Coolant good for "lifetime?"

[Doug_B_928]

I've read that the coolant is considered to be good for the liftime of the car (06 C2S). I've also read opinions saying that it should be changed every 4-6 years, or wait until it needs to be changed as part of some other fix. What is the prevailing wisdom on this?

[JFP in PA]

The OEM coolant has a very good life, we have tested factory fills after 7 and 8 years for clarity, pH, freeze points, etc.; and they still looked good. Biggest issue is contamination; the coolant starts to go south if almost anything gets into the system, which is why Porsche recommends only using distilled water with the coolant. Quite often, this shows up as cloudiness in the mixture, which also starts to shift freeze point and pH levels as the additive package dies off.

Normally, we recommend renewing the coolant anytime the cooling system has to be opened up for service (water pump, thermostat, etc.). At that time, we use only the OEM concentrate and pre mix it with distilled water (about a buck a gallon at the supermarket) to assure no metal or ionic contamination. This practice has shown very long run life, again as long as nothing gets into the system.

Realistically, after five or six years, you will most likely be doing some cooling system service such as the water pump (known for their issues), so I would do it then. If you have had no problems, I would keep an eye on the system test conditions and plan on doing the change out in the same five to six year time frame.

[logray]

I've flushed the coolant on my car a couple times, picked up 3 gallons of VW/audi G12 (pink), same stuff that Porsche uses but about 1/4 the cost.

[Dharn55]

Depends on how Porsche defines "lifetime." if the engine fails due to bad coolant then that could be the life of the engine.

Seriously, changing the coolant every 3-4 years avoids the issue of degrading coolant. Of course with Porsche coolant, and the 5+ gallons that the system hold this can be expensive . And there is some labor involved if you want to flush out all the old coolant.

I for one don't use the Porsche coolant. But I had the engine out, the radiators out and most of the hoses off so all the old coolant was pretty much gone (done due to cracked head and intermix).

[Doug_B_928]

Thanks very much, gentlemen, for your input. My car is 6 years old (15K Kms) and the coolant has never been flushed. No signs and any coolant system problems (e.g., water pump appears fine). When you flush the coolant what do you use for the job? I saw another thread here that talked about the UView Airlift 550000??

[Loren]

Thanks very much, gentlemen, for your input. My car is 6 years old (15K Kms) and the coolant has never been flushed. No signs and any coolant system problems (e.g., water pump appears fine). When you flush the coolant what do you use for the job? I saw another thread here that talked about the UView Airlift 550000??

Yup ... UView Airlift 55000o

Buy through this link and RennTech.org gets a small contribution:

http://astore.amazon.com/renntechorg-20/detail/B0002SRH5G

[Doug_B_928]

I checked it out, but it looks like amazon.com (as opposed to amazon.ca) doesn't ship these kinds of items to Canada :(.

Thanks very much, gentlemen, for your input. My car is 6 years old (15K Kms) and the coolant has never been flushed. No signs and any coolant system problems (e.g., water pump appears fine). When you flush the coolant what do you use for the job? I saw another thread here that talked about the UView Airlift 550000??

Yup ... UView Airlift 55000o

Buy through this link and RennTech.org gets a small contribution:

http://astore.amazon...tail/B0002SRH5G

[JFP in PA]

That's weird, as the product is made in Canada...................

[Doug_B_928]

Yeah, I found that out subsequently. I've e-mailed the company directly. We'll see what they say.

That's weird, as the product is made in Canada...................

[logray]

With that tool, you also need shop air of appx 5 gallon or larger compressor.

But it is really the best tool for the job, pretty much a fool proof way of refilling.

Draining on the other hand is a major PITA if you want to get ALL of the coolant out... ;)

[Doug_B_928]

Good to know about the compressor, thanks!

I thought that this tool also drained the system fully, doesn't it?

With that tool, you also need shop air of appx 5 gallon or larger compressor.

But it is really the best tool for the job, pretty much a fool proof way of refilling.

Draining on the other hand is a major PITA if you want to get ALL of the coolant out... ;)

[JFP in PA]

It does not drain the system, only refills.

[Doug_B_928]

I read somewhere, some time ago so not sure where, that it is recommended to change the water pump every 3-4 years because the plastic impeller blades go bad, chip off and mess up the engine. Thoughts on this? Is there a DIY for the water pump for the 997.1? If not, how close is the job to the 996. There's a YouTube video for the 996 procedure.

[Loren]

I read somewhere, some time ago so not sure where, that it is recommended to change the water pump every 3-4 years because the plastic impeller blades go bad, chip off and mess up the engine. Thoughts on this? Is there a DIY for the water pump for the 997.1? If not, how close is the job to the 996. There's a YouTube video for the 996 procedure.

Basically the same engine - same water pump as 3.6 liter 996.

[Doug_B_928]

Okay, good to know. What about the wisdom of changing the water pump as a preventative measure, along with the coolant, in say 6 year intervals? Good idea or bad idea?

[Loren]

I don't put a timeline on coolant change. You need to measure the PH of the coolant and when it becomes acidic damage can occur. Change it before it gets there.

Hard to say on the hardware part of the pump. The impellers do break without warning and they can leave bits that are hard to flush out. As well the bearing can go but that usually means noise or leaks.

Miles + age would say it might be good preventative work.

[Doug_B_928]

I have one those little thingies where you suck up some coolant and if the arrow points to the right place the coolant is "good." Is that an indicator of PH, or do I need to get something else to measure that?

My car as just under 15,000 kms, so I guess in the miles + age equation I should be good for a while.

Is there any negative to removing the water pump to inspect it if doing coolant anyway? I.e., it doesn't look to be too difficult but, if one is diligent, is it a very low risk procedure? While I'm at it, where do you stand on the "put the gasket on dry" or "use RTV" debate? Thank you!!

[Loren]

No, those measure the amount of ethylene glycol that is found in a solution - Freeze point.

No problem with removing and reinstalling the water pump - just use a new gasket (I never use sealant, just the gasket and have never had a problem) - then properly bleed the system (Uview 55000).

I suggest a magnifying glass to look for impeller cracks or damage.

[logray]

You can find coolant test strips at any auto parts store:

http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/B000MIUJMO

The theory from some experts is that coolant will cause the plastic impellers to slowly degrade over time, and has nothing to do with mileage, but time. I suppose this is true of everything really, for example on my 13 year old car, much of the plastic and rubber on the car and some in the engine was brittle or degrading and ready to be replaced.

There is no harm to removing the water pump, just be sure to use a new steel gasket (dry).

Yes it is a low risk procedure.

Edited March 14, 2012 by logray

[Doug_B_928]

Thanks, guys! Since it's low risk seems like a good WYAIT if changing the coolant. One more for today: Should one also change the thermostat ("coolant regulator") as a WYAIT and, if so, does one need special tool P 9627 or is there another method that works as well?

[Doug_B_928]

bump

[logray]

A thermostat can last a very long time. Generally speaking if it passes the boil test or there are no unusual problems with the car overheating I wouldn't mess with it.

You don't need the special tool if you want to replace it. You can easily make one with a section pipe and a hack saw/dremel/maybe even a file. If you spend time with search this has been covered before.

You can also purchase the complete thermostat with housing so you don't need the tool, just 4 bolts off and on. The complete unit is not a lot more expensive than just the tstat.

Generally speaking if you are going to replace the tstat most people recommend going with the 160degree tstat.

[Doug_B_928]

Terrific, thank you!

[Doug_B_928]

I was just looking on Pelican and they have the Genuine Porsche water pump and a Laso for about $150 less. I searched for Laso and saw a couple of complaints. Are the two identical (i.e., Laso makes them for Porsche), or is it better to buy the Genuine Porsche?

Edited April 25, 2012 by Doug_B_928

[logray]

I bought a Laso and it started leaking after 200 miles. Not worth the savings, considering if your water pump blows up your engine could be toast.