ND01996TT

I Just had my motor pulled to have the knock sensor replaced and when i got the car back thurs I was driving home and the coolant light come on....in a panic (as i posted a few days ago) i mixed non Porsche coolant with the oem fluid. Today i was driving to get some coolant so I can flush the coolant and put the proper fluid in and during the ride there my clutch got stuck to the floor. It started when the car stalled 3 times in a row starting at a light. (I know how to drive a stick so the stalling was not user error) Then the clutch stuck to the floor. Then i turned the car off for 5 mins and then i was able to drive it a block to get it off the main road while i waited for the tow truck.

Does anyone have some ideas about what would be the cause of this situation ....I am a new owner of a 996 and its had a rough beginning.

Thanks in advance for any help that can be given

Chuck Jones

I dont' see how your clutch would be related to your coolant system...but I don't think I'd be driving that car even to go get coolant before you have had it flushed out....and by flushed out that means the entire system, which will require putting some water pressure in there and getting it out of the water pump, lines, hoses, etc....are you going to have this professionally done? Even tho I have an average knowledge of some of the procedures, I think I'd have the pros do the flush before the mixture starts to gel. I believe Loren over on RennTech has info on the coolant mixture problems.

adam_

I seem to recall that this car had some issues when you bought it, and you didn't have a PPI done...

Now you are mixing your current shop's issues with the existing issues- and you are doing some stuff yourself.

I'd be awfully suspicious of what the shop just did. You should NOT screw with it- they have to warranty their work, if what they did caused a coolant leak, or clutch hydraulic leak, they need to fix it. If you mess with it, or drive it despite problems, they might claim you worsened the damage (which may be true!)

Mikelly

Come on guys, cut him some slack...

ND01996TT, You need to get the rear of the car up in the air about 2 ft. in order to insure that you can get all the "air" out of the cooling system. There's a detailed instruction on this process in the FSM, but basically you need to get the rear in the air, remove the blue coolant cap from the reservoir, and lift the metal bar on the black cap up so it is sticking straight up/verticle. Start the car and turn the hear on high, with the car in neurtal. Fill with the proper coolant. and keep an eye on it... let the car start rising to operating temps, then put the blue cap back on before it gets to 180 degrees... Let the car run until the fans at the radiators up front kick on. cut the car off and check the level.

Now, here is the question: DO WE KNOW FOR SURE that you can't mix cnoventional coolant with Porsche coolant? I'm asking here, because I do not believe I've seen the answer.

Also, It sounds like your guy that did your work on the knock sensor re-bled your clutch for you. Are you using a Porsche specific independant shop? It's pretty important to stick with a shop that understands these cars. It's also important for you to read the owners manual thoroughly so you can understand what you can and can't do with regards to maintenance. For instance, PENTOSIN is the fluid in your clutch hydraulic system. I've read SEVERAL TIMES here and else where that someone recommended "upgrading your clutch fluid to SRF". Do that and you'll kill the clutch hydraulics AND your power steering system that it is linked to... Both use the same fluid...

Get the clutch system bled. If you were close to me, I'd help you out, but I don't see where you are located... I'm in Virginia...

Proceed with caution when working on these cars. A simple honest mistake can be very costly.

Mike

ND01996TT

Thanks for all your help guys and I understand that its a bad situation..... The shop that did the work on my car works on a lot of high end cars and has a porsche tech that works there. I am goign to have the car towed there first thing tomorrow morning and try and sort this situation out. I was really just worried about the extent of the damage that may have been caused. I talked to my mechanic earlier today and he told me that he believes he knows where the coolant leak is and that he will flush everything and repair at no charge. Also he told me that he will diagnose the problem with the clutch at no expense.

In doing some research I was able to find some services logs of a member here that stated:

Sept. 19, 2006 (50,052miles) - (1) Clutch pedal is getting stuck at the bottom. Unable to engage the clutch. Clutch pedal would slightly bind just about where the clutch engages on pedal travel. I am left unable to shift into any gear. After many pumps, waiting, etc. I can get the clutch to start working. After that clutch does not appear to be slipping. Update: Master Cylinder (PN 996-423-171-52) replaced and system bleed. Covered by warranty

This sounds very similar to my problem.

Well wish me luck! I apologize for annoying some of you with my circumstances and/or things you believe to be bad decisions and I really do appreciate all the help and advice everyone has given me.

Thanks and Ill keep you posted with the ongoing saga.

adam_

Good to hear your mechanic is stepping up. It is so hard when the circumstances and details are sketchy- both for troubleshooting on the internet and for you as well I am sure.

My point was two fold- give more details (what was done/wrong earlier, what was just done) to get better advice (thanks Mike ^^) and also to caution you to understand what you were doing prior to taking action...

As to Mikes point on coolants- I'd go with the assumption that unless you can determine they are compatible (and Loren from RennTech had indicate that Porsche pink and green are compatible) I would err on the side of a flush. Coolant issues (incompatibilites) take some time to materialize with corrosion and deposits, so I can't see a few days being a problem.

Good luck!

A

Mikelly

YUp, that's my point about that comment. I'm just not sure that it's like Dexcool and all the issues that stuff present!

Mike