apologies for the dumb question - what is that red fluid in the engine compartment? I noticed that it is below the "low level". what should I top it off with?


Thanks in advance.
wolf

 

coolant

 

Coolant! Do you not have a manual?

 

I do and that's exactly what it is on my 997.1

 

If the car is under warranty take to the dealer and have 'em diagnose the problem . If it's out of warranty, given the nature of your question, I might suggest taking it to the dealer anyway. If you're feeling mechanical, remove the blue cap and add distilled water, when the engine is cold, to the min mark. Doesn't look all that low so it could just be a bad cap which is very common in all the water cooled 911's built since 1998. a white residue on the coolant tank near the cap is suggestive of either a loose and/or defective cap.

 

Maybe I'm reading a different post but I don't see mention of any problem - he just asked what the red fluid was, if he should top it off above the minimum level and with what - I don't think a trip to the dealer is necessary...unless he's going there to buy an owner's manual for reference.

 

OP stated " I noticed it is below the "low level ". what should I top it off with. " If I have offered too much information the OP is welcome to ignore any or all of it. But, beyond topping off the coolant tank with distilled water, which satisfies the low level issue, I'd want to understand why it was low in the first place. If my car were under warranty the dealer would be dealing with both issues.

 

also might be leaking out of a (faulty designed?) gen.1 cap if it hasnt been upgraded. get a new cap when you top off fluid.

 

Since the OP's car is a 997.2 (based on the picture), I doubt that it came with the older faulty coolant cap.

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I'd agree with your assesment except for two things...

1. The cap, which is version #4, is the same cap being sold to replace failed versions # 1 ,2 & 3.
2. Cap number 4 has only been on my car 1 1/2 months so it's too soon to tell if version # 5 isn't already in the works.

 

I had the same problem. I bought new coolant from Suncoast - least expensive real porsche coolant I could find. I mixed it and topped it off and bought a new cap in case it was evaporation. As soon as I filled it up I started noticing pink puddles on my garage floor. Turns out is was actually a crack in my expansion tank which my local indie says is not uncommon. It is being replaced as we speak

 

Had the exact same issue.

 

Would you have the part number for the latest cap?

 

The current coolant cap (aka cover or lid) is part # 99610644704


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Dadio - you were very spot on with your response and interpretation of my question. Very helpful and much appreciated.

I did take your advice and took it to the dealer today. They stated that they didn't notice anything obvious, but wanted to keep it over the weekend with a pressurizer (or something to that effect) to better determine where the leak is coming from because they do think it was odd that the fluid was that low with only 7K miles. Is this pressure test normal to run over the weekend?

I did mention hearing about an updated cap, but they wanted to do this test in any case.

I'll give an update on Monday.

Thanks to everyone else that contributed even though it was a simple question that could have been answered by me RTFM. It led to more information than I would have been able obtain by just looking at the manual and that's what I love about this forum.

cheers,
wolf