Mick The Kraken

Good evening, all.

There's been orange coolant in the car since I purchased it roughly a year ago. Over time the system developed a leak and so I would simply top it off and move on with life. Well, the leak has (of course) gotten worse and so I purchased a new water pump and low temp thermostat with plans to do the work myself. The weather on the weekends hasn't been so great here, so the work has been delayed. So, I now need to top it off again, but O'Reilly's down the street no longer sells what I was putting in it (per instructions from this site...products with Dex-Cool, which the guy stated is not made for this car). So, the guy sells me some Pentosin, insisting that it's "the orange kind", though I will need to mix it with water, 50/50. Anyhow, I wait for the engine to cool and crack open the top. Of course, it's neon pink (the same color as the bottle's top, which I made a point about to the guy before walking out of the place, again him insisting it was orange). I take the product back, asking for this orange Dex-Cool stuff, but he says it is not for my car. I bring up what I read "on the forums" and he just kinda shrugged, stating, "It's simply not for your car. I'm not sure what else to say." I'm not going to go mixing colors, but am not sure what to put in it.

So, what in the heck am I supposed to / can I use in this car?

Thanks a ton,
Mick

ogun228

On the Suncoast Parts web site:


Here is what I've found:suncoastparts.com/product/00004330105.html?Category_Code=997_Carrera_S_G2_EngineCOOLANT

Porsche Antifreeze / Coolant
Recommended for use in all 50 states and Canada. This is latest version. It's red in color, and replaces the green fluid. They are both compatible and can be mixed.

Comes in a 1 US Gallon size.

Mixing directions, disposal recommendations, and warnings are listed on the label.

000-043-301-49 00004330149 000-043-301-05 00004330105 porsche antifreeze anti freeze coolant cooling.

PhilD

Don't know anything about running DexCool in a 997, but a lot of people do use Pentosin.

http://www.autoatlanta.com/Porsche-9...eeze-srch.html

Mick The Kraken

Thanks for the responses so far.

I was certainly aware of the Porsche-branded coolant, but am one of those guys who doesn't want to spend $35 on something that has a $15 equivalent (why would you if you didn't have to?). That said, is there a coolant out there that is orange in color (like what's in the car now) and perfectly acceptable? Until I get the weather and time to replace the pump (and thermostat), can I top the system off with water?

PhilD

DexCool is OAT so it should be compatible. I've heard some bad things about mixing Prestone DexCool with other coolants, and I'm not a big Prestone fan anyway, but any decent DexCool should be fine.

If you are not using much you can just top it off with distilled water, especially in Houston where below zero temps are hardly an issue.

Luxter

Here is your answer:


More here:

http://www.pentosin.net/specsheets/Pentofrost_SF.pdf

I use it mixed with P approved. No issues.

Your cooling system MUST be pressurized to increase boiling point and prevent local overheating, particularly in cylinder area. Don't delay fixing that leak. The consequences aren't worth it.
The low temp T-stat is a wise decision.


Cheers,

Luke

Rotmilky

I replaced my water pump last year. The stuff the came out of the car was orange. I replaced it with 'Porsche' coolant that I got from Suncoast. It comes in black plastic jugs with a white 'Porsche coolant' label on it. It is the Porsche coolant that you'd get from the dealer or any other Porsche location. It's glow-in-the-dark pink. I mixed it with the specified amount of water and put it back in. I've had no problems with it. And incidentally, I think I only emptied about half the total coolant amount while replacing the water pump. There was a substantial amount left in the lines and front radiators. Hope that helps.

Mick The Kraken

This is what I've been topping the system off with (the pre-mixed product version):
http://www.havoline.com/products/coo...ifreezes1.aspx

After having taken the advice from here:
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...olant-why.html

I see that it pertains to the 996, but figured it didn't matter.

Trust me, I realize the importance of getting this done and am hoping to complete it this weekend.

Thanks again for your responses.

tbrom

You're car is now 7 years old - for the M96 and M97 engines if you believe in the tech articles in Excellence, which I happen to, and you have a leaking WP - you are flirting with major danger. The WP blades are already most likely fracturing off in your coolant system and could making things mighty dangerous for hot spots in the heads - if not you should consider yourself lucky. You seem to be a little odd in the respect that you aren't willing to spring for OEM fluid - man that is so penny wise and pound foolish. Get the latest Excellence magazine and read the second tech question about the WP and get that thing replaced PRONTO before something really bad happens that you may not be able to reverse. Short of the article is to replace the coolant in the 997.1s every 2 years with a complete flush of the system and to check to make sure there are no plastic pieces coming out. They highly recommend you replace the WP every 4 years or 40 to maximum of 50k miles - you are over that limit and bad things have most likely already started to happen. The plastic blades on the impeller start to fracture after a while in old coolant - then pieces start coming off and lodging in places they don't need to be which can create hot spots in your engine that you temp gage doesn't pick up - this is most likely happening now. When that occurs and it could be in your heads all kinds of bad things can happen. You my friend are playing with dynamite imho. The article is enough to scare you white headed as in your hair. Read the article on you way to getting the pump replaced - if there is one thing I would not put off is a needed WP replacement especially since your car is already showing the signs of WP failure coming soon to the theater in your engine - not funny and neither is catastrophic engine failure due to hot spots - get the to a dealer or independent or to your DIY garage and get busy before it's too late! Word to the wise....

Mick The Kraken

I'm taking the car to Today's European Cars in Houston on Tuesday. I'm supplying the pump (Pierburg), thermostat (Wahler) and coolant (Pentosin Pentofrost++).

Thank you member iammulva for the referral. Tony comes across as a straight up, no nonsense guy.

Cheers, fellas.

- Mick

Lvt19672

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the Pentosin coolant the same price or more than the Porsche coolant?

Mick The Kraken

I was going on the cheap simply for something to top the system off with until I could get to the job. I'm going with Pentosin for the job. It's $55 for 5 liters. The Porsche product is $35/l. Trust me, I know how some of what I said would be taken. I respect the car, but refuse to get caught up in the paranoia of "you must use only this or that" for essentially rather basic maintenance.

slicky rick

take a look at vw/audi coolant g13 i think this is the latest coolant available that will work with our porsches. original coolant on mine was pink in color this one is the same color but a lot cheaper.. the g13 coolant was a response to environmentalists. its a safer more environmentally freindly coolant..

ilko

I've been using the VW/Audi G12 coolant, I guess G13 is the newest one. Can't go wrong with either one.

Dadio

It can be less expensive, not cheap but cheaper, if you buy the 5 liter jugs (1.32US gallons) which is more than enough to do system refill in a 997. And it is the coolant Porsche sells as their own. Porsche doesn't make coolant, car batteries, radios, or a whole host of things they put their brand and a significant profit margin on.