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Checked the various fluid levels before a road trip, and visually (to me anyway), the coolant level looks low. Oddly, no warning messages displayed (or, I should say, if there were, wife did not mention it, since she is last to drive it!).
A little advice. 1) The blue cap on driver's side is indeed coolant, correct? 2) Any recommendations on a coolant to add? 3) Since I am not the DYI guru, any advice on adding coolant would be welcome. Thank you!
You are correct that is coolant. Last year my 996 would sit there all the time. I would top it up slightly, but it would always seem to end up right at that spot. I would get a whiff of hot coolant from time to time but no leaks whatsoever. The coolant has to be lower then that to activate the light.
I would top it up to the min line with a bit of distilled water and monitor it.
You are correct that is coolant. Last year my 996 would sit there all the time. I would top it up slightly, but it would always seem to end up right at that spot. I would get a whiff of hot coolant from time to time but no leaks whatsoever. The coolant has to be lower then that to activate the light.
I would top it up to the min line with a bit of distilled water and monitor it.
You need a new coolant cap. In the picture you can see the white residue on the cap. The rubber o ring in the cap does go bad after a few years and it can leak when it gets hot and pressurized. If I were you I would get s new one.
Yep. New coolant cap is a great start. It will smell sweet and be pinkish if there is a leak. Also look for dried white stuff. That’s what the coolant will look like if it’s from a previous leak. There is also a hose that will allow excess coolant to drop out if it’s overfilled. Coolant caps were very common on these cars.
When I bought my 2006 997.1, one of the flags was the coolant level was below the MIN mark just like yours. Upon more research here, it had the original cap which was prone to leaking. One of the signs is loss of coolant and a lot of dried white coolant residue.
I have a mixture of Water Wetter and distilled water so I just topped it off with that. The shop said I can use distilled water.
Here is a comparison between the old/original cap 99610644701 (top) and the new/revised cap 99610644704 (bottom) with the improved gasket. Notice how there is a valley on the old gasket and the new one with a solid gasket.
You can get a new cap online from Suncoast or Pelican, right to your door in the next day. Or go see the local P dealer, if you have one. They should have it. Make sure the engine is cool when you take it off. If you hear a hiss, it may still have pressure, if it does.....let it vent till the hissing stops.
To confirm, the bleeder valve is the black cap (pic below), in front of the coolant cap. I should be able to lift on the silver pin, to release pressure, and see if that makes it easier to remove the coolant cap?
Chances are, the coolant leaking past the seal as vapor has gudged up the threads on the cap and reservoir. Its crusty.....wait till you get it off and you will see. in the first picture, I see a few nicks neat the top of the cap where somebody used a pipe wrench or something on it. Probably to tighten it up, as it was leaking. It will come off, work at it. It probably got over tightened and that made the o ring go bad. You just snug it up, and don't tighten it with a pipe wrench or something.
03-07-2018, 12:55 PM
Coolant Level Looks Low
