Stupid question about coolant in the 996
 

A - Does the 996 use any old regular coolant (50/50 mix? I'm in DC)
B - Where is the reservoir/cap to check/add coolant.

A - check w/ your dealer, rennlist of the owners manual. I know Porsche has their own "brand" of coolant, but doubt it is anything special.

B - I think the resevoir sits on the upper left hand side of the engine bay. It has a blue plastic cap (not a traditional looking radiator cap at all).

I asked my dealer about coolant flushes and he said they hardly ever do require them. It is not a regularly scheduled maintenance item.

There are 3 types of coolant (blue, orange, green, but color does not always guarantee the type). For the most part, the Germans use one type, the Japanese use one type, and domestics use another type.

It's not a good idea to mix types as it may render mixture ineffective and it may cause precipitates to form. If you're unable to determine which type of coolant Porsche use, then it's best to stick w/ the OEM stuff.

///Michael

you should ONLY use porsche coolant (buy it at the dealer for $40+ or from our awsome site sponsor suncoast for $20+)

each companies coolants are specifically designed to prevent wear and lubricate our cooling systems. if you use non-porsche coolant you run into the chance of having seals and your pump wear prematurelly (if that's word, but you get my point)

buy the newest porsche coolant, it's pink in color

You can get coolant from Napa. Ask for Pentosin with the part # G001200. It's the pink coolant and runs about $20 per 1.5 liters.

pentosin? that is something else, not coolant.

I use Pentosin G0012000 in my car. My mechanic (Dumonts in OKC) told me to use this.

You're probably thinking of brake fluid, but it looks like they also make coolant.

///Michael

There are numerous coolants that are 100% compatable with whatever coolant you have in your system. You can pickup Peak Lifetime 50/50 for less than $10/gal at NAPA and save yourself the hassle of getting distilled water.

Or, you can get the coolant from Porsche who buys their coolants from other guys and just marks it up.

I've had 2 good Porsche mechanics (independant) tell me to only use the Porsche Pentosin. It's bright pink & pretty thick compared to others. A bit more money... but why try to save $20 and cheap-out on something that is so important? At least that's what I thought.

Just got some a week ago or so from here

http://catalog.worldpac.com/ibusines...661552IU0JFYJ4

Pentosin is 100% compatible with the factory antifreeze porsche uses.
This is not rocket science, although rapid mixing can and might cause small explosions.
Please fill slowly and wear a face shield. I had my wife top mine off to be extra safe

I just bought some from partsgeek.com. I am sticking with the OEM version no need to skim on something cheaper

2002 Porsche 911 Coolant Antifreeze Chemicals and Fluids Price: $31.94 Core: $0.00 Qty: 1 Part #: W0133-1617597

Porsche doesn't manufacture coolant. They buy from a major manufacturer. OEM doesn't equal the best.

Porsche coolant is red/purple...ONLY use it, VW coolant works and so does Pentofrost(OE)

If your looking for the cheapest PM me

When I read this, I was thinking of labor inducing drug(Pitocin) which I always get mixed up with.

The main thing to look for in coolant for most German cars is to make sure the coolant is Phosphate free which tends to damage or prematurely wear a lot of cooling parts/gaskets.