bummer. Thanks for your help and all the info.

 

Thanks for the info and sharing your experience. Repair took place late 2013.

 

very interesting indeed, makes me wish there was a new inquiry launched now that more data is available.

When you say you’re monitoring yours - how so? Just paying attention to coolant smells after driving? Any tips as to how to check it for the less mechanically inclined would be helpful!

 

interesting thing on my car, I could smell coolant, but I never really saw the level indicator drop. but as Yves noted at one point enough came out to get into most of the V

 

I inserted a copy of my parts invoice in the third post from the top.

 

With the experience acquired over the past weekend I honestly do not think you can easily 'monitor' this process and protect yourself.
Doug's car was weeping coolant like there was no tomorrow, but we could hardly notice anything since the coolant was pooling up in the V section of his engine and did not drip on the garage floor. Most probably the coolant got heated up every time he drove his car and evaporated. One of my coolant pipes was leaking at the bottom where it enters the thermostat housing. Hardly noticeable, but the start of bad things to come. As indicated above, I was able to remove the pipe with thumb and index finger and will try to post the video later on. The Turbo is even worse to try to monitor since there is so much going on in that V section. You would really need a small bore scope and know where to look.

One last thing...any good attorney should be able to go after Porsche on this one. During my corporate career I've been involved in many cases where we had to protect our corporate reputation from outside companies, customers and the Government (including the predators from the Southern District of New York). If I were in Porsche's shoes on this one, I would settle and not let this one get to court. Or maybe they should try to do "do the right thing" (compliance speak ), which is to issue a recall.

 

It was so shockingly easy we used some profanities. Parental guidance advised
To put things into context : I used my thumb and index finger and held my iphone with the other hand.
This was the better one of the 2 cars, the other one was completely loose.

 

To monitor mine, I'm on the lookout for the smell of antifreeze in the engine compartment after long drives, frequent checking of the coolant level in the reservoir, and using a flashlight from time to time to look for any weeping in the area where the two coolant pipes enter the front of the thermostat housing (difficult to see on the Turbo models). It's certainly not perfect, but it's all I can do. I'm at 76000 miles and am hoping it holds for the remainder of my ownership (or if it fails, it goes gradually enough for me to get it to the repairman before a tow is required). My aftermarket extended warranty covers the thermostat housing, so I don't want spend my own $$$ doing a preventative repair. Of all the common 970 issues (air suspension, upper and lower control arms, power window switch, rear hatch struts), the thermostat housing is the only one that I haven't been afflicted with yet. I even replaced motor mounts last month and those are a much less common problem. Porsche has used these glued-in coolant pipes on many models over many years, and seems to have known that they are problematic for a long time. File this under "What were they thinking?"

 

You might wanna double check the fine print on your warranty, almost every aftermarket warranty I’ve seen lists “thermostat and thermostat housing” as an exclusion. If yours doesn’t then more power to you!

...and if it doesn’t, mind if I ask what company your warranty is through?

 

That's crazy how it comes off easily like that. I'm thinking it will hold for as long as the thermostat is functioning properly. Once the thermostat stops functioning or gets stuck closed, that's when these lines pop out. Just my hunch

 

Another reason why it just doesn't pop off is related to the thick rubber hose connected to the metal coolant pipe. Said rubber hose finds support in the radiator area in front of
the thermostat housing and kind of keeps everything held together.

 

My aftermarket warranty is with Assurant/Automotive Warranty Services Inc (www.mrclaims.net) and was sold to me at my local Porsche dealer at time of purchase. It's one of those warranties that only covers the parts that are specifically listed and nothing else (not the best type of warranty IMO). However, both the thermostat and thermostat housing are listed as covered parts. Oddly, while the thermostat is listed under the "Engine Cooling" section of the covered parts list, the thermostat housing is listed under the "Engine" section of the covered parts list. I've only had two repairs so far that weren't covered by this warranty (rear hatch struts and an intake leak on the back of the engine causing a CEL) and my local dealer has done a pretty good job of getting the warranty company to approve repairs.

 

I'm a little surprised that Porsche hasn't developed a cheaper intermediate fix that would just strengthen the glued-in joints without having to perform a complete thermostat housing replacement. You'd think this approach could make a recall more palatable for Porsche and potentially reduce the number of failures. I saw someone mentioned that they used some JB Weld and a piece of tin from a soda can to make a homemade brace that effectively ties the two coolant pipes together at the front of the thermostat housing, thereby strengthening the joints. The glued-in pipe on the back of the thermostat housing would still be a problem area, because that's impossible to access without removing the intake.

As for properly seating the thermostat into the thermostat housing, I recall my Indie saying that there's a special tool for that.

I applaud you guys for taking on this preventative repair. I can't help but feel that for most vehicles with the glued-in coolant pipes, it's not a matter of "IF" but instead just a matter of "WHEN" they'll fail.

 

Yes, I did the JB Weld. The first application was up maybe 2 posts, but I wasn't confident it would hold. I applied more as best I could around the edges on a second application after waiting 24 hours for the 1st to harden. That pipe IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. But it's BUTT UGLY if you remove the intake manifold (air distributor).

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ml#post4826761

Next post shows completely hidden with manifold installed.

 

Yours must have been leaking and creating an air pocket at the same time. Double whammy! Glad you guys caught it with your "preemptive" strike. (Wasn't quite preemptive since it seems to have already failed prior)....