Hi Guys, I am a long time lurker but never really post, but let me start by saying that the information I have learned from this site has made Porsche ownership much better for a guy like me that likes to tackle things in a DIY spirit.

So here is my problem. I just picked up my second 996 (if one is good, two is better, right??) for very, very low price. And before everyone chimes in that the most expensive Porsche is a cheap Porsche, I know this but I was willing to take the risk. So the car gets delivered (2000 Silver Cab with manual trans) to my house, starts up sounds great, and I drive it around the block and low coolant light flashes. I pop the hatch and coolant is empty and I look and the hose that runs down has the T broken off. So I order a new one, and when I go to install and remove the hose from the bottom of the motor a good amount of coolant comes out that I feel better that the car was not bone dry. Coolant looks relatively good, so I pop the new hose is in, top of the coolant and change oil and filter and think nothing off it .

Here is where it gets weird, a few days later I start the car, sounds great, no smoke, nothing unusual (in fact it has a Borla exhaust system and sound pretty good). Drive the car around the block so I can get another car into my garage and park the Porsche in my driveway. Next morning as I am pulling a way in a different car I notice there is a puddle that looks like oil under the passenger side of the motor. Think maybe the filter housing was loose or something I take a closer look and the oil is also mixed with coolant and the coolant level is much lower (about ¾ of the tank is empty). I look and the leak is dripping off the valve cover but appears to be coming from way higher up than the valve cover so go around the to back of the car and peak and there is massive puddle on top of the motor. It looks like it’s coming from the oil cooler. I look in the coolant tank and there appears to be some oil in the coolant. I check the dipstick and the oil looks good. So is it possible the oil cooler went bad and made this mess? Is it possible that the oil cooler is why I now have slight oil in the coolant? Any advice on how I should proceed? I know that these cars, and especially this year are known for having cracked heads, would I have other symptoms (noises, coolant in the oil, white smoke out the exhaust)?

Has anyone ever seen this before?? Any advice?? I think I am going to try and replace the oil cooler and see if that is the culprit but would appreciate if someone has any advice or if this is a fools errand.

I know changing the oil cooler sucks, is this also a good time to replace the AOS?

Any help is appreciated.

 

I would pull the oil cooler/ heat exchanger & have a radiator repair shop pressure test it.

 

I wouldn't mess around trying to fix a 20 year old cooler, just get a new one. And yes, the AOS is a good idea at the same time.
There was a new cooler for sale in the Parts Marketplace here on RL.

 

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the help. I really just figured I would do a new cooler and O rings. But just for the record, is this the only place that coolant and oil could leak this severe on top of the engine??

Thanks again and any advice is appreciated.

 

Pretty much. The oil cooler is on the upper of the engine slightly towards the passenger side of the engine. This is where oil and coolant are near each other in the cooler. When you lost coolant you could have pressurized that area and popped the seals. Take care of it ASAP as oil can swell the coolant hoses. Get that cleaned out with a solution of dawn dish soap.

 

As RGS stated, get the coolant lines flushed ASAP. I just watched a video of a 996 that had intermix but was never flushed right away. The guy is having hose failures left and right (very expensive)