Newbie - radiator leak

[nickfr]

Having had my 2001 pre-facelift 996 C4 for 6 years I think that it is time to start dealing with some of the increasing maintenance myself. This site has been fascinating reading and has given me the confidence to start doing this - so thanks. I'm sure I'm not alone in having maintained cars in the past but was always nervous of doing so with my Porsche.

One of my radiators has sprung a leak so I thought I would tackle replacing it. I have removed the bumper cover to check it using the helpful guidelines on this site.

How big a job is it to replace the radiator? Do I just need to replace the radiator (and coolant) or will I need to order a whole bunch of gaskets and sealants?

A silly question, the radiator that has failed is on the left when sitting in the car - is this the left or right when ordering a replacement?

Having taken off the bumper cover I noticed that the rubbery/plastic things for guiding the air to the radiator on one side has split - what is that called so I don't look a total fool ordering one?

The coolant sounds complicated - I was hoping to avoid having to vacuum fill it and simply top it up, run it a little, top it up etc. I'm UK based so it's not too hot, does this sound plausible?

Many thank in advance for your help.

cheers, Nick

[Loren]

Having had my 2001 pre-facelift 996 C4 for 6 years I think that it is time to start dealing with some of the increasing maintenance myself. This site has been fascinating reading and has given me the confidence to start doing this - so thanks. I'm sure I'm not alone in having maintained cars in the past but was always nervous of doing so with my Porsche.

One of my radiators has sprung a leak so I thought I would tackle replacing it. I have removed the bumper cover to check it using the helpful guidelines on this site.

How big a job is it to replace the radiator? Do I just need to replace the radiator (and coolant) or will I need to order a whole bunch of gaskets and sealants?

A silly question, the radiator that has failed is on the left when sitting in the car - is this the left or right when ordering a replacement?

Having taken off the bumper cover I noticed that the rubbery/plastic things for guiding the air to the radiator on one side has split - what is that called so I don't look a total fool ordering one?

The coolant sounds complicated - I was hoping to avoid having to vacuum fill it and simply top it up, run it a little, top it up etc. I'm UK based so it's not too hot, does this sound plausible?

Many thank in advance for your help.

cheers, Nick

You will also need to remove the left (as you sit in the car) wheel well liner to get full access to the radiator and mounting.

If you pinch the hoses with clamps you will lose the minimal amount of coolant. follow the bleeding instructions in my 3rd radiator DIY in the 996 DIY Mods section.

The "rubbery/plastic things for guiding the air to the radiator" is just called air duct and you will need to order it by side of the car too.

[nickfr]

ok, thanks, I'll order the bits and give it a go

cheers, Nick