Hi guys it's been quite a while since I've been on here, the pig has been running great until this evening. Driving down the road I gave it some gas and guess what??? The coolant pipes burst, big cloud of coolant out the back, coolant level warning, and she was heating up pretty quick. I pulled over as soon as possible which was luckily only two blocks and parked at a gas station. It did not have time to over heat, 3/4 of the temp gauge, well below the red. I popped the hood immediately to let it air out, coolant puddle below but not huge.

It will be towed to the local dealer, Porsche of Arlington (VA) tomorrow. I don't know all of the particulars of the legal status other than Porsche settled the case. I know this could potentially kill my starter, maybe my transmission seals as well. My plan was to have them replace the pipes, change the oil, change the ignition coils, and see what happens.

Please help me out here, what will Porsche pay, will the dealer help me with it, and what is the likely outcome? Will this be thousands out of pocket? Long wait for reimbursements if I get any? Any possible engine damage?

I'm at 106K miles, well maintained, it's been good thus far. I tuned it a year and a half ago and put the cat bipass pipes in, otherwise stock and performing great.

Any pointers would be very very appreciated and I know I should search but it's been a long night and I'm on a malfunctioning iPad that keeps freezing. Thanks guys.

 

Also it was running fine after the blow out, i don't think I had any leaks previously.

I did read the thread on this and a few questions still remain, will the dealer get the proper aluminum replacement kick and will they replace the T pipe as well? What should I tell them to do?

 

They will get the aluminum pipes, but will likely not replace the coolant Ts. The part numbers for the plastic T pieces are: 955 106 323 50 and 948 106 035 51. Have them replace these. In fact insist on it.

 

I have to say though that nobody should be driving a '03~'06 V8 Cayenne today with the plastic Coolant pipes. They are a timebomb that can not only leave you stranded, possibly cause an overheat, and/or cause damage to the T.C. seals as well as the starter, costing a lot more in the end by putting off the replacement until failure.

 

That is my thought as well. My new to me 06 CTTS has not had the pipes replaced. I have had it two weeks and have not driven it hard because I am afraid they will fail. I have all the parts, just waiting on metal coolant Ts I ordered. Should be here in a couple of days, then I will do the replacement. FWIW on my 05 CTT, the torque converter seal started leaking about 6 months after my coolant T broke. Also , I had not noticed till I got my new one that the starter in the 05 was much slower than the 06. The 05 had the pipes replaced after they failed and soaked the starter. Might want to look at a new starter as well. Good luck and tell us how things go.

 

Question, are the 'Ts' visible? Reason I ask is because my pipes were upgraded prior to failure, and I'd like to know if the Ts were as well.

 

^ To the OP, sorry to hear your troubles and hope it's a lesson to others, i.e., do the pipes before the tune and cat bypass

 

They are not visible. Check all the coolant T threads here and at RennTech.org . Many of us are putting in custom metal Ts. Look on your invoice if you have it and see if the corresponding part numbers are listed.

 

I do have the invoice but nothing specific to Ts is listed. I would like to jump on the metal-T wagon but would like to know for certain before I pull out the plastic.

 

I'd go down to that gas station, rinse off the leaked coolant from the top and flush the heck out of the starter and trans seal areas with fresh water; maybe bring a garden tank sprayer along in case they don't have a hose you can use.

 

Thanks all, I spoke to my Porsche tech buddies from SC and they say do the T connectors as well and that they bill 9 hours for the job generally speaking. Also said starter is pretty common but trans seals not so much, it could happen but not that common.

I got it on the flat bed this morning and it started right up without hesitation so hopefully didn't do too much damage. I'm going to have them do the pipes, T, ignition coils, oil change, and the old rear hatch struts. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Good luck Cuba...at the p-dealer that work will cost upwards to $4500.00 ouch!!

 

Good luck - just curious who your P buddies from SC are - I am in SC and I have a good local indy but always curious who else is out there...

 

New River Auto Mall outside of Hiltonhead, ask for Doug Stewart the foreman for Audi and tell him I sent you. He started there on the Porsche side, I believe Patrick and Todd are still the techs for Porsche and can tell it to you straight.

 

good to know - I use Complete Car Care in Columbia - owners have been racing Porsches for decades and take care of everyone around here (thats out of warranty at least).