush the system. Royal PITA without a lift and/or special flushing plumbing. Fortunately I have the vacuum fill tool, so that helped a bit. But getting the car on and off of jackstands half a dozen times was no fun...

Sorry to side track the original topic.... But san rensho, what would be your advise on motor mount on a low mileage (31k miles) but 10 yr old boxster ? It's also a tip, so I can't tell from the gearshift, since it's only a electrical switch. I've got some vibration at idle that I can feel through the steering, and occassionally 2nd to 3rd (and vice versa) gearshift is abrupt. could it be motor mounts ? sigh... I'm hoping it's not the tranny.

I presume even with low mileage, 10 yr old rubber in tropical weather can't be in very good condition..... (although the suspension top mounts and arb bushings seem to have proved me wrong !! They were in pretty good nick, but replaced them anyway since I had the new ones)

Hard to say, but yes a ten year old mount would certainly be subject to deterioration. Problem is you can't inspect the mount until you actually have it out. But the mount is cheap (< $150 IIRC), so if you replace a good one, no big expense if you DIY. Also check the transmission mounts, could be the source of your vibration.