N/a 944

Ok so well... today I went to go start my car and it barely wanted to start, took 3 tries (usually starts on 1st) on the third try it seemed to be realy rough and around... 4-600 rpms... then it smoothed out and i drove home. Once i got there i popped the hood to check the plug wires and injector were all seated correctly and they were. Just after I checked the wires i notice that i was REALLY low on coolant... about 2cm im the bottom of the overflow tank thing...
So I got coolant and distilled water and filled it up after the car had cooled down. I figured heck, since i was adding fluids why not check the oil, well it was a little low so I topped it off. Upon opening the bright yellow oil fill cap I was confused... ther was steam coming out... not much but there was steam. I didnt think much of it at the time so I just topped the oil off (about 1/2 quart). Soon after I began to think that I may possibly have a blown head gasket???? because of the "missing coolant and the vapor from the oil filler" am I just being way uber paranoid or is there some truth to what I fear? Oh, and I am putting in a new water pump and T-belt very soon so I could fix the gasket at the same time.
lol one last question... I have been hearing a LOT about the DME relay recently... and if you dont mine me saying what the F is that?! could it have caused the rough start (disregarding the lack of coolant)
All help is greatly appreciated... and a recomendation of a good porsche mechanic in San Luis county would be appreciated as well.
Thanks

FRporscheman

Maybe you just have a coolant leak somewhere, like a cracked radiator, or a blown hose.

Steam from the oil is normal. Hot oil will give off gasses; that's why the engine oil needs to be ventilated. If anything, maybe your engine was overheating a little, from the lack of coolant.

Check your oil dipstick, see if the oil looks like a milkshake. Check your coolant and see if there is oil floating in there. If you see either of these conditions, there is a blown gasket somewhere. Report back with your findings and we'll try to guide you to the answer. If I haven't already said it somewhere else, welcome to Rennlist! Please add your location to your user profile so maybe some locals can help you out / vice versa.

nh7cy

If anything, changing your waterpump is a good idea. If your waterpump seals are shot or anything about it, you can loose quite a bit of coolant.

nh7cy

Oh and Arash, i'll be dropping by your house if you're there on either Wednsday or Thursday to pay for that head.

FRporscheman

A separate post for a separate question:

The DME relay is the fancy name for the fuel pump relay. It tells the DME (the computer) when to use the fuel pump. They have a nasty habit of always breaking on a 944, leaving the car dead. Always keep a spare in the glove box.

Jason, a PM is on the way.

N/a 944

ok so the steam is normal? good. it was running a bit hot but that is because i have a barndoor style fan switch lol. The oil on the dipstick was nice and clean, oil still looked nice and clean. and there was no oil in the tank so im in the clear? or at least for the most part?

N/a 944

my car was not leaking a thing so... i think i may have just neglected it too long... eek
how much does a DME relay cost?
oh and i added a pic of my car and my location. i didnt know how to resize it so i just used my phone lol

FRporscheman

Sounds to me like the head gasket and oil cooler seals are OK. Keep an eye on the color of the oil for a while. Well, you should always monitor the oil, but you know what I mean.

Try to find out where that coolant is going. It's either in the oil (you said it isn't), or it's in the exhaust (check for white smoke out the back), or it's getting onto the ground.

N/a 944

I will check for smoke tomorow morning... would you recomend at start up or after its a bit warm? or any time. I may put a pan under it to see if anything is dripping
thanks guys for all your help

pjburges

Car's that are throwing coolant into the combustion chamber make it most obvious at immediate startup. That's because the aluminum hasnt heated up and expanded yet, which reduces the size of the crack in your head gasket, head, block or wherever. If it's gonna smoke white it will do it within the 1st minute of startup, and the white smoke wont smell bitter like burnt oil or rubber, but sweet kind of like bubble-gum. You are probably ok, it's probably a slow leak in a clamped fitting or something.

N/a 944

ok well there was no smoke or steam out of the exhaust... I will watch for leaks and be sure to check the fluids more often ha.

N/a 944

Oh and by the way... how much is a spare DME relay? just to have, just in case

Andial951

im putting money on the start of a failing HG. keep your eye on that dipstick.

yellowline

My car lost coolant, did not smoke at all, and one day it entirely lost power upon startup, running on 3 cylinders. There was nothing wrong with the oil. I had one very rotten head gasket. Pull your spark plugs when the engine is cold, and check to see if one is a lot cleaner than the others.

DME relay is $20, no excuse not to have one.

FRporscheman

If you're REALLY cheap, like I sometimes am, you can make a little jumper wire for like $1. If your DME relay dies, you can just jumper the 2 leads necessary to get your fuel pump pumping, but it will be running continuously which isn't exactly good for its health.

But if your DME relay dies, you will buy a new one anyway, so just buy one now and rest assured.