Cooling System Problem

[cvhs18472]

I just changed the water pump in my car a month ago. I did all the right stuff bleeding the system and went for a ride on a very hot day, got stuck in traffic and had the temp hit about 200. Turning on the AC did nothing except make it go higher. Just before I got home the coolant level light came on. Filled with fluid and the fans started working and I thought that all was well. Didn't have much time to drive lately but I went for a ride yesterday, my wife and I stopped for dinner. We got in the car and went about 2 miles and the temp started rising again. I pulled over and I see this trail of fluid following me , with fluid leaking out by the passenger front and rear wheels. Filled with water, pulled the vent and drove home slowly with the AC on. I could hear the fans working and the temp didn't exceed the end of the 0 on 180. Just before I got home the fluid level light started flashing again. I pulled it into the garage and started filling it with antifreeze and it continued to run from the same 2 areas. I have a 98 w/tip and I replaced the cap on the coolant tank with an upgraded one about 3 years ago. Can anyone give me help on this as I am supposed to take a very long weekend in very early June to go to the Vitginia Pork Festival and cruise the state a little. A long trip in hot weather. I don't want to have to take the wife's Volvo. Thanks in advance for the help. ED

[1schoir]

I just changed the water pump in my car a month ago. I did all the right stuff bleeding the system and went for a ride on a very hot day, got stuck in traffic and had the temp hit about 200. Turning on the AC did nothing except make it go higher. Just before I got home the coolant level light came on. Filled with fluid and the fans started working and I thought that all was well. Didn't have much time to drive lately but I went for a ride yesterday, my wife and I stopped for dinner. We got in the car and went about 2 miles and the temp started rising again. I pulled over and I see this trail of fluid following me , with fluid leaking out by the passenger front and rear wheels. Filled with water, pulled the vent and drove home slowly with the AC on. I could hear the fans working and the temp didn't exceed the end of the 0 on 180. Just before I got home the fluid level light started flashing again. I pulled it into the garage and started filling it with antifreeze and it continued to run from the same 2 areas. I have a 98 w/tip and I replaced the cap on the coolant tank with an upgraded one about 3 years ago. Can anyone give me help on this as I am supposed to take a very long weekend in very early June to go to the Vitginia Pork Festival and cruise the state a little. A long trip in hot weather. I don't want to have to take the wife's Volvo. Thanks in advance for the help. ED

Ed:

The fluid leaking out by the passenger side rear wheel is normal..the fluid leaking out by the passenger front wheel is not.

By normal, I mean that this sometimes happens after a coolant refill if the system has not been bled with a vacuum device, such as a UView. When you manually bleed it by keeping the bleed valve on top of the coolant tank (under the thin black cosmetic cover that surrounds the oil and coolant fill caps) open and driving around that way for a few days, you will sometimes get a couple of coolant dumps, and those will end up passing through the trunk if they come out at a rate that overcomes the drain hole in the top of the coolant reservoir. In that case, the fluid will come out near the right rear wheel.

However, if there is fluid coming out near the right front wheel, you have to check whether one of your hoses leading to and from the right front radiator (inside the front bumper on that side) has developed a hole, or one of the clamps has come loose or broken, or whether the radiator itself is leaking.

You can get a decent look at the hoses by undoing the front part of the wheel well liner.

If you want to have a good look at the radiator (if you determine it may be the source of the leak), take a look at this link for an easy DIY on removing the front bumper: http://www.skylersrants.com/

Go to that link and select "Accessing the Radiators".

A pork festival? :eek:

Regards, Maurice.

[cvhs18472]

I was not driving around with the vent open because I thought that it was purged after the second refill. I guess that I was not patient enough. Yes, a Pork Festival. Everything made of pig and all you can drink w/music. Barbq, ham, sausage, pulled pork, chittlins, smoked pork chops, hot dogs, etc. Thanks for the start, will check it out today. Ed

Edited May 26, 2010 by cvhs18472

[pkust]

