Overheated to 250, died on side of highway, left stranded
 

Car would get to ~210, flashing light, last few months

Mechanic checked temps, says everything seemed ok

Replaced cap to .04 did not help

Mechanic said maybe low, fill to top, any overfill will boil over, do no harm

Did that. Temps went to 250 in 5 miles, ac stopped workin, solid red temp light. Mechanic said shouldn't be, bad temp gauge? Drove 5 miles, temp dropped to 180, light flash, AC working. Drive 5 more miles, temp to 250, AC stop, solid light. Downshift to get off highway, everything died, all instrents lights on, hear clunking sound. Get out, light smoke coming from the back. Boxster will not restart, stranded, waiting for tow truck now.

Aw, man...this is not what I wanted to see first thing in the morning. Sorry to hear, man.

My mind was trying to fly through the possibilities of what's up...water pump failure, maybe? Maybe some impeller pieces got stuck in some of the cooling channels and blocked your coolant flow. Is there any fluid on the ground under the car?

The only other thing I'm thinking, since you mentioned running the A/C, is that the radiator fans may not be functioning.

Please let us know what you find. Hopefully there isn't any serious damage.

No... just coming here to post that actually because I thought it was wierd that there was never any boiling over. A little condensation but that's it, no puddles under the car or anything

I ended up walking to work, so I'm out of the heat for now

Tow company called and said they'll get here when they get here

That's why I didn't wait for tow first time it reached 250. I pulled over and called mechanic, he said check for boiling over. Nothing back there, little warm, a little condensation, no leaks, no smell, no puddle. That's why he probably thought bad gauge and why I continued to work

Would be nice if they picked you up and brought you with them when it comes time to get the car. They sound like fine fellows.

I walked to work, probably take cab home... or call enterprise over lunch, think they deliver vehicle to you

The irony is this happened because I was trying to prevent this from happening


When coolant light first started flashing months ago I brought it in and mechanic said temp gauge was accurate, not overheating at ~200, don't worry about it

I googled, said replace cap with .4. I did that, no help

Well as summer got worse light kept flashing and temps got to ~220, just below 3/4 mark. Brought car in again on monday night the 23rd cuz didn't wanna be stranded in rush hour in 110 heat. Mechanic said temps fine, maybe low coolant, fill to very top, too full will not hurt, pressure builds until cap releases and boils over until correct level

Did that next morning, tuesday. Drove work, no problems.

After work : problems. Fine at first then temps got to 3/4 mark and stayed. Call mechanic last night, said maybe bad gauge? Should b overheating, is there water boiling? No, no water, not wet, all good. Just keep watching it then

And then this morning I already posted the story


So yeah, if I had just continued to ignore the light instead of taking to shop to fix I would probably be fine right now

That's a drag. Let us know what happens. I'm West of Kansas City and the heat is brutal. I got mine out a couple of days ago just to drive it and noticed it running hotter than usual. We're supposed to be around 106 today and I know STL is about the same. Good luck!

That really sucks. Where in STL did you get stranded? The heat has been crazy lately. Actually been keeping my top up in the afternoon to blast the AC since its so hot...

Can/did you check the coolant level in the coolant tak?
 

How is the coolant level?
I had the same symtoms as you and I ended up changing the tank.

Chesterfield

Still waiting on tow truck, hope they get it to shop today so they can diagnose and order parts and repair tomorrow

If they pick up too late shop can't look at till tomorrow, and if parts don't come in until Friday I might be boxster-less this weekend :(

I would have the mech replace the water pump and thermostat, just to be safe.

Even with this insane heat, my Box has been running slightly cooler since I cleaned out my radiators and scoops.

Sorry to hear it, man. Hopefully the overheating didn't cause any permanent damage.

Double post...

After many years of research I sort of expected this from Boxsters so I am not upset or surprised over situation, actually I expected it much sooner, and I'm not rich but I have some money to throw at it. This is why I bought an older 2.5 base and not a newer 3.2 S, so I would have extra $$ for often repairs

Possibly air pockets in your cooling system?

Best of luck to you bud. I hope it's just minor and you can spend your cash on those tires you were asking about.

Hankook Ventus V12. I'm impressed so far.

Sounds like you should upgrade your mechanic & avoid downshifting on the freeway when your car is running hot. Also when your coolant level is low add distilled filtered water as it makes the engine cooler than antifreeze.

Yeah, I hate to say it, but you and your mechanic made some bad decisions. You shouldn't continue to drive a car that is running hot, especially a Boxster.

I learned the hard way years ago. I had a coolant hose leak on an Acura, and thought I could drive it 1 mile to get home. That 1 mile lead to a blown head gasket.

No disrespect but if you make it through this find another shop, the mechanic's guess that the gauge was off seems like a "drive it till it breaks again and return it" guy. Never, ever drive a car with an illuminated oil idiot light or cooling idiot light with reckless abandon, nothing good can happen. I hope your heads are not cracked.

PS I just remembered a customer who blew up his motor. He said to us "the oil light came on but I was only sixteen miles from home so I didn't pull over". Well then get ready to "fork" it over.....