Lost all coolant in seconds

[MXZDrew]

Sorry. No magical tips other than to lube the fitting.

As strange as it may seem I have gotten into the habit of using the waterless hand cleaner like Purell. It lubes the hose like soap but evaporates very quickly for a snug fit. (used it years ago on a Jeep trail fix because that was all we had available and discovered that it seems to work well)

Another great thing to use for hose lube is carb cleaner. Same principle, spray the inside of the hose and it slides on with ease, evaporating away quickly. I will definitely remember the Purell when in need too!

[Reza]

Gentlemen,

The photo posted above by "Faceman" is the T connecotr with Part# 955 106 323 50 which is really the problem maker.

Could you please inform if that is specific to Cayenne TURBO models or not? I need to know if Cayenne S models have this item in their engine and if anyone has really replaced that in his Cayenne S?

Many thanks,

[KhmerPepperS]

That job is an easy DIY parts $42

The pipe in the pic. is a ventilation/breather pipe, the brittle plastic water pipes/connectors are situated on the rear of the engine (between the engine and the firewall)

I have those parts as well and can take pics of them if someone needs an ID. The shop replaced the vent/breather pipe as well as the plastic water pipes.

Tim

How easy of a job Mudman2? Does the intake manifold have to be removed? Thanks!

[FSJCayenne]

I just changed out my plastic coolant pipes for aluminum. Part of the kit is this plastic T into a vent hose at the back of the motor. Mine was broken and I could not find a single crack in my plastic coolant pipes.

This is a strange little T since it is plastic but connects two halves of a rubber hose with pressure crimped fittings onto steel lines. I almost replaced it with a metal one but it just did not make sense. Maybe, somehow, this little T is really the problem?!

You can see in the picture the gap in the rubber hose below the T. This is where it fits in. Notice the type of hose it is on either side of the T.

Hi there

I think I have exactly the same problem you had. I removed all the plastic pipes plus the two connectors coming from top coolant pipe #3 and found no damage or cracks. Unless there is some hairline cracks but I lost coolant much quicker than that. Only thing I did find broken was the small white (used to be white) T-connector pipe in your picture - and it was really brittle when I tried to remove it it just snapped off on the one side.

Other problem I have is that the rubber pipes (connecting onto the steel pipes) is not in good shape and the one has a small tear at the white connector so I have to replace them as well. My questions is - if you could help maybe - 1. Was this the place where your leak came from or was it somewhere else? 2. Did you replace the two rubber pipes on both sides of the little white T and if so, how did you get them off - or do you have any advice on how to do this? I am attaching a picture of the pipes and connector just to make sure. My vehicle is a 2006 Turbo S.

I appreciate any help or advice you can give, thanx!!!

[bigbuzuki]

Gentlemen,

The photo posted above by "Faceman" is the T connecotr with Part# 955 106 323 50 which is really the problem maker.

Could you please inform if that is specific to Cayenne TURBO models or not? I need to know if Cayenne S models have this item in their engine and if anyone has really replaced that in his Cayenne S?

Many thanks,

Below are the PET part numbers for the failing plastic 'T' water hose fittings. There does not seem to be any difference between USA, CANADA or ROW vehicles regarding these fittings.

Turbo V8 has 2 water hose fittings installed.

Part numbers are:

955 106 323 50

948 106 035 51 (this one connects to the water return line for the cooling of the turbo chargers).

The PET shows that the normally aspirated V8 has only a 955 106 323 00 water hose fitting installed but apparently is not a T piece so may not be an issue.

Hope this helps.

Edited August 8, 2011 by bigbuzuki

[jagman1]

That broken white plastic piece is some sort of vent or vaccuum line possibly related to the PCV system. It is NOT related to the cooling system. It was broken on mine too. I just put a new 90 degree t-fitting in to replace the old one. Thread a wood screw into the broken piece of the barb that is stuck inside the rubber hose, that should help you pull out the old pieces.

I could tell that mine had been broken for some itme as there was a lot of dirt around the area. It is now fixed, and honestly I don't notice a difference with how the car runs.

[jagman1]

A few painful hours, a flashlight, a long pair of angled needle nose pliers, a knife, a small flat head, a long flat head and several busted/ scraped up knuckles and I finally got the bottom hose to the T-pipe out. The major problem I had was the hose had melted to the pipe so even with the clamp removed it wouldnt come off. So I had to slice and tear and twist and poke at it for quite a bit of time to loosen it.

As promised, here is a picture of both T's and their respective rubber hoses. My leak occured when the bottom T broke off of the hose to the left. The hose on the bottom right broke as I was removing it.

If you're going to do this yourself, be patient and persistent, and patient and patient.

Its going to be a real B*#ch to get that bottom hose back on securely.

I too just finished the coolant pipe swap this weekend on my '04 CTT. The job was a real pain. Literally. My recommendations to make the job easier is to get a set of cable operated hose clamp pliers. I don't think I could have done it without them. All told it took me about 20 hours to complete the job. 10 hours were spent on the t-fittings at the back of the engine alone. My knuckles are trashed.

In any case, I bought the kit from Sunset, it came with the two T fittings too.

