First of all, why was there never a recall on this issue when it is so wide spread and common? Terrible ball drop on Porsche's part.

Secondly, my 2006 with 81k just had the failure last night. So I'm shopping around shops on Monday that are reputable and familiar with this issue. I also have a friend who owns a mechanic shop, but he has never done them. So I may print out the instructions on ECS tuning and order their kit. He is a certified mechanic, but has never done this particula cooling pipe replacement. Seeing how other her DIY this, I see no reason he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Lastly, is there anything else I should have done while the cooling pipes are being replaced? Water pump, thermostat, plugs, air filters, etc. I bought the car at an auction for a great price, so I went into knowing I would spend a couple grand on maintenance. This is the first thing I'm doing since owning it for a few months now.

Thanks!

 

Looking on NHTSA there are no recalls on this model, but one complainant states that there is a class action lawsuit in the process. Does anyone know if this is true, still in litigation, or was it denied?


Thanks again

 

https://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-...pipes-a-z.html

 

Im really sorry your pipes burst. Btw the starter often fails next from the corrosive effect of the coolant on the motor. This is why it's recommended to do this repair proactively. Sometimes this takes out the torque converter seal too if I remember correctly. I'm not sure this is always the case. Hopefully you can avoid the added expense of the other parts but when everything is torn open to replace the coolant pipes you have access to the starter.

 

it took out the starter on my previous cayenne, I'm sure the seals were next. I'd say get in there and clean that mess as fast and thoroughly as possible. I'd get a new or refurb starter , 300 bucks for piece of mind.

 

I am doing the starter as well. might as well since it will be exposed and easy to get to at that point.

Thanks

 

I'd do the water pump, thermostat, and the two plastic T's at the rear of the engine. I'd recommend only using a Porsche water pump. I had a non Porsche one fail after 10K miles. I didn't do the starter, but it's really not too bad of a job to change it if it fails.

PS. I have a brand new Porsche water pump that I'd like to sell if you're interested.

 

I would suggest addressing your transmission seal now as well ...

Recall? For what?

Besides, their legal dept is too busy dealing with the loss of coolant on the Mezger powered Porsches due to glued coolant fittings in the block.

Buy the coolant tube kit, replace the starter, water pump, transmission seal, cardan shaft, coils ... And enjoy the Cayenne

 

ltc, this should be a recall due to such a high failure rate on the plastic cooling tubes. So much so that Porsche switched over to aluminum on newer models. It is a well documented failure, as we all know.

 

I couldn't agree more, and some people think that just replacing the pipes after they burst will fix their problems, but as mentioned above you really need to adress everything the coolant soaks, as these parts could now be suspect.

 

Get the best flex cable hose clamp pliers you can find. Good ones, those with well designed jaws at the end of the cable, will save you hours of frustration because you can not see the bottom clamp on the big back T.

Ideally, draining the entire coolant system would make this easiest... but it'll make a mess without a lift OR without completely removing the front rock panel (which is a PITA) but this will eliminate coolant on the floor of the garage with the two back T's.

A Vacula suction vacuum that runs off of an air compressor is a great thing.

An Airlift coolant tool is a FANTASTIC way to refill the entire system when you're done. (Also runs on an air compressor)

If it's a turbo, change the T's at the back. The top smaller one is easy. The bottom, bigger one behind the driver side cylinder bank is a bee-atch. (This is where the flex cable hose clamp pliers come in)

Towels under the car. The T's at the back are full of coolant.

A thick, dense pillow for your knees... you're going to spend most of your time on your knees on the radiator cowling at the front of the engine.

Be very careful of the vacuum hose clip at the back of the driver's side cylinder back as you put the manifold back in because that clip is SHARP and it will cut the manifold gasket on the that side if it hits it.

Remove the plastic pans under the car before you start. This way any small tool that you might drop goes directly to the garage floor. This is easy to do by putting the car in Special Terrain Level (the highest) before you disconnect the battery.

Wrist sized rubber bands. Use these to hold the manifold bolts up out of the way during removal/reinsertion of the manifold. The bolts don't come out fully, you see.

I have time so I used it. The first time I went 6 hours or so at a pop over three separate days. I didn't want to break more than I fixed and those vacuum hoses are brittle.

Aleve. Take two twelve hours before you start and then one every 12 hours after that until you're done. This job is straight forward but it is tough on the body due to the position you'll be in.

As to what else to do while you're in there... I did the coils and the plugs because I the beauty covers were off the engine for this. (You'll come to loath the passenger side beauty cover. Stupid design.)

 

As I mentioned, PCNA is already dealing with NHTSA regarding loss of coolant on Mezger engined Porsches (proper Porsches) due to the use of glue to install coolant fittings into the block. Failure of fitting results in complete loss of coolant onto road surface.

PCNA has chosen to NOT consider this to be in the same category, since there is not a total release of coolant onto the ground; rather it finds places to hide inside first.
As a humorous aside, some aftermarket warranty companies deny claims for broken coolant pipes, since they are made from plastic (warranty excludes plastic parts).

There is a class action lawsuit pending for plastic P!g pipes, I would suggest you add your name list and wait in line.

As for me, I've already dealt with PCNA Legal (techncially Larry did, since I never owned a Cayenne), so I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.

 

Yeah this is why I did this job proactively. Or I should say had it done. Reading what a royal PITA it is assuaged me to let my wallet do the wrenching. Ironically the Indy said my pipes seemed in perfect condition and were a b!tch to get out. He claimed he was never doing a coolant pipe job again. Either way this is a lot like the IMS failure in the 996's. We have to pay for porsche engineering follies and are just supposed to deal with it. I guess that's the price we pay for owning the best driving SUV.

 

ltc, thanks for the detailed information. I will definitely get my name on the class action lawsuit if possible.

Johnny B, thanks for posting your experience and suggestions, much appreciated. I am looking for an Indy shop to do the job. I have no patience or work space to perform this. I also have a friend who owns a shop with lifts and all, but he has never performed this job. But with the full kit and details from ECS Tuning I believe he will be fine to tackle the job.

Thanks all!

 

Oh boy, another class action lawsuit where you all will get a coupon for $50 off next service and lawyers get $20-30 mil. Gotta love the USA! Maybe it's just me, but I kinda assume that things are gonna start breaking on my 7 year old 100k mile car.