white Steam rising from centre n driver radiator 996tt

[niceguy]

The steam can be seen when the car is parked with the engine still running. It can't be seen when the car is moving tho. The dash coolant temperature gauge remains normal at around 90 - 95 degree celsius.

Edited April 6, 2012 by niceguy

[JFP in PA]

Obviously, you have a leak. I would not be driving the car until you find out what is leaking and get it fixed, it is not going to heal on its own; and a sudden coolant dump could end up seriously overheating a very expensive to replace engine. Get the car looked at.................

Edited April 6, 2012 by JFP in PA

[wvicary]

I'll echo JFP comments. This is an issue that needs sorting straight away and not to be ignored. The radiators can become clogged with road debris/leaves and such which result in reduced air flow and rot of the condensor/radiators. Be sure all rads are clean and the cooling fans are operating correctly.

[niceguy]

An update of the issue of my 996tt, it didn't lose any coolant according the level of coolant bottle in the engine bay and no steam is coming out from the from drive side radiator as well. I only noticed the steam after rain or a car wash. Furthermore, the coolant temperature wasn't 90-95C. Instead it was only 80-82c or so.

To sum up,

1 no coolant loss

2 no steam in the dry (even after some driving n idling)

3 coolant temp 80-82C

An update of the issue of my 996tt, it didn't lose any coolant according the level of coolant bottle in the engine bay and no steam is coming out from the from drive side radiator as well. I only noticed the steam after rain or a car wash. Furthermore, the coolant temperature wasn't 90-95C. Instead it was only 80-82c or so.

To sum up,

1 no coolant loss

2 no steam in the dry (even after some driving n idling)

3 coolant temp 80-82C

4 that steaming radiator was replaced in 2009

Edited April 8, 2012 by niceguy

[niceguy]

I hope it is just some curd or turd or tissue paper sticking onto the radiator. I plan to remove e bumper myself but I am worried with my limited skill, I might damage the paint on the bumper in the process.

[niceguy]

2nd update of the problem,

1 no loss of coolant

2 steam appear only in wet weather

3 in dry weather, the radiators do not even feel hot when I put my hand into the grills of the front bumper (not sure if the condensers are in the way causing the inability to feel the heat)

I plan to remove the bumper tonight to inspect for any leak and remove the dirt stuck between the condenser and the radiator.

Moreover, the abs & Pam light always reappear at the same slope (decline) in the car park when the car is still cold. V Minor engine rev fluctuation can be felt at idle. It drives like a train otherwise.

[niceguy]

Problem solved

Having removed the bumper yesterday, I found there were loads of leaves n dust stuck to the radiators, which is exactly what i thought what it might be. To confirm my finding, I left the bumper off after cleaning the radiators, clearly i could see smoke coming out of the front (mouth) n the 2 radiators on the side. Once dried, there were no more steam, thank god. So, this the steaming issue should be the same for all 996 models and the smoke should only appear in the wet or when the radiators are wet with no loss of coolant.