I had no leaks, and did the job preemptively. The parts I removed were not particularly brittle either, and looked like they had many more miles left in them (72K on the CTT now).

Edited May 4, 2011 by jagman1

[Faceman]

1 year later.... back under the hood. My truck temp was about 220 and I went to pass a few cars on the left and once the car down shifted I lost my coolant. Not as big a gush as Im used to but it definitely ran out.

Got it home, took off the intake, no noticable cracks in the plastic pipes (keep in mind that when my pipes burts in 07 the dealer claims that the aluminums ones didnt exist yet so they were replaced with plastic -Only a matter of time).

I looked at the T-pipe I replaced and it had signs of water leakage and build-up but not a major break or crack. I took it off and its real soft, to the point where you can scratch a groove in it with your finger nail and the ridges for the hose connections are a bit smooth. Im going to replace it but I am afraid that it may not be the main source of my problem.

My thoughts are maybe pressure from the high RPMS and the soft, smooth ridges allowed coolant to push past the fittings and clamps???

Is there any way I could have a hairline crack in the plastic pipes that I dont see or cant feel?

I should just swap the plastic for the aluminum but I dont like the idea of breaking functional parts.

Is there any way I can change this plastic T-pipe with an aluminum one from Home Depot or a plumbling store or will it get too hot for the rubber hoses?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts guys!

F-

[deilenberger]

Unless you like doing thankless jobs and risking damage to the starter and transmission.. REPLACE the plastic crap with aluminum. Order a new T fitting, and if you want metal (I'd suggest stainless or copper) - take the new one to Home Depot, and ask the plumbing department sales dude to find you something that will "work" - then assemble it with teflon tape on the threaded bits (it will likely be 4 pieces fit together - a T and 3 barbed fittings), put it on and forgeddaboutit.

Or continue risking your engine.. your choice.

BTW - the temp on the Cayenne should NEVER hit 220F. Never ever. I've been driving across the deserts of the US with mine for the past month+ - in 110F temps at 80mph, with 10% upgrades ane the truck loaded up and AC keeping the cabin nice and chilly. The needle NEVER moved off 180F.. except once in a while, it went about half-a-needle width below 180F. If you see 220F shut the engine off and call the flatbed. SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG. And the wrong could cost you an engine.

[stoo]

I did the main coolant pipes on my fathers cayenne s this weekend and was going to put the intake manifold back together tonight however I have had a nagging feeling that the leak was from elsewhere, namely because I couldnt find any sign of major damage to the plastic coolant pipes. They are now all changed for ally but I'm sure the big escape of coolant came from elsewhere so after reading this thread it looks like the T piece. Do you aim for this from the top of the engine bay or from under the car?

I havent put the intake back on yet so this should give me a little more room. I'm going to get the part ordered from porsche.

[stoo]

I addressed this tonight and there are no T pieces at all on the Cayenne S - at least not on my one. There are obviously 3 rubber hoses connected to the main coolant lines across the top of the block. One simply goes to the coolant filler and the other 2 disappear down below where they join METAL pipes which run all the way to the interior which I assume are the internal heater feed and return. These hoses disappear towards the passenger side but remember im in the UK so RHD.

[Faceman]

I was concerned about my engine temp last year when I changed the T piece and found here in the forums that the Turbo will operate between 200-220F with the fans kicking on around 220F. When the AC is on it stays cooler, steady around 200F.

Also, I read somewhere in the forums that the S may not have the T fitting.

Thanks for the advice about the pipes. I will order them.

[bigbuzuki]

The higher performance turbo engine will run warmer especially when your on the boost.

It is logical due to the extra cooling required for the turbo chargers.

I have driven mine hard in the Australian summer and the needle does tend to creep higher on the gauge.

Nothing to worry about as long as the needle stays away from the red.

[stoo]

My father called our local Porsche dealership here in the UK this morning to check the part number given above for the Cayenne S. They said this is a rubber joiner hose with no branches off of it (which makes sense as there is no additional feed required with no turbo). They also said they havent had any Cayenne S's in with this as a problem. The cracked 'T' piece issue seems to be a Cayenne Turbo issue. They dont keep this rubber joiner in stock as they never need it. The main coolant pipes however they keep a stock of at all times which I think tells a story in itself. If I get time after work tonight I will fire the car up and see if the problem has been resolved with the new metal hoses.

[deilenberger]

My father called our local Porsche dealership here in the UK this morning to check the part number given above for the Cayenne S. They said this is a rubber joiner hose with no branches off of it (which makes sense as there is no additional feed required with no turbo). They also said they havent had any Cayenne S's in with this as a problem. The cracked 'T' piece issue seems to be a Cayenne Turbo issue. They dont keep this rubber joiner in stock as they never need it. The main coolant pipes however they keep a stock of at all times which I think tells a story in itself. If I get time after work tonight I will fire the car up and see if the problem has been resolved with the new metal hoses.

Hmmm....

If you weren't in the UK I could give you the hose I bought after receiving some inaccurate advice - cost was reasonable for an unneeded part - around $18 or so..

Your dealer is correct. It's a formed hose. No plastic T on the S model.