New to me 2010 PTT
On engine start on a very cold day the temp gauge maxes out and the coolant level warning lamp comes on. First time it happened I shut down and started again and all was well (except for the pit of my worrying stomach).
Since then its happened a few more times. Start up and immediate max temp and coolant level warning. After it warms up a bit then temp gauge goes to normal and the low coolant is gone.
I'm thinking a sensor but it seems like it would be two senors failing at the same time? Coolant level and engine temp?
Coolant level is fine, just finished a 10 hour round trip and once warm the temp was fine.
Other posts I've seen all seem to relate to loss of coolant or new coolant with air bubbles. Neither seem applicable in this instance.
Thanks

 

To me sounds like the new to you PTT has had its coolant flushed before you took possession, and it has air bubbles in the cooling system. I cannot verify, but symptoms are much like what you would describe. One thing you can do is while car is at running temp, park it on an uphill, stop the car and let it cool for several hours. Or put onto ramps and simulate parking uphill. Often air will find its way to the highest point of the system, away from sensors and other cooling components. If you can, ask those who had car before you, to find out when the coolant was last changed. My bet is changed just before you took possession.
These cars coolant should be added with equipment that will prevent air from being introduced into the system (fill kit).

 

Is there a PN or link to buy the fill kit?

 

just to to ebay or amazon, and type universal coolant refill pressure kit, LIKE THIS ONE.
Look around for best price for you.

 

Just to help clarify what the coolant kit does.
It uses an air powered Venturi to pull a vacuum on the coolant system to remove as much air as possible before the coolant is re-introduced back into the system. The "kit" has a fill hose and valve so that the vacuum is not broken during the process. They are required to refill the coolant system on vehicles that are not equipped with adequate high point vents. I had a MB that was nearly impossible to refill without one. It is very possible on these cars to show "full" in the reservoir but still have air pockets in the system.

Also a comment on the symptoms you are having:
If the temp is going full scale immediately after starting - that is most likely some type of sensor problem. The temp can't be hot right after starting from cold. Possible poor connection at the sensor plug connector???

Good luck in troubleshooting,

 

I thought sensor at first as well but both the sensor and coolant level warning happen at the same time and both are cleared after a short drive. I'll try burping the system to see if that does anything..easy enough. If not I'll test the sensor. Just have to wait for some warm weather! argh

 

Thought I'd update even though it just makes me feel stupid.
Took another look at the level when the car was cold and she was low on coolant. Couple ounces of distilled water and warning, light and gauge all behaving.
I also noticed that if when I would key on but not start, the temp gauge would max and warning light would come on. So if you're getting the above symptoms, double check the coolant, its not down much but enough to get the car angry with you.

 

thanks for the update

 

If I were you, I would keep an eye on the coolant. Be aware of coolant smells after engine hot. Check coolant level before you leave house (cold), and again after car cools down again. Note the position of the indicator. If your coolant was low, there is a reason behind it. May be your system starting to leak slowly. Better to observe now as opposed to waiting for a coolant dump in the worst possible time.

 

On my 2010 PTT the large metal coolant hose is glued into a fitting and after many years and heat cycling it finally began to fail and my indy noticed it during the 55k mile service. Fortunately the new part is a bolt-in assembly so not prone to future failure and I'm really glad I got it replaced w/ the upgraded version. My mechanic told me that a sudden failure would result in a very immediate and total fluid loss. Check to make sure you don't have a similar situation. Sure hope yours is something simple.

 

Is this risky pipe the same with the non-turbo?

 

I can't confirm if this pipe is the same for NA motors, but he also mentioned this was the connection for the thermostat. He is an experienced independent mechanic and knew to test the integrity of the glued pipe simply by trying to move/shake it. To the OP in this thread, it seems your symptoms may be related to a faulty thermostat or connection in this fitting area.

 

yep it one and the same

 

This is an older thread, but I find this information comforting. My 2013 Panamera has been in my possession for only about 3 weeks. This morning I drove for an hour to a Porsche Club tour event; everything was normal. When they announced the departure, I started the car and got a "Check coolant level" warning along with a pegged out temperature gauge, the associated red warning light, a temp reading of 255 on the digital display along with it's high temp warning symbol even though the car has been off for nearly two hours. I didn't want to be left behind, so I blasted off with everyone else.

Throughout the subsequent 2 hour spirited drive the temp indications jumped from 200 to 255 and back again, all with the associated warning lights/symbols. Sometimes it would change over a period of a few seconds and sometimes it stayed at one indication for several minutes. Needles to say, I was keeping a very close eye on the engine gauges. Meanwhile the oil temp stabilized at about 204 degrees at speed, climbing to 208 or 210 at stop signs. Once moving again, the oil temp would return to 204 degrees, indicating that the engine was not actually destroying itself.
At one point I stopped to take a peek under the hood and there was no signs of actual overheating. No smell, no smoke, no leaks, the fans worked, etc.

The normal oil temp coupled with the gauge jumping from normal to extremely hot with nothing in-between convinced me it was a sensor or wiring problem. The fact that I changed the plugs and coil packs the day before, which involved moving quite a few wires, made me think I may have pinched a wire which was either shorting out or seeing an open circuit from time to time. On the other hand, I'm pretty careful with my mechanical work and I paid particular attention not to damage any of the wiring or plumbing when do0ing the plug change. Anyhow, I pressed on and enjoyed the drive.

When time permitted, I let the engine cool down and then I looked under the coolant cap an noticed the little red plastic pointer was all the way over at the minus side. Turning the key on produced a "Check coolant level" warning and the same max temp indications even though I knew the engine was below 150 degrees. I added only about a liter of water to bring the mechanical indicator back to the center point and when I started the engine, all the problems went away. A brief test drive showed the water and oil temps gradually increasing up to 200 degrees for water and 204 for the oil, so that was nice to see.
This behavior seems strange to me, but apparently it's not unknown in the Porsche world. Time will tell if my problem is actually fixed.
I can understand that a quantity sensor in the coolant tank could produce the low coolant level warning even if the coolant was only a little bit low. But is the max temperature indication and associated warning light also supposed to be triggered by low coolant? It was obvious to me from the beginning that the intermittent maximum temperature indications were NOT genuine. Perhaps Porsche set it up that way so people without experience with operating engines won't just ignore the not very scary coolant level warning. The pegged temp needle and red warning lights are much more concerning as evidenced by the number of people who have had their cars towed to a dealership under these circumstances.
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