I recently purchased a 99C2 with 43k, now up to 47.2k miles, and yesterday when i arrived at the parking lot, i noticed my temp was up a little (middle of the 0 in 180). i shut it off and figured i'd read on the forum and see what happened at 5...

On the way home, the car stayed around between the 8 and 0 in 180. As it went up, i turned the heat on and it dropped down. The drive is 98% highway, but when i got off the freeway, and parked the car, the temp began to go up. It was about 1/3 of the way into the 0 again, and i shut it off. I couldn't really hear that fans running so that may be the issue. The car did have a different smell each time i shut it off, it smelled a little hot. With that said...

I read about the radiators, fans, and the coolant tank/cap. With those in mind, and how my car acted on the ride home i'll probably check the coolant level as i drive it but first, I'll do the radiators this week. Should be a fun little exercise. Any other suggestions/comments are greatly appreciated

 

Normal on these cars. Middle is normal for most other cars.

 

yeah but in the last 4500 miles it's never been a smidge into the "0", and it's been much hotter than yesterday (65 in the AM, 82 at 5PM)...

 

I believe you have answered your own question. Your P-car's behavior is normal. As long as you are in the vicinity of 180, you should be fine. Do check you coolant level on a weekly basis. And, if you haven't done so, replace your coolant cap with an updated unit: 996-106-447-04-M100. http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg2.htm#item8 . Good luck. And, enjoy the ride.

 

yeah i don't think i spent enough stop and go time to see if it would stop or continue past 180. But whenever i did stop, the temp was inclining when i turned the car off. I'll check as i drive and report back!

Thanks!

 

Living in Austin, TX, this past summer has been brutal.. 93 +100 days in a row. A new record for us down here. I have to limit my driving as my car likes to sit on the line after the 180 mark... around 210. you are fine.. 180-190 is normal.

 

Peace of mind wise, you know the history of ur water pump? wont hurt to get a new one if its still the original

 

i do not know the history, but i have all the records. i can check them when i get home tonight. I'll take the bumper off, change the oil, etc. this week.

From all of the responses though, it seems these cars manage a little extra heat well????

 

This thread had me looking at my temp gage too. The temp was about the middle of the 0 on 180 yesterday in 80 degree humid weather. Seems to have always run there since I have driven it in the last 5 months. I plan on pulling the bumper and cleaning the radiators in the next couple of weeks.

 

This sounds about normal... I would replace the expansion tank cap and clean the radiators. I would also check to make sure that both fans are operating correctly.

I would also monitor the coolant level. If it is falling, there might be a small leak in the system (I would check the expansion tank first)....

 

My 2001 996 runs the exact same temp as yours. I pull a 3,000 foot incline up I80 and when racing it a bit it climbs up into the 200's. But, coming down the backside it cools right down. Seems like sitting at lights it gets up there too. No wind over the radiators. I read (on this forum I think) that you should let it idle a bit when you stop and let the fans do their job before shutting the engine and fans down. Can someone confirm this. It does seems to work while watching the gauges go down. Thanks.

 

MIne (a 99 C2 ) used to run hot too. Even in mild weather (75 degrees or so ), I would see the needle on the right of the ZERO after longer drives on the freeway. At least 200 degrees I am estimating. Now, it seems that Porsche is one of the FEW companies where the needle actually displays the REAL temparature ie it goes up and down with the actual temperature of the water in the cooling system. "Other " companies have a needle in leu of an idiot light, it always looks to be straight in the middle. They got too many support issues - people going to visit the dealers and costing them a bundle of support money because they saw the needle actually go up to the red.

 

This thread cracks me up.

People, anything to the left of the "0" in 180 is normal and not an "issue". No need to check anything or clean anything. lol

If you're getting a bit past that and the secondary fans aren't kicking on, then that's when you want to start checking stuff.

 

Ok..an update on mine.... I cleaned the radiators and the fans up front are kicking on just as the needle reaches the end of the 0. I believe this is ok.

Now the fan on the engine compartment lid. When is that one supposed to kick on? I have yet to see or hear it kick on. Anyone know?

 

Yes that is fine, you can also search for "996 fan hack"

"Switch-on conditions for engine compartment fan (this fan pulls air into the engine compartment) The engine compartment fan is switched on when the engine compartment temperature is > 176 degrees F or the coolant temperature is > 216 degrees F.

After-running of engine compartment fan
If the ignition is switched off and the engine compartment temperature is more than 140 degrees F, the DME control module remains in readiness for another 20 minutes. During this time, the engine compartment temperature is retrieved every 10 seconds. If the engine compartment temperature is > 185 degrees F , the engine compartment fan is switched on for 20 seconds. If the engine compartment temperature is still > 185 degrees F after this time, the fan remains on for a further 30 seconds."

from http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...ost__p__204222