thorin

Update - So i took it in - told them about the coolant light coming on and white smoke from the exhaust last year after a track day. And you know what - nothing.... absolutely nothing - said they ran a compression test and there are no leaks in the coolant system. They said that they topped up the coolant by about half a litre and that the white smoke was normal - "sometimes that happens with these cars especially after hard use"

then my service consultant says.... don't want to freak you out or anything, and this is most likely a non issue - it was probably just running low on coolant after 6 years of use... but there is a "small chance" that coolant is leaking into the engine ("we looked at the spark plugs and looked at the oil so we don't think that's happening now").... but if that is the case, you may need an engine replacement one day for $16,000.... then i say... well what does that mean.... he says, you have nothing to worry about, we don't think that's what's happening at all because of the tests we ran.... but if it keeps burning off coolant, then that's what it means.... ha.... so no problems or total catastrophe! thanks porsche!


Hi all,

I have two issues that you guys may be able to shed some light on:

1. My engine temperature seems to fluctuate abnormally. When i drive in to work in the morning and the roads are empty, the car is just fine and everythings okay. On the rush hour commute back, the car's engine temp goes to 80 degree celsius like it normally does, but then over the course of the rush hour 1 hour drive back, it can go as high as 90-95 degrees. A couple times the low coolant warning light has come on. I've checked the coolant and its been full, so i don't know why this is happening.

2. Sticky brakes. Sometimes when i park my car for a while and then when its time to go again, the car kind of judders a bit and feels like its shaking off some sticky brakes on the wheels or something. Anyone else experience this?

Anyhow, any help would be great. Esp if i can avoid a trip to the dealership...

jhbrennan

What kind of car are you driving?

himself

It's normal to get some fluctuation during stop and go traffic, and 996s are notorious for running a little on the warm side anyway. A few first suggestions - others will chime in with more:

1) Clean your radiators
2) Check the engine bay fan to make sure it is working
3) get a 3rd radiator

-td

Dennis C

I get the sticky brakes issue, especially if I have recently washed the vehicle or driven in the rain and then park it for a few days.

thorin

Sorry... forgot to mention that... its a 2003 C4S...

pongobaz

thorin,
you coolant light shouldn't flash on...ever! Not normal and I've never seen that in 3+ years of driving my C4S daily. Your coolant temp is also moving around too much. When it get hot, do your fans get louder? They should. Keeping the rads clean is pretty easy on the C4S because of the large openings on either side...you can clearly see if there is a lot of road debris piling up in there. I blast that area with a pressure washer on a regular basis and it stays clean.

thorin

I don't think i've ever heard my fans get louder.... sounds like i should be taking her in...

pongobaz

Yeah, might be wise. When it's really hot in the summer, the front fans kick into the higher speed. It might be the fan balasts that are shot from exposure to the elements (not a big repair); my tech told me to keep an eye (or ear) on that.

thorin

I basically get this problem on my drive back to markham on the dvp (don valley parking lot) from downtown.... i just went for a drive just now and noticed that the rear fan did not go on... also just checked the coolant level and i also noticed it was below the mininum mark. i guess i'll have to make my annual monetary tribute to downtown porsche.

thorin

Also pongobaz.... where do you take your car for work? any place you would recommend more? also i need some tint fixed on the car - you know any good places?

himself

IIRC, when your car is NOT running hot, the coolant light will still flash:
1) when you are low on coolant
2) when coolant cap is not on tight
3) when engine bay is too hot
4) when engine bay fan is not working

I haven't poked around with this for some time, but I seem to recall at least these reasons for the coolant light under normal temps.

Also, it IS perfectly normal to have an increase in temperatures in stop and go. The radiators are in the front, so when stopped, there is no air flow over them. When you get to a certain temperature, your radiator fans will turn on, (low first, then high) to keep the car cool. Abonormal temperature increase during stop and go usually means fans are not working or radiators are clogged.

-td

LJpete

You still want to remove your bumpers and separate the AC condenser from the radiators. You will be amazed what kind of stuff is stuck in between then. I just did this a few weeks ago. Nice pile of debris came out of each radiator.

pongobaz

for dealer service: DFC and I deal directly with Khalil Khan the service manager, for independent service I would recommend Brent at Hunter Motorsport if you're on the west side of the city, and Courtney at Autowerks if you're north or east of the city. I've had excellent service with all three places. Just ask lots of questions and what the estimated costs is up front so you don't get any nasty surprises when you see the bill.

Can't help you with the tint. Ask the question in the Canada forum and I'm sure someone can point you in the right direction.

1999Porsche911

Even with radiators clean, your coolant temperature will be a minimum of around 90F during open road driving and will get as high as 105C - 110C in bumpr to bumper driving. This is due to the undersized cooling system in your car. The ONLY way you can maintain stable coolant temperatures in all driving conditions is to uincrease the air flow past the radiators. In stop and go traffic, this requires you to run your fans on high speed.

Don't forget that your gauge does not reflect what your coolant temperature actually is. It is simply a little more than an idiot light.


Four functions of the coolant warning light:

1. Engine coolant level too low -- light flashes slowly
2. Engine compartment temperature too high -- light flashes slowly (engine compartment blower might be faulty)
3. Engine coolant temperature too high -- light is lit; needle on gauge to the right
4. Temperature sensor at water outlet faulty -- light flashes rapidly; needle on gauge to the right

Tbred911

EU Autowerks on Highway 7 and Langstaff does many many 996 cars.... talk to Courtney or Dominic

http://www.euautowerks.com/

factory trained mechanics who are honest.