limey940

I noticed my coolant level was low about a week ago and topped it up with a mixture of antifreeze and water.
I checked the level again yesterday and while it is still above the minimum, the level appears to have dropped quite a bit. In conjunction with this i have noticed for some time a strange smell coming from the engine when it is warmed up. car has nearly 20k miles so whatever the protectant that Porsche applies has burnt of long ago.
So my question is, is it possible that I have a coolant leak somewhere that is then coming into contact with the engine and burning of?
I have not noticed any leaks on garage floor. car is still under warranty for 4 months.

thanks a lot

jhbrennan

If there's a leak between the engine and the radiators you probably won't see anything on the garage floor since the plastic undercovers will capture it.

simplysql

mine wasn't noticeably lower, but I kept smelling coolant. temp gauge was fine - called Roadside Assistance and told them about the smell. They sent out a wrecker, the water pump was just starting to leak, got it replaced under warranty. Service Manager said it's not an uncommon occurance for them to go out. Mine's a 2008, 30K miles.

limey940

Thank you very much. That may be the problem, i will get it looked at
cheers

Gizmogirl256

Mine was one of the spring-type hose clamps that failed. It didn't make itself really noticed until the fluids were topped off and the weather got warmer. The smell was a spicy, sweet odor not anything like a burning oil smell. My mechanic said that a 1/2" low on the reservoir is actually close to a gallon of fluid. Definitely get it pressure checked before the summer is fully upon you!

NA011

Check your coolant cap for any leaks or crust build up around the base of the cap.

JW911

I had a similar problem. The coolant tank was chronically slightly low no matter how many times I topped it off. The dealer pressure tested it and it was fine. Finally after reading on Rennlist I replaced the coolant cap. Cost less than $20. I haven't had a problem since. The caps are known to be defective and should be replaced with the most recent version if you are having this type of issue.

limey940

The car is booked in at the dealer on Thursday.
I did check the coolant cap, no residue but i will get the new one while at the dealer.
Also noticed today that the horn is very wimpy, something isnt working on that either so they can check that out
thanks for all the replies

cheers

NA011

The new cap's part # ends in .04. The .03 cap never made it to the parts bin.

McCulla

Limey, this risks hijacking the thread, but my horn is one tone, too. I think I've read that the bumper cover has to be removed on some cars to access the 2 horns. There is a great pictorial step by step archived here somewhere.

limey940

thank you very much. Im assuming that the dealer will take care of this under the warranty.
I hardly ever use the horn, but someone tried to merge into me the other day and when i hit it it sounded like my dog had just farted.....
i will let you know

cheers

gota911

One or both horns going bad on the 997.1 is a relatively common occurance.

limey940

Coolant system pressure checked no problems. I have it on my file now so if something does go wrong shortly after the warranty expires im hoping i will be good.
Horn fixed, all is well

cheers

Alan Smithee

Sounds like a bad cap, as it is replaced during the test and therefore it will find no fault.

Had both the cap and horn issues with my 2005.