Coolant Leak - is it the pump?

[uberpoop]

Got the flashing coolant light today on way to lunch... turned around and parked it only to notice pool of coolant in my parking spot. So I think it is my water pump. It is leaking from these two arrows in the picture... Can anyone say with some confidence if this is a bad water pump? I like to DIY when I can, but am thinking of taking it in because my coolant is a very light green. (like watered down, and shouldn't it be pink?) Figure let them look at it and do it right... and try not to let them talk me into any extra goodies. well, maybe not try too hard.

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[GT3 Chuck]

more probable that it is a crack in your coolant reservoir (common failure)

[uberpoop]

Crazy thing- I filled it with water and ran the engine to operating temp.
No more leak. Drove it home (2 miles) and still full and no leaks.

Still will do the tank swap then hopefully not have to move onto anything else.

thanks

[BoxsterGirlie01]

Originally Posted by VSE Chuck

more probable that it is a crack in your coolant reservoir (common failure)

chuck.....i think i may have this going on with my car. my temp gage was flashing so i got out and checked the fluid levels and it was low. so i filled it up and a few days later it happened again. the temp of the car never went past normal though, thank god, because i was nowhere near home.

today, i peeled back the carpet in the rear trunk and saw a pool of coolant on the trunk floor. i could also see it dripping underneath the car by the pass. rear tire. i'm guessing that i have a cracked reservoir. is this hard to change out?

[FLY996]

Could be Air/Oil Separator problems...

[GT3 Chuck]

Originally Posted by BoxsterGirlie01

today, i peeled back the carpet in the rear trunk and saw a pool of coolant on the trunk floor. i could also see it dripping underneath the car by the pass. rear tire. i'm guessing that i have a cracked reservoir. is this hard to change out?

I know zip about Boxsters but my neighbor has one and works on it himself...I'll ask him...

[BoxsterGirlie01]

thanks chuck! you're my herooooo! i think i have to replace it and i'm wondering how big of a pain in the butt it is to do.

[uberpoop]

I had found the following link the other day... it is boxster specific.
http://www.dietersmotorsports.com/te...h9-03-2003.htm

hope it helps. sorry to hear my pcar was not the only one out of commission this long weekend.

[BoxsterGirlie01]

^^thanks for the link! i actually ended up dropping her off at the shop yesterday so they can fix her up. they mentioned about the clamps needing replaced with better, longer lasting ones. i think the project is more than i can tackle. haha! i'll be getting her back in a few days. she has a cracked in the bottom of her coolant expansion tank. =(

[Variable-Vane]

Originally Posted by uberpoop

So I think it is my water pump.
It is leaking from these two arrows in the picture...
Can anyone say with some confidence if this is a bad water pump?

Judging by the fact that it is clearly not leaking from those two arrows I would say no. In the picture you can see a stream of coolant coming down the left side of that hose. This is typical of the reservoir being cracked as it will run down and drip off of other components. I have seen cracked reservoirs leak down along the exhaust and then down the tip, convincing some that the coolant is coming out of the exhaust when in reality it was just the reservoir.

This is an easy fix but unfortunately the reservoir is easiest to replace with the motor out of the car. The good thing is that it's NA and a decent Porsche tech should be able to drop the motor, replace the tank, and get the motor back in the car within about three hours, though the whole process will call for charging more book time than is needed at the average shop.

Hope this helps!

[Purplxd]

You can do a 3.4L without an engine drop... I did mine on my 2001, but there is an extra bracket on the new tanks that you cut off. Its for the fuel filter on a C4 or GT3 I believe...

3.6L or Turbo you need to drop the engine a few inches.

Cheers
Aaron

[zdr2k]

excellent DIY at Renntech.org

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=8024

must login to see.

and should be able to do without dropping engine......

[uberpoop]

I did it without dropping the engine... hint for others: Once old tank is out, remove the bracket that the coolant tank hangs from, otherwise I could not get the new tank back in.

in the process of putting the new tank in, I broke a nipple on a hose... a hose that retails for $130... sh!t!
picked up the hose today and will install tonight.
I sure hope that is it. I have a bad feeling about it look like it was leaking from the other arrow in my post above...

Hey, what do you guys think about me just putting water in for now?
Rather than the liquid gold and risk losing it anyways..
I figure use water tonight and once confirmed all good, drain, flush and put in the porsche stuff?

[BoxsterGirlie01]

^^mine leaked for a few days and i just replaced it with distillled water rather than the "liquid gold". i figure, like you did...they are just going to drain it all out anyway. i spoke with my mechanic about it and he said it would be fine for the short time i drove it. i purchased the coolant myself at a parts store and just brought it out to him so he can have it all ready to go. just keep checking it and make sure it doesn't run too low though!

[Mother]

I would replace the hose first and see.