So...I have put a few hard runs on the car since receiving it in June and have been keeping a keen eye on the known trouble areas. First, I noticed some dried coolant around the cap, so picked up the latest version (04) and changed out the original (00). I read here that usually once the cap is changed the reservoir tank is next to go, and sure enough, got a whiff of coolant today after a good run only to find this:

Yep, tank is now cracked and slowly dripping under pressure. Ordered up the whole hog from LN Engineering today (tank, WP, gaskets, bolts, belt, low temp t-stat & tool), just going to get it all done now. Thought I might make it a winter project but such is life with 996 ownership!

 

Congrats getting your car in June. The 996 is awesome.

Yep, 20 year old car will need a few things done from time to time. Smart that you are taking care of the cooling items all at once.

Let us know if you need a hit list on other items. There is a logical progression of things to do in groupings which can save you some time and money.

Enjoy the car!

 

I found that replacing the coolant reservoir on a 996 was one of the most diabolical tasks encountered in 8 years of ownership. Lowering the engine as much as possible without totally undoing the motor mounts helped a lot, I think I even wedged the engine sideways to gain sufficient clearance, definitely want to put on your big girl panties before you try this one. Best of luck.

 

Thanks! I have been keeping a list of known problem items as I read the posts on this board, so eventually I will be tacking them and soliciting input from the group. In my short time since getting the car it has be a blast to drive, looking forward to many more miles!

 

Good advice! I have spent many years owning/maintaining Porsche's (as well as my other vehicles) so I am no stranger to difficult repairs. I have been reading up on this task and look forward to the challenge!

 

Surgery has begun:

26L (6.8 gallon) bucket holding the coolant (green $hit!) drained using Ahsai's method. Going to have to do a complete flush to get this crap out!

​​The gross offender removed, I did need to slightly lower the engine off the mounts:

The source of the leak:

Bulkhead area after removal of the tank:

Same after cleaning:

Squiggly hose from tank to bottom of engine (include one of these in your parts order due to excessive heat exposure from LH side exhaust):


T-stat removed:

Overall not too bad of a job if you have the correct tooling. Now I wait for parts!

 

I got everything wrapped up yesterday after my parts arrived earlier in the week, overall not too bad of a job with the right tools. I did have a few leaks at the hose connections to the new coolant tank but new hose clamps fixed it up. The original spring clamps had lost enough tension over time that they we not able to hold under pressure. While doing this job, I took the opportunity to replace the original engine mounts, new O2 sensors, new spark plugs & boots, fuel filter, change/flush all fluids (since I didn't know the last time they were done), and new water pump, thermostat, & coolant inlet/outlet hoses. I cut open my engine oil filter for inspection and it was clean, no signs of any ferrous/non-ferrous metal or any other particles in the pleats. Oil sample was taken and is currently at the lab for analysis.

Also, the funky 3-way hose that goes from the coolant tank to the water pump inlet was baked from exhaust header heat, but when I tried to source a new one I found there had been an update since my car was built to move the hose further away from the LH exhaust header. Fair enough, but I also needed to replace one steel coolant line ($80) to accommodate the updated 3-way hose. The new routing does move the hose further rearward away from the header so I can see the benefits. Not sure what the production date was for this change, but my car is a 10/98 build so possibly sometime in 99 or 00? Something to watch for if you have an early build. I did use the vacuum fill method to replace the coolant...highly recommend!

Now to go find some twisty roads!!

 

What year is yours? I did a lot of the same stuff in the last year (without your previous experience). Mine is a '99 without the convertible so the tank wasn't as bad as some of the other models (just more $$. Thank you Porsche). I didn't have to lower the engine but there was a line I had to remove and get out of the way. I had the exact same issue a few months later with the clamps and had to replace them as well. I didn't know about the tool for the T-stat and ended up buying a section of pipe from Home Depot that did the trick.

Oh! I just saw that last paragraph. Mine is a 10/98 build too. It's possible to do the tank without lowering the engine. It's still probably a better idea to lower it. Less chance of hurting somthing while you're wrestling the tank in there. I'd never lowered the engine before so I didn't want to mess with that if I didn't have to.

I bought a less expensive vacuum filler and it was my first time using it. Instructions were lacking but I figured it out. One of the valves spat coolant mist everywhere while I was filling. I'm not sure if that's normal. Might be what you get when you buy the cheap one.

Now that things are heating up again I'm monitoring the coolant temp with a durametric and making sure the fans come on. I think the '99s run the hottest. It seems like they got the cooling a little better with each year.

 

I have the Uview Airlift 55000 kit, highly recommend it. Came with all the correct sleeves/adapters and very good instructions. It was a breeze to use.

I had to lower my engine to get the tank out, not a big deal, just remove the 2 mount nuts underneath and a good floor jack with a 2X6 under the engine to support it. I only had to lower a few inches, and wouldn't recommend going any lower unless you disconnect the inlet/outlet coolant hoses and potentially some wiring harnesses to prevent stress/damage. I needed to replace my original mounts anyways, so the timing was perfect. I also removed the fuel line that loops around in front of the tank and was interfering with the removal.

 

“And so it begins”.

When I did my first job on mine (coils and plugs) I posted a pic to FB of the car jacked up with the rear wheels off and gave it that caption. My Porsche-skeptic brother-in-law replied “actually, it never ends”.

 

LOL!! A lot of truth in that statement!!

 

[QUOTE=ssherman68;17605132]What year is yours? I did a lot of the same stuff in the last year (without your previous experience). Mine is a '99 without the convertible so the tank wasn't as bad as some of the other models (just more $$. Thank you Porsche). I didn't have to lower the engine m as well. I didn't know about the tool for the T-stat and ended up buying a section of pipe from Home Depot that did the trick.

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Which thermostat tool are you referring to?

 

Its a $10 tool that LN sells. It helps to compress the t-stat so it can be put into the the housing. Not really needed but it helps.

 

[QUOTE=c didy;17606773]https://lnengineering.com/products/s...oval-tool.html