nenehubert

Most of you know that i lost both my beloved 89 S2 and my 83 n/a to that bitch Katrina. Aparently porsches' do not float. So i was on a search for a great 968 to replace my cars.

As you all should know, i'm the proud owner of jeff's (in New Jersey... don't know if he is on rennlist or not) MO30 968 (formerly known as Eric's (Moderator and Admin of 968forums.com)). There were many preemptive problems prior to picking the car up. Once those were settled, it was just a matter of flying up to Denver and driving home (which so happens to be in New Orleans). Only 1350 miles approx. For a car that has newish belts and only 56,500 miles that shouldn't be a problem. (oh..the car is beautiful...)

Arriving to Denver was very stressful: Leave New Orleans at 10:00 arrive in Denver at 1:30. That seemed simple enough. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed for 5-6ish hours due to "inclement weather." Once i arrived in Houston, where my layover was, my second, and last plane, was departing while i was landing. Great..... Many people are angry.. blah blah blah. I run to the customer service line to find that it's about 100 people long. The next flight according to the departure screen was an hour later. 100 people... one hour.. right. So, i decided to phone continental to change my flight. Five minutes later.. done. I go to my new gate to find that the flight was delayed for another 3 hours. Awesome, just what i need, three more hours of Houston. Eventually, everyone is about to board the plane when they announce that "they no longer have a crew for the plane and that all of the reserves have been used for that day." Lo and behold, they reschedule the flight for 6:30 in the morning. I'm TIRED OF WAITING. Every hotel in Houston is booked. Fortunately, i find some skanky Quality Inn. 140 dollars later, including a 40 dollar cab ride, i get about 4 hours of sleep: which was much needed for i was driving 11-12 hours the next day.


I arrive in denver, Eric picks me up in the most beautiful 968 i've seen ever, granted i've only seen a few, and we drive back to his house. ..... Paperwork..... ect ect.. i depart for a 20 hour ride home. The car is amazing; you can't help but smile while looking at it. About 300 miles away, it's close to night, i notice when i stop smoke/steam is emitting from the front headlights. I pull over... can't really see much, and it looks like it's just condensation evaporating from the headlamps. Temp gauge fine... fluid levels fine... no emergency lights on. I pull over in Oklahoma to notice that there seems to be a coolant fluid leak. Not the heater control valve... it's towards the front. By now i have driven 600+ miles, and i assume that if it was a hose it would have failed. Not the head gasket. coolant looks fine... so does the oil. So there is steam emitting from my engine... temp gauge is fine... the thermostat is opening. Eventually i get out of Oklahoma City heading south when the temp gauge starts to rise a little under the red. The Thermostat kicks and it lowers back down to the first bar. Does this a few more times, and i notice that it stops cooling down so i pull off to a gas station not harming the engine at all. Resiovoir is empty... it takes more than a gallon of anti-freeze and water, once the engine is cooled of course, and i start her back up. I limp her to the nearest hotel and that's where i am as we speak.

I believe it to be a hole in the radiator. Perhaps it was a pinhole leak that with 700+ miles of pressure it widened? Couldn't be from any hoses. If the waterpump gasket was leaking... wouldn't the car overheat quickly? This sucks, but in the end it will be worth everything. I'll also have a great story to tell the grandkids (i really don't have any grandkids).

So now i'm waiting for my Dad to come with a flatbed trailer to haul my car back the reminding 600 miles. For attaching the car the the flat bed.. would those heavyduty fabric straps be the best way.. have two pulling from the front and two from the back? Where would the best place be to attach them.

BTW.. Oklahoma sucks... not because i'm pissed with the current situation.. it just does..

Has anybody ever notice that even though your car doesn't work or somehow unoperable, just looking at it makes you smile... i've noticed that several times from prior porsches.. and now this one

Well, ultimately, i hope that everything goes smoothly for the remainder of the trip. This has been a crazy adventure for Eric, Jeff, and myself. Hopefully, i'll get home in one piece and can asess the damage.

CAN ANYBODY SAY INSTANT KARMA!?!?!?!

special tool

The smile magnitude is directly proportional to coolness of said vehicle.

95Juan

does that mean that your face breaks whenever you look at your car, since you have to smile so much it's not humanly possible?

xsboost90

could be a bad resevoir cap letting the fluid escape premature.

LtReid

damn thats f'd up. Yea but i do find my self doing the same thing every now and then, cause you know when it gets running again your gonna have fun. Or is it the smile as "Not again"

bleucamaro

wow. bummer trip. I take it the flatbed trailer isn't for hauling cars? We use 3" tie downs for trailering cars. They have heavy metal hooks and 'come-along' ratchets. I'd be very conserned with how to load load the car if its not a car hauler. make sure the ramp is A) not too steep, and B) strong enough. I haven't towed my 944, but I would probablt attach the straps to the control arms front and rear. Be careful of brake lines.

Good Luck getting it home. Remember to take your time and think everything through before you do it. I've broken my fair share of things when I get focussed on 'just get it done', or 'just need to get home'.

4thChild

Ouch, too bad on the bummer trip. Good things come to those that work for them! Best of luck.

jlturpin

I had a similar experience with flights when I went to pick up my 968 in IL, delayed flights then flight crew timed out, flight out early next AM, overnight say in detroit, delayed flight next AM. Anyway.

I am just west of Little Rock, AR. If I can help with anything let me know. My cell number is 5017658522. I am 1 mile from I-40 just off exit 135. I will be unavaliable from 3:30 till 5:30 (flying)

I have really enjoyed my 968, non M030.

Jonathan

Rock

Buhahahah join the club! Coolant leaks regulalry for me, except this cars radiator fans dont wory and I have no idea if the thermostat works, because it heats up like hell!!! The temperature gauge doesnt even read right so i have no idea if its hot or not sometimes!

nenehubert

No.. it looks like the steam is emitting around the waterpump/ exaust manifold area. I haven't had a chance to go look at it.. i've been resting up for when they get here with the trailer.. i will be driving a good 600 miles tonight. Joy.

It's not the heater control valve ( too far away): It was replaced 5,000 miles ago. it might be a loose hose, hole in the radiator, or an external leak in the head (which would suck majorly).

Well, they weren't able to get hold of the trailer.. so we just rented the dual-axel u-haul car transport. That should work fine.


Aside from all of ths crap... when i finally get home and get her purring like a kitten.. i'll post millions of pictures. This car is near concourse condition. So clean and imaculate you could eat of it. Although, i wouldn't recommend the latter (coolant residue = yum)

A hurricane take my beloved cars away, and an Insane trip where everything seems to go wrong. What's next... my first born child? But at least i have a large smile on my face.. the car is beautiful. HAHA.. it's so embarassing pulling into a filling station with the front somking.. i just tell innocent bystanders, "Yea... that's my porsche.. with the smoking engine.. awesome, huh? Dont you want one now?" One did let me borrow a flashlight . OH Well.

nenehubert

OK. i was able to go out and look to find a leak. There was about 16 ounces of coolant on the ground, the oil light is on... so is the check engine, and exclamation light. There is coolant on top of the belt cover. It has to be leaking from that inlet next to the intake manifold. i didnt see it leak myself, so i dont know. Why would the oil light be on.. i checked the oil and it seems fine... no milky residue.. looks like thick coffee. no oil in the coolant. But, to be safe i'll perform a leakdown test as soon as i get the car home. It could also be a leak from the head gasket out.... perhaps..

black944 turbo

Good luck with it, sorry for your mishap. What color is the car?

nenehubert

Guards Red with tan interior. just what i've always wanted.
Maybe "the mister upstairs" is saying.... Damn, that car is to nice for you to have.
But, i'll be home tomorrow morning so i can start working. Damn, these cars are just attention freaks.

Hope it's not the head gasket.. nothing like celebrating a new car with stripping it bare.

spedracer18

Had this happen to my 83' shortly after buying it. For that, the coolant fans were not working correctly. I bought new ones from tod in tn, and has been great ever since. I had the same, exact thing happen to me. It sounds as if you have narrowed it down to something else, but just letting you know...

hacker-pschorr

Mythbusters sealed a hole in a radiator with a raw egg. Better yet - try some Bars Leak. I've seen it work so many times it's scary.