I just changed the water pump in my car a month ago. I did all the right stuff bleeding the system and went for a ride on a very hot day, got stuck in traffic and had the temp hit about 200. Turning on the AC did nothing except make it go higher. Just before I got home the coolant level light came on. Filled with fluid and the fans started working and I thought that all was well. Didn't have much time to drive lately but I went for a ride yesterday, my wife and I stopped for dinner. We got in the car and went about 2 miles and the temp started rising again. I pulled over and I see this trail of fluid following me , with fluid leaking out by the passenger front and rear wheels. Filled with water, pulled the vent and drove home slowly with the AC on. I could hear the fans working and the temp didn't exceed the end of the 0 on 180. Just before I got home the fluid level light started flashing again. I pulled it into the garage and started filling it with antifreeze and it continued to run from the same 2 areas. I have a 98 w/tip and I replaced the cap on the coolant tank with an upgraded one about 3 years ago. Can anyone give me help on this as I am supposed to take a very long weekend in very early June to go to the Vitginia Pork Festival and cruise the state a little. A long trip in hot weather. I don't want to have to take the wife's Volvo. Thanks in advance for the help. ED

Ed, You have it backwards, you have to turn on the HEATER to cool the engine when it overheats, you want to draw heat from the system. The AC just puts another load on the engine and increases the heat. And I would also check the front radiator area for loose hoses or a pinleak. Also check your expansion tank if you haven't changed it yet, those puppies crack and get your rear trunk wet.

Paul

[cvhs18472]

I just changed the water pump in my car a month ago. I did all the right stuff bleeding the system and went for a ride on a very hot day, got stuck in traffic and had the temp hit about 200. Turning on the AC did nothing except make it go higher. Just before I got home the coolant level light came on. Filled with fluid and the fans started working and I thought that all was well. Didn't have much time to drive lately but I went for a ride yesterday, my wife and I stopped for dinner. We got in the car and went about 2 miles and the temp started rising again. I pulled over and I see this trail of fluid following me , with fluid leaking out by the passenger front and rear wheels. Filled with water, pulled the vent and drove home slowly with the AC on. I could hear the fans working and the temp didn't exceed the end of the 0 on 180. Just before I got home the fluid level light started flashing again. I pulled it into the garage and started filling it with antifreeze and it continued to run from the same 2 areas. I have a 98 w/tip and I replaced the cap on the coolant tank with an upgraded one about 3 years ago. Can anyone give me help on this as I am supposed to take a very long weekend in very early June to go to the Vitginia Pork Festival and cruise the state a little. A long trip in hot weather. I don't want to have to take the wife's Volvo. Thanks in advance for the help. ED

Ed, You have it backwards, you have to turn on the HEATER to cool the engine when it overheats, you want to draw heat from the system. The AC just puts another load on the engine and increases the heat. And I would also check the front radiator area for loose hoses or a pinleak. Also check your expansion tank if you haven't changed it yet, those puppies crack and get your rear trunk wet.

Paul

I had heard that Porsches were opposite normal cars and that when you put on the air conditioner it started both fans and therefore helped cool the fluid. My trunk has no water in it, the car is just leaking from near both passenger fenders. I am at a loss. it doesn't seem to be a cracked tank because of where the fluid is leaking. Ed

[Loren]

I just changed the water pump in my car a month ago. I did all the right stuff bleeding the system and went for a ride on a very hot day, got stuck in traffic and had the temp hit about 200. Turning on the AC did nothing except make it go higher. Just before I got home the coolant level light came on. Filled with fluid and the fans started working and I thought that all was well. Didn't have much time to drive lately but I went for a ride yesterday, my wife and I stopped for dinner. We got in the car and went about 2 miles and the temp started rising again. I pulled over and I see this trail of fluid following me , with fluid leaking out by the passenger front and rear wheels. Filled with water, pulled the vent and drove home slowly with the AC on. I could hear the fans working and the temp didn't exceed the end of the 0 on 180. Just before I got home the fluid level light started flashing again. I pulled it into the garage and started filling it with antifreeze and it continued to run from the same 2 areas. I have a 98 w/tip and I replaced the cap on the coolant tank with an upgraded one about 3 years ago. Can anyone give me help on this as I am supposed to take a very long weekend in very early June to go to the Vitginia Pork Festival and cruise the state a little. A long trip in hot weather. I don't want to have to take the wife's Volvo. Thanks in advance for the help. ED

Ed, You have it backwards, you have to turn on the HEATER to cool the engine when it overheats, you want to draw heat from the system. The AC just puts another load on the engine and increases the heat. And I would also check the front radiator area for loose hoses or a pinleak. Also check your expansion tank if you haven't changed it yet, those puppies crack and get your rear trunk wet.

