I purchased a 2001 911 that is equipped with an Evolution Motorsports Super Charger and many other GT3 upgrades. It has been very hot here (104 today so maybe my problem is normal) The engine temp seems to be running about 220-225 which as far as I can tell is a ways away from the red-line. At this temp (Even lower temps- approx 200) the red light starts flashing, but visually the needle is nowhere near the concerning zone. It does reset itself if I shut the car down and restart but will come on again shortly. I was surprised at how warm the engine compartment felt and how long it stayed hot once I got home- maybe this is normal. Oh, did I mention that I'm a bit of a Porsche rookie..... This car is awesome though. Tons of power all the way through, I just want to make sure I'm treating it right, and of course want to go run it this weekend. I just don't want to overheat from ignorance. I'm open for some advice. Thanks...

 

No... That’s not normal. Get it checked out, something is wrong. You may have a cracked coolant tank.

 

IF THE GAUGE IS NOT IN THE RED,AND THE LIGHT IS FLASHING CHECK YOUR COOLANT LEVEL.THIS COULD CAUSE YOUR PROBLEM.

 

Coolant level is full and there does not appear to be any leaks. Any other ideas? What is a normal operating temp?

 

My normal temp reading it usually around 180...with the needle being between the 8 and the 0. Stays like that when when it's about 100 degrees outside.

 

That's about where mine seems to run- with the needle between the 8 and 0 of the 180 or maybe a little past the 0. Not at the next line between the 180 and 250 though. It is at the point approx. 200 that the red light starts flashing. My airbag light also stays on. Am I just experiencing a weird electrical quirk?

 

Does the car have a 3rd radiator kit, it should as mandatory with the SC. Also I would recommend running some gauges for monitoring. Boost, EGT, and Water Temp. Very important with forced induction. Lastly. I know hot (AZ) go to checkers or autozone and get a Redline product called WATER WETTER. Run this as well which will help keep temps way down. Any questions PM me!

 

A cracked coolant tank may not necessarily leak drips of coolant that are visible. Mine had this a few years back and the light was always flashing. No sign of leaks but coolant compressiuon was down because of a hairline crack. Coolant seeped out and evaporated rather than dripped. There was no tell-tale sign of a crack. Replaced the coolant tank and never had a problem since.

 

The coolant temp of the 3.4 is NOTnormally 180F. If the gauge is between the 8 and the 0, you are at 195 minimum. Normal temps for this engine driving around town in 80F or higher is at least 200F if you are lucky and often will rise to 220F. This will not cause the coolant light to flash. I would check for air in the system.

 

Had exactly the same problem myself....new coolant tank was replaced under the warranty I had, the design has been changed as it's a well-known problem.

Also, whilst reading up and looking in manuals, etc...I *think* the warning light will also blink if the engine bay cooling fan isn't functioning correctly (p59 in the UK Drivers Manual entitled "Engine-Compartment Blower", may be the same in the US books?)

Hope this helps

Spen

 

Yes, you are correct. An error light with a picture of a fan will come on in the event of an engine compartment fan failure. Don't ask me how I know

 

First the flashing coolant light….it indicates the coolant is low (or engine compartment fan is not working see post above). The sensor is very sensitive and it very likely that the coolant system has air in the system that is causing the problem. The next time the light flashes as soon as you part look at the tank in the engine compartment. Very likely you will notice the amount of coolant is below the “hot” minimum level line. Completely purging the coolant system of air can be quite difficult on these engines and usually isn’t accomplished with one attempt unless the tech that changed/drained the coolant used a pressurized system to fill it. Read the 3rd Radiator install instructions in the DIY section on Renntech.org, it has excellent instructions for purging the system.

Sorry I can’t help you with whether your temperature is normal or not, however, I will make a suggestion. Take a light and look into the front bumper at the radiators. You should be about to see the entire bottom edge and corners. If not you have some debris in there. Take off the front bumper and plastic air ducting (once again instructions are on the 3rd radiator install at Renntech.org) and thoroughly clean things out. You may be amazed at the amount of crap up inside there or between the A/C radiator and the cooling radiator. I did this recently when I thought there were just a few leaves in there and was absolutely stunned at amount of crap that had collected in there.

 

Thank you all for your help and suggestions. I'll post again once I get it figured out, or need more help. Much appreciated!

 

Added some water wetter and the light is no longer flashing and the car is running a little cooler! Thanks again for the input.

 

Often coolant tanks tend to leak around the sensor at the bottom. Check to see if you have a slow leak in the area...