christallon

I just had my water pump and t stat replaced last week. Engine does not need to come out. It's a pricey fix none the less as labor today is running plus/minus $200/Hr. It'll likely cost close to $2K all in, that includes new parts, new hoses, gaskets, new serpentine belt, flushing out all the old coolant and replacing with new. It's a bit tricky to get to the pump thus the time it takes, but this needs to happen as the water pumps last about 50K miles or so.

BTW, my coolant lines have been pinned, same fix SW does.

RAudi Driver

Someone needs to make a DIY for this task.

DLK

I might do that. I do almost all the work myself. A friend of mine owns a Porsche shop and I will ask him if he has the workshop manual for the GT3. That might help :-)

JG 996T

there are several coolant pipe fix threads in the turbo forum (996/997)

norwegen911

Thanks for help. Heres a better video from the leak. And also a picture from top of the engine. Can see some dry coolant on the hose to the waterpump at the elbow there.

cgfen

might just be water pump area leak?????
you need to dig in and start taking stuff apart to determine root cause.
DIY is good for the soul!

norwegen911

Thanks for feedback. I had the car lifted yesterday, cleaned up the coolant mess on the hose under the waterpump. Tightened the hose clamp.

Checked for leak other places.

Today I went to the garage and found small amount of water again. But as you can see its not coming from clamp area.

Could this be leak from waterpump shaft seal?
I guess these drops are pretty straight down from pump shaft.

If replacing the pump alone could be 2000 dollars I would definately do pump and thermostat together with pinning or welding the coolant pipes.

norwegen911

Have anyone experienced leak from the hose/elbow that goes to the waterpump?

I wonder if its only leaking from the elbow and not the pump. Because its so small amount of water.

Is it difficult to change this hose on a lift? Can I stop the coolant from draining out and then top it up after installing new hose?

jimbo_racing

Fix it right. These cars and 10-15 years old. Pull the motor, pin the coolant lines, replace all the hoses, new water pump, do plugs and coil packs while you’re at it. Good time to do the clutch too since motor is out. And be worry free for years.

if you’re trying to be cheap this isn’t the right car for you

norwegen911

Well, in scandinavia and europe the experts and racing guys who know the 997 gt3 well, are way more relaxed regarding 997 gt3 cooling pipe issue

DLK

As mentioned, I have the exact same leakage on my 2007 GT3. I've looked into how to change the water pump and I have ordered the Pierburg (same as OEM) pump. In two weeks time I will put the car on a lift, remove the rear bumper and rear exhaust box. You can then see the waterpump and there are cut outs in the engine carrier and you should be able to replace the pump. If needed I will drop the engine slightly, but I think its not really necessary.

Replace the pump, gasket and multibelt while I have it off and that will be it. I will inspect the hoses and replace all the hose clamps.

Should be good to go after that :-)

norwegen911

Great Good luck and please take some photos and post it here. Maybe also change the thermostat at the same time?

DLK

I don't see why I would change the thermostat. The water temp is always in 80 degrees, no colder and not any hotter.

I firmly believe that if it isn't broken, do not fix it. I understand the "while you are in there" stuff, but this is in a different location all together. Also, new parts that are made today usually are lower in quality then they used to be!

LionelB

Yeah this is a fact. Not quite sure why.

christallon

I agree, to a point. The T Stat is right there, so after 50K miles it's an easy and relatively cheap replacement while the pump is being replaced, especially if you're doing the work yourself. Access is always the issue, so why not do it while you have clear access to it?