Paul

I had heard that Porsches were opposite normal cars and that when you put on the air conditioner it started both fans and therefore helped cool the fluid. My trunk has no water in it, the car is just leaking from near both passenger fenders. I am at a loss. it doesn't seem to be a cracked tank because of where the fluid is leaking. Ed

Front or rear fenders?

[cvhs18472]

I just changed the water pump in my car a month ago. I did all the right stuff bleeding the system and went for a ride on a very hot day, got stuck in traffic and had the temp hit about 200. Turning on the AC did nothing except make it go higher. Just before I got home the coolant level light came on. Filled with fluid and the fans started working and I thought that all was well. Didn't have much time to drive lately but I went for a ride yesterday, my wife and I stopped for dinner. We got in the car and went about 2 miles and the temp started rising again. I pulled over and I see this trail of fluid following me , with fluid leaking out by the passenger front and rear wheels. Filled with water, pulled the vent and drove home slowly with the AC on. I could hear the fans working and the temp didn't exceed the end of the 0 on 180. Just before I got home the fluid level light started flashing again. I pulled it into the garage and started filling it with antifreeze and it continued to run from the same 2 areas. I have a 98 w/tip and I replaced the cap on the coolant tank with an upgraded one about 3 years ago. Can anyone give me help on this as I am supposed to take a very long weekend in very early June to go to the Vitginia Pork Festival and cruise the state a little. A long trip in hot weather. I don't want to have to take the wife's Volvo. Thanks in advance for the help. ED

Ed, You have it backwards, you have to turn on the HEATER to cool the engine when it overheats, you want to draw heat from the system. The AC just puts another load on the engine and increases the heat. And I would also check the front radiator area for loose hoses or a pinleak. Also check your expansion tank if you haven't changed it yet, those puppies crack and get your rear trunk wet.

Paul

I had heard that Porsches were opposite normal cars and that when you put on the air conditioner it started both fans and therefore helped cool the fluid. My trunk has no water in it, the car is just leaking from near both passenger fenders. I am at a loss. it doesn't seem to be a cracked tank because of where the fluid is leaking. Ed

Front or rear fenders?

Loren, Both front and rear passenger side fenders. Ed

[Loren]

How odd.

I guess you could have hose damage in the front and rear - separate hoses.

Here is a cooling diagram - as you can see the coolant pipes run down the center of the car.

and hose clamp locations.

[cvhs18472]

Spent yesterday playing with the car and found nothing. Could it have been a combination of very humid weather causing extra flo out of the front condenser and a bad radiator cap? I have a black cap but have just ordered a new and improved cap. Is it normal to have a cap fail in 20K miles? Anyone else have any ideas? Thanks, Ed

[1schoir]

Spent yesterday playing with the car and found nothing. Could it have been a combination of very humid weather causing extra flo out of the front condenser and a bad radiator cap? I have a black cap but have just ordered a new and improved cap. Is it normal to have a cap fail in 20K miles? Anyone else have any ideas? Thanks, Ed

Depending on the amount of fluid that you found at the front, that is a possibility.

As to the original design coolant caps, they have been known to fail in a lot less than 20K miles.

Regards, Maurice.

[Wayne R. Dempsey]

The cooling systems on these cars can be finicky at times. You *HAVE* to bleed the cooling system according to the proper formula, and if you don't, you will have all sorts of odd problems like these as large air bubbles create hot spots in your system. Check out my article on bleeding - this works very well and should solve most coolant air bubble problems: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/29-WATER-Flush/29-WATER-Flush.htm

Hope this helps...

-Wayne

[cvhs18472]

Just a quick update on the cooling problems I was experiencing. I drove the car for quite awhile and the car was still running hot in an odd sort of way, after 45 min. or so of normal temps it would start running hot. I followed all the procedures carefully and could not straighten it out. I finally bit the bullet and took it to someone who had a vacuum tool. They said that there were still a couple of air pockets in the system and they got them out. My car is now running with the needle on the 8 of 180 for as long as I drive. Funny how stuff happens. Thanks for all the help. Ed