VA951

My recommendation is to get it to a reputable indy in your area ASAP. I am sure there are a few near/in Rhode Island, get in touch with a local PCA member or two for a good shop. Get them to do a P(ost)PI, find out what is going on and set your baseline with this new car.

Jaycote

I appreciate everyone's feedback.....I'm actually feeling better about this and my mind is focused on a few key things that need to get done. I've just been feeling that way about a fix, like when I replaced the spark plugs, and then find out two days later that it didn't fix the issue....or when I replaced the reservoir tank, and continue to get leaks.....I can chalk all of this up to my inexperience though, and I'm learning a TON as I go, and from many guys like you and your own personal stories. It's actually part of what made me want to get a 996, because I'm enjoying learning how to do these things myself, and knowing that I am able to do these fixes myself.

First step for me, I'm getting the Airlift Tool and going to pressure test the system, hopefully fix what the issue is, drain, and refill it correctly with the correct tool and not worry about air pockets. When I drain from the drain plug, I'm only getting about half the coolant out of there. Do you guys think it's alright to drain it that way and refill it? Or, should I be disconnecting all the hoses near the radiators and getting the remaining couple gallons out of there? When pressure testing, what exactly am I looking for? I'm assuming if it's a crack or hole in a hose, it'll be noticeable......But if that's not the case, should I be looking for seepage? If it's a crack underneath the expansion tank, would I be able to immediately recognize that, considering that I cannot easily see under there with the tank in place?

I'm confident that I should be able to trace the issue with the tank/hoses once I get a pressure system and check it that way. Assuming I can trace the issue, and adequately fix it, I'll begin to address the mis-firing cylinders...... and it seems that my best bet would be to bring it to a shop at that point, because I wouldn't know really where to begin, besides possibly re-doing the spark plugs/coils again, in case I didn't get one of them seated properly......and if that's the case I would probably replace the Spark Plug tubes at that point, because I was unable to figure out how to remove them when I changed the plugs/coils, until i found out about the boat plug/bicycle tube trick.

Jaycote

Brother I agree with you 100%... I'm not trying to get my money back or anything, because I know what's done is done......It's also the reason why I haven't continued to call this guy and tell him my story, because he'll pull the "it was as-is" card, and it's 100% true....Whenever I have sold my own personal cars, the first thing I did was tell the person every little thing that was wrong with it, because that's just what comes normal to me.....I guess everyone is different and will do whatever they need to do in order to make an extra $500 on a sale. I'm not looking to deal with him again, and his reputation and way of doing business will catch up to him eventually, if it hasn't already. I'm just curious if he knowingly knew about issues ahead of time, advertised it as "needs nothing mechanically", and just tried to hide the issues temporarily to get the sale. Even if that's the case, not much I can do, and it would lead to me just telling him off, and feeling aggravated.

DesmoSD

FWIW, put the dealership on blast so that other potential Porsche buyers don't get burned like how you did.

Jaycote

I changed the oil two weeks ago and it looked normal to me....and when I drained the coolant this past weekend when replacing the reservoir tank, the coolant appeared normal also. Luckily, no milkshakes!

ZuffenZeus

I feel your pain my friend! I wish you weren't in such a mess. Since he advertised the car as "needs nothing mechanically" and/or "a very well cared for vehicle that needed nothing", then had you towed the car back to him the same day or called him to say the car is broken down with temp and service lights going off, then you might (just might) have gotten a different response. Maybe not... you never know. But since you've decided to repair the car yourself, you're probably better off just chalking it up as a mistake, repair the car, and move on with life. If you reconsider legal action, then you need to prove in writing everything that was advertised about the car and everything that was done to repair the vehicle correctly. Just my 2 cents. All the best!

mrjonger

I'm just a novice compared to the others on here. But sounds like to me that coolant leak wasn't addressed, and now it's leaking coolant on to your plugs and is likely fouling them and causing misfires. That might account for 3 of the 4 cylinders showing misfires. Either way, I'd take a second look at all the coolant tank, hoses, spark plugs, and ignition coils. Also take a look at the spark plug tubes to confirm that you didn't crack any during the repair. It could also be as simple as loose ignition coil.

Good luck. These cars are old, things break all the time. The $1500 - $2K is likely not going to cut it. There's stretches where nothing goes wrong, and then all of a sudden you need a crapload of work. A while back there was a thread where many people said it was more like $500 a month average. But at $18K, I don't think there's something else that will offer the same experience.

Edit: That valve on top the cap is pressure operated. It opens when warm. Also, the coolant should be filled bottom line, not the top. It expands when hot. If you are overfilling, it could just be coming from the cap. Either way, I think you need to check those spark plugs again - with coolant splashing on them, there's a good chance their fouled.

808Bill

Of course he just wanted to make a quick buck and you being an out of towner was perfect...The oil and coolant could have recently been changed so that means nothing. I really hope it is not the worst case scenario for you. Again, don't try and wing this!
All rubber and plastic pieces at 15-18 years old will start to fail at the worst time.

rolex11

Here is a thread to do a proper flush and fill...

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...pump-tips.html

wyovino

On the plus side, the things you've already done that haven't fixed the problems are not wasted. Those are maintenance items that likely needed to be done anyway. I would probably replace the water pump at some point as well. Good luck with your troubleshooting.

Dpazos

You said you replaced the coil packs and plugs. If you are certain you did that correctly, it sounds like you have two separate issues.
Misfires on multiple cylinders on new coils would be very odd regardless how much coolant is dripping on them. Once you have the coolant leak sorted out, I would double check your work on the coils and if it all checks out, look for vacuum leaks at the common problem areas. Good luck!

808Bill

What a bummer this turned out to be! Sorry J!
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...need-help.html

craigmakes321

I had a real weirdo leak in my '03. The fluid always showed up under the car on the drivers side floor of my garage, but not immediately after driving. The day after driving I would open the garage door, and there was a puddle of coolant on the floor. I could smell coolant burning after the car was driven, when I stopped for gas for example, so I knew it was dripping on hot engine, but could never find the leak actively leaking. One day I set up a chair behind the car after I had driven it, sat down and stared. 2 hours after the car was parked there was quite a leak. It is hard to describe the location, I can text you a picture of the area if you PM me. The parts are
999-512-633-00
996-106-223-52
996-106-226-52
999-512-568-01

Jaycote

Craig, thanks for the info, I appreciate it! Car is currently in the shop and it's looking like a Cracked Head.

Ahsai

Give Len a call at http://hamheads.com/aboutus.php
He is THE m96 head expert in the US.