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Old 10-13-2015, 03:34 PM   #1
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Some kind of cooling system issue.

So I've had "Baxter" for a year now (that's its name), and I've always had some kind of moisture on my trunk lid when I checked the oil.. Ive always just wiped it off and ignored it until today. I went into a restaurant for 10 minutes and when I came out, there was a huge green puddle under my car.. It had puked out its coolant!

After I filled it back with water, I looked underneath to see where it was coming from.. Right wheel, sounded like an overflow issue.. The water I added didnt come out so I carried on. So when I got back to the office, I googled the hell out of it and ran across some things about the coolant cap.. I checked mine and I have the *00 numbered one (ordering a replacement tomorrow), but I also found some info on bleeding. So I removed the cover to pop open the bleed/vent valve and found this..



Is this something I should be concerned about?

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Old 10-13-2015, 06:43 PM   #2
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Suggest you read the Pelican info on refilling the coolant. It can be tricky. Look for the Pelican diy project on replacing the w/p.Pedro's Garage also has info.
There are plenty of examples of Boxster owners thinking they had filled with coolant but were actually very low.It may be a good time to replace all the coolant anyway. 5 years is the max recommended by some. It is a serious issue to attend to with lots of info and care. Easy to screw up unless you have this equipment:
Airlift
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Old 10-13-2015, 10:24 PM   #3
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If the coolant vapour is doing that to the localised bolt heads, just think what its doing to the internals of the engine & cooling system.
I suspect the coolant has no corrosion inhibitor left, not a pleasant scenario.......
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Old 10-14-2015, 06:51 AM   #4
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Perhaps I should elaborate.. I'm concerned about the state of the bleeder valve, and the fact that all of my 80's Porsches have had cadmium plated bolts.. did Porsche stop using corrosion resistant hardware to save money, or is this a generic replacement that has been put in?

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Originally Posted by Gelbster View Post
Suggest you read the Pelican info on refilling the coolant. It can be tricky. Look for the Pelican diy project on replacing the w/p.Pedro's Garage also has info.
There are plenty of examples of Boxster owners thinking they had filled with coolant but were actually very low.It may be a good time to replace all the coolant anyway. 5 years is the max recommended by some. It is a serious issue to attend to with lots of info and care. Easy to screw up unless you have this equipment:
Airlift
I have been planning on revamping the cooling system for some time now, so I have been through those articles (except Pedro, I cant stand the site layout). But I don't want to spend so much on coolant unless I'm sure the rest of the system is up to stuff. There is no way to buy this Airlift kit, is it something I rent from the auto parts store?


Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Tinker View Post
If the coolant vapour is doing that to the localised bolt heads, just think what its doing to the internals of the engine & cooling system.
I suspect the coolant has no corrosion inhibitor left, not a pleasant scenario.......
Distillation is the obvious cause of the condensation, it has been affecting these bolts for years through a faulty coolant cap.. the resulting "vapour" is essentially water. And my coolant was green, not brown.

Nice post count btw :dance:
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Old 10-14-2015, 08:09 AM   #5
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If the bleeder valve is leaking(loosing pressure) it is easy to observe. Once the car is warmed up,it will hiss. If in doubt, temporarily plug the drain port (rearmost of the 3) and look for coolant accumulating after one(not 2!) drives. Then remove the plug.
Replace the old coolant fill cap anyway.
If you decide to replace the coolant reservoir, suggest you ask for guidance here. Cheap(leaky/defective) Chinese tanks on EBay and elsewhere.Need Mayhew cats-paw pliers for the hose clamps.
I hope this is helpful
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Old 10-15-2015, 02:19 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gelbster View Post
If the bleeder valve is leaking(loosing pressure) it is easy to observe. Once the car is warmed up,it will hiss. If in doubt, temporarily plug the drain port (rearmost of the 3) and look for coolant accumulating after one(not 2!) drives. Then remove the plug.
Replace the old coolant fill cap anyway.
If you decide to replace the coolant reservoir, suggest you ask for guidance here. Cheap(leaky/defective) Chinese tanks on EBay and elsewhere.Need Mayhew cats-paw pliers for the hose clamps.
I hope this is helpful
So far, so good.. keeping a jug in the trunk just in case
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Old 10-19-2015, 12:45 PM   #7
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I had the same issue last couple of weeks. Condensation on the trunk lid and fogged up my tail light. Finally she vomited about a gallon of coolant in the driveway. I ordered the coolant tank over-night from partsgeek and spent the whole frickin weekend changing the coolant tank. Seems to be okay now. Looked like two or three small cracks in the old tank.
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Old 10-27-2015, 10:57 AM   #8
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Suggest to read this to avoid more problems with a new tank:
http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/59309-coolant-tank-lots-problems-fix.html

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