Electrical Water Pump, Engine Out ?

[richardch]

Hello Loren,

On my 2001 996TT, I have a slow coolant leak. I took it to my official Porsche dealer and he notes that it is coming from the Electrical Water Pump, which needs to be replaced. I'm informed this is a full engine out job which takes at least 2 days. Any other thoughts or potential solutions ??? :o

[pierre]

Hi Richard,

You could ask these guys for a second opinion: www.carlifting.ch

Small team, very competent and extremely helpful. Say hi from me!

[jpflip]

I am a bit confused... Electric water pump??? The only water pump or coolant pump, that I know of, is belt drive and in the repair manual there is a way to take it out without removing the engine.

[wross996TT]

Yes there is a description of removing the coolant pump with the engine installed..31 steps.

[Loren]

Hello Loren,

On my 2001 996TT, I have a slow coolant leak. I took it to my official Porsche dealer and he notes that it is coming from the Electrical Water Pump, which needs to be replaced. I'm informed this is a full engine out job which takes at least 2 days. Any other thoughts or potential solutions ??? :o

Make sure they are talking about the water pump - as it is mechanical and driven off the main poly rib belt.

And, the water pump CAN be changed with the engine installed.

Perhaps it is time for second opinion from another dealer or independent shop...

[richardch]

They mentioned that the intake pipe was in the way and you can't even just drop the engine, you have to remove !!

[Loren]

They mentioned that the intake pipe was in the way and you can't even just drop the engine, you have to remove !!

Don't get me wrong it is still quite a bit of work.

Perhaps they should review section "19 50 19 Removing and installing coolant pump (engine installed)" of the 996TT service manual.

[richardch]

tvm Loren, does anybody have any suggestions for additional engine mods that can be done if the engine is coming out, new plenium intake / New boost hose kit etc ?

[wvicary]

The description for removing the water pump I have says nothing about removing the engine and calls for 3.6 hours of labour which is far and away less then removing the engine unit. Looks like you need to remove loads of bits but none of it appears difficult. Any chance of a second opinion from a different garage?

[richardch]

Tvm I have the TT Manual I will mention that to them

[Chuck Jones]

Richard:

It looks like you're getting bitten by the MOD bug. The best and cheapest mods you can do for your engine performance, don't require the engine to be removed....although I'm a bit perplexed over an "electric water pump".

I don't know what turbos you are running, and your personal profile doesn't indicate anything but 996 turbo....but if you have the K24 turbos, you can flash it, do a wastegate upgrade, replace the stock diverter valves with better billet ones (Bailey, EVO, Forge etc), and a better breathing exhaust system. Those items alone will add at least 100 HP and torque, and very noticeably transform the car into a very fast one. Ask Loren...he drove my car after I did the upgrades.

The one thing that will more or less be mandatory is that if you choose to upgrade the performance...the added HP and torque will end up burning out your clutch....the stock OEM clutch just wont' hold the added power....so that would be something that could be done if the engine must come out for whatever you're having done.

The other things you mentioned....cool air intake, plenum etc....are basically psychological add-ons that are more hype than horsepower.....not knocking the products, but if you are truly looking for performance....then the steps I outlined above are the ones to take.

It's not going to be cheap, and the following figures are rounded off ballpark estimates. You can find better prices by shopping around, but you said the engine is coming out so you don't have a lot of time. ....a good flash will run $1300-2000 and you need to do some research to find the best one for your particular car, a good exhaust system (and I mean GOOD) $2500-5000, clutch upgrade $1800 for the GT2 kit designed to hold up to 600 hp plus labor to install (if the engine is out, it would be less labor kuz it's already out and is a simple task then), Diverter Valves....truly simple install if the engine is out ...like 5 minutes...$190....wastegate upgrade if you have the K24 turbos (X50 or Turbo S cars w/larger turbos) $500.

Some of these tasks can be performed by you if you have any mechanical inclinations....but the road to performance is not cheap and is addictive. A flash doesn't need to be done at the dealership since they'll charge you to essentially plug a device into your ODB port and push a few buttons on the device...it over writes your computer map....about a 30 second to 1 minute process.

Be wary of all the add-on snake oil claims. Also be aware that some of these mods will void your warranty if you have one.

Happy hunting...and if you start down this path....it never seems to end or be enough....usually limited by fiscal barriers.