Coolant Overflow Reservior Crack

[Sputter]

I'm trying to track down a slow coolant leak. While looking at the tank (nothing was jumping out at me) I was able to read the small part number ;)

996.106.047.08. It appears my was changed "recently".

I wonder if that's latest revision of this part.

[Tool Pants]

Where are you getting the part number for the tank. If from the tank itself then take a picture.

[Sputter]

Where are you getting the part number for the tank. If from the tank itself then take a picture.

I'll do that and post it tonight

It's a little lower then manufacturers stamp/name (behind the hoses). Oddly the 3rd hose (bottommost one of the 3 had no clamps on it).

Jim

[Sputter]

Where are you getting the part number for the tank. If from the tank itself then take a picture.

*disclaimer* this picture is brutal. after a number of attempts this the best I could do. I used a pencil to darken the numbers for relief. (zoom is your friend here).

996.106.047.08

[Loren]

The latest US price list shows that number

"99610614708 EQUALIZING TANK $274.55"

PET does not.

[Tool Pants]

I checked with the parts department for a 986 tank and .08 is the latest version. There is a picture of it on page one. Think this is the version that has a plastic plug for the dip stick, and the plug is removed for the 986. When I had the guy search for a 2005-2006 987 tank it also came back to .08. No clue why it is not shown on PET.

[DaveE]

I checked with the parts department for a 986 tank and .08 is the latest version. There is a picture of it on page one. Think this is the version that has a plastic plug for the dip stick, and the plug is removed for the 986. When I had the guy search for a 2005-2006 987 tank it also came back to .08. No clue why it is not shown on PET.

I just bought a new tank for my '97 today. The part # is 996.106.047.10.

[DaveE]

I renewed the tank in my '97 today. It wasn't leaking badly and only started leaking maybe a month ago. It would only leak when the temp got near the next line above 180 (215 maybe?). It first started on a very hot day in mid-June when I was driving in late afternoon 77 miles home from a business trip. Anyway today I replaced the tank using all the great info from the previous posters in this thread. Thanks to everybody for your help, whether you realized it or not.

My only comments: The tank in my car had an .02 revision on it so I suspected at first it was also a replacement, then noticed the '96' in the circle below the part number. My car was built in Nov, '96 so I'm assuming it was the original. It lasted nearly 12 years and 116,000 miles so I can't complain too loudly I suppose.

The replacement was a .10 revision as I stated in the previous post. It didn't have the dipstick hole drilled out; a 1 inch bit was perfect. It also had a large nipple for the overflow hose, much larger than the original tank. It was maybe 1/2 inch compared to the maybe 5/16 of the original, so I had to make an adapter for the hose to attach. I think I broke whatever contraption they use as an oil fill pipe, the part in the engine compartment, and will need to replace that soon so I will be ripping a few things apart again to do that. Otherwise it went well. I was able to use standard pliers to release the dreaded clamp in the engine compartment because it was angled in towards the drivers side. I tried to clamp the hose on the new tank but it wouldn't pass through the gasket so I took the clamp off and slipