Am I too hot?!

[dinicor]

So, I store my car for the winter and I have only had a few chances to drive her so far this spring, unfortunately. This is my first summer with her.

Generally speaking, how hot do these cars run? Here's a shot of my temperature gauge after a bit of stop and go driving. It does not get higher than that and I know the fans work.

Should I be concerned? Again, it is not that hot out yet (here in Canada) and I was not sitting in traffic for that long. Thoughts?

[mffarrell]

Seems kind of high. Look into both intake vents on the front bumper to see if there is debris next to the radiators.

[Ahsai]

Best is to use a obdii or durametric scanner to read the actual temp in case the dash gauge is not accurate. Also make sure the coolant reservoir cap hold pressure and the fans work in both low and high settings, triggered at diff temp.

[Y2K911]

You are on the right of 0 of 80. Mine runs on the left of 0 usually. Sometimes it gets to where you are but that is rare and where I live on Vancouver Is., the temp. gets rarely beyond 25C. Check for debris in front of your radiators. If there are some, taking out the front spoiler will give you access to both radiators to remove that stuff. An easy DIY.

[dinicor]

Ok, so I had the front bumper off this winter and cleaned everything out. Only thing I didn't get to do was flush out some accumulated dirt between the fins at the bottom of the radiators (winter in Toronto = no running outdoor water!), but I didn't think it was a big deal.

Now, pardon my ignorance, but my OBDII reader doesn't read the temperature - I didn't think you could get one to do that (I thought they only read the CEL codes?). And how/where would I get a durametric scanner?

As for the cap and fans, is there an easy way to make sure the cap holds pressure and how would I check that the fans work at both speeds?

Thanks again guys!

[Ahsai]

If you use an Android smartphone, you can buy a bluetooth obdii dongle and the Torque Pro app. If you use an iphone, you need the wifi obdii dongle. If neither, you can still get a stand alone obdii reader that can read real-tine sensor value for $50.

Durametric you can get from durametric.com or try to get a used one with 1 or 2 VIN slots left (3 slots limit when new).

With durametric, you can command the fans to be turned on fir both high/low settings. Without, I suppose you can let the engine idle from cold for a long time, rev the engine a bit and wait till the engine comes up to temp, then the low/high fans should come on at diff temp.

The CAP you need a pressure tester like Stant but the CAP is cheap to replace anyway.

[kbrandsma]

If you are not losing coolant or your red light next to the temp gauge is not flashing, I would make sure all air is out of the system and check the accuracy of your temp gauge.

[dinicor]

I should probably do a better search, but is there an easy/known way to bleed air out of the system on these cars?

[RD996]

I just changed my coolant using this:

http://www.uview.com/index.cfm?PAGEPATH=Products/Cooling&DSP=ProductDetail&ID=45700&PRODUCTID=5120

It's ridiculously easy and it tests the integrity of your cooling system to a point as well.

[fpb111]

If the next mark is 100c then you are right about where the low speed fans come on.

Electric fan, speed 1
Coolant temperature higher than 96.75° C or air conditioning switched on.

Electric fan, speed 2
Coolant temperature > 102° C or air-conditioning fluid pressure switch closed (coolant pressure > 16 bar

From post 2 here-> http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/16622-when-does-the-fan-work/#entry83062

[Ahsai]

I should probably do a better search, but is there an easy/known way to bleed air out of the system on these cars?

I've never tried it but people seem to have success with it. If I remember right, you can find a slope with the car nose facing down so it's easier for air bubbles from the radiator to float up back to the coolant tank. Then pop the bleeder valve on the coolant tank by lifting the metal wire. Then let the engine idle to warm, then rev up the engine a few times to 4-5k (to speed up the water pump and coolant flow, hoping to rush the air out). Then drive the car a bit more and let the engine cool down completely (overnight). Check the coolant level and top off if necessary. Repeat the above. If the coolant level does not drop anymore, you're done and can close the bleeder valve.

Edit: I think the slope thing is optional but will help. A flat ground should be fine too.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Ahsai

[Ahsai]

Maybe difficult to find a slope in Toronto :)

[dinicor]

Buddy... Toronto's been going downhill for three + years now... It's called Rob Ford Syndrome! LOL!

Changed the cap out... not much of a difference.

Fans definitely go on. Low vs high speed - can't tell. I'm not overly worried, as it never gets beyond that point and it's only in heavy stop and go traffic, but if I'm using my other cars as a measuring stick, then I'd prefer that the P-car be to the left of the "0" like Y2K indicated.

Does every Porsche DIY'er have a Durametric handy? Is it a must have?

Edited May 18, 2014 by dinicor

[Ahsai]

Lol, always amused by his news.

If you plan to DIY or troubleshoot a lot, Durametric is a must have imho as it provides extra info and capability than regular OBDII scanners such as cam deviation, misfire counts, clearing airbag light, commanding components to be turned on, etc. Depending on the issues you are experiencing, you may not need all the features but when you need it, there's no substitute (at this price).

[Domiac]

I should probably do a better search, but is there an easy/known way to bleed air out of the system on these cars?

In case you wish to completely drain, flush and refill your system, use the excellent tool which RD996 mentioned or a simple shop vacuum which is a bit more involving, see "instructions" from here:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/46584-how-to-drain-all-coolant-and-refill-with-a-simple-shop-vacuum/