Hi All,

I've been smelling coolant at the rear of the car for a few months, but have seen no puddles. The shop I use has been pretty competent in the past, although no specialty in Porsche or 996tt. They said I had a leaking snap on coolant fitting and pulled it off and replaced the o-ring, but the situation hasn't resolved. They seem to think I need to replace all of the hoses to the tune of $2k.

Any thoughts on replacing all hoses based on age? Could I actually be dealing with leaking pressed-in fittings, or are those failures typically catastrophic? Any other likely causes of a very slow coolant leak?

 

I would believe you would see coolant, has the level went down in reservoir and have you checked cap=may need replaced. The fittings can slowly work their way out, have you or shop inspected them?

 

The coolant tanks are also prone to cracking and leaking.

 

Yes it can be a coolant fitting. I had the same smell in the engine compartment for a long time and decided to take a closer look at the beginning of the storage season. What I've found was one of the fitting on the coolant pump housing was loose in the recess but did not pop-out because it was to tight with other components….The coolant was not falling on the ground , it was evaporating on top of the cylinders….The alternator has to be removed for proper inspection….I doubt the hoses are at fault but it is good to replace them if you get the fittings welded or pinned….

 

Helpful stuff. Thanks.

On the coolant fitting pinning, my shop claims they have an aluminum epoxy/putty they can run around the base of the fitting instead of pinning. Sounds kinda like jb-weld to me. That said, I know of guys who have successfully patched some crazy stuff with jb-weld.

Anybody ever hear of this method?

 

People use that but fittings are removed and cleaned or replaced new. Most people also pin after regluing.

 

I had mine repaired by knurling the fittings and jb welding them back in place.

 

This sounded more like a paste that would make an external "weld" bead.

 

Lots of people are using JB weld instead of welding or pinning and, so far, never heard of one failing. I hope they will be honest to tell us if the repair last or not ;-)

 

I like this repairs by by knurling the fittings. It give the glue something to hold on to….

 

Enjoyed the video and agree the knurling is a great idea.

 

i fully agree that is a perfectly reasonable method given what the factory build method was. i will go on to say that between us, we are nearly 120 years old and also believe ( sorry to say ) that a jb weld fix on them might well outlive us both lol

 

 

I once used JBweld to repair an exhaust manifold on a Honda Civic! Done right with good prep the stuff is really good. Good prep being key! Knurling and heating the parts would be what I'd do if I were looking to do this. When hot JB will flow pretty good and should fill any nooks. A bunch of work to do it right...

 

exactly. prep is key. that stuff is no joke. maybe porsche should've used it lol