Rdrcr

Congrats on the beautiful new ride! Sorry to hear about the issues driving home.

My '99 emptied its coolant recently...it ended up being a $5 parts...a broken plastic coolant fitting...
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ng-a-leak.html

Mike

Woodman71

Damn that is a bummer. Hoping it happened right before you stopped, and the prognosis is good.

dporto

Hopefully Harper Porsche has a really hot barista that'll go ahead and steam your milk for you

mdsarch

So I just spoke with the Alex, the mechanic at Harper and he has good news! Apparently, while the 160 deg thermostat was installed by the previous owner, the coolant had an air bubble in the system. When I got out of the car and it was idling, along with the recent side to side g forces I exerted on the car, caused the air bubble to escape out of the bleeder valve and then that in turn caused a syphoning of the coolant to follow.

In addition, the coolant was green which is a Porsche no, no, I am told.

Here is the red coolant going back in.





The pressure test came back perfect and the coolant reservoir is within specification. So I was able to spend a glorious morning in the mountains of TN and an afternoon in a tip-top waiting area. Unfortunately, the barista was self serve! But hey, at least they had espresso.

Hopefully this is the last time I will see her on a flat bed...with all the fluid staining the road, so embarrassing for her, I am certain.




I will be on the road in about an hour headed to Charlotte. I have to say, I am a bit gun-shy to go back to the dragon, just yet. I have a 4 - 5 hour drive ahead of me so will take the more direct route, which is a shame. I have had my share of drama and at this point, prefer the safe route.

I appreciate all the warm comments and the welcome I have received from the 996 community. In addition, thanks to Aristocrat Porsche in KC and Harper Porsche in Knoxville for their terrific service.

alpine003

Edit: Glad you got it resolved and was fairly minor.

garrett376

That's how it starts... soon you will be afraid of something breaking or scoring or cracking, and never drive it. Take the fun road... you only live once and can always fix it if it breaks!

Rdrcr

+1.

Thanks for posting the results/fix for the coolant issue.

Mike

mdsarch

Well, I am safely at home in Charlotte. I appreciate the encouragement but glad I took I-40 as it started down pouring just as I was leaving the dealership. I am even more impressed with the stable nature of the car. I couldn't "feel" the AWD but it was rock solid and if anyone has traveled on I-40 through Tennessee can attest, it is quite twisty and had a lot of elevation change for a highway.

Historically, I have gone to 4 track events a year and plan to keep up with that schedule. Anyone going to VIR in November, if so maybe we could meet up. I am signing off now and the journey is just beginning.

Mark

Bradstock

Congrats and great post! Thinking I will do the same up Pacific Coast highway this fall.

Chaos

Great post! Thank you.
This is why so far I've always shipped cars as I tend to not be as lucky with dealers and honest mechanics!

Petersa9

Well, sorry to hear you had to deal with the coolant issue. The 996's seem to remind all new owners that they are high maintenance machines. I test drove a 99 and it did a similar thing, turned out it was a crack coolant tank. Do the preventative maintenance and drive the heck out of her!

Btw, she's a beaut! Love the contrast of the black chip guards on yellow. I wonder how those would look on Lago green paint?

ZuffenZeus

Good news it wasn't something serious. Flushing out the standard green stuff was a smart... we all want to live up to Porsche standards, right? Curious, what did the service cost you?

RDL

Mark,
Glad to hear it was a simple fix and you are home safe. The car looks great, enjoy!

mdsarch

After the diagnosis, coolant flush and checking to see if the system was holding pressure, the cost was around $350, plus harper Porsche bought me a Grass-fed burger and hand cut fries!

Vdubjetta02

I just had my Coolant system fixed as the "T" valve you can see to the right of the coolant tank and an elbow on the lower hose both had cracks in them and I was going through a tank of coolant every 1,000 miles... Car is back in my hands now.

*BTW you have a gorgeous car.... have fun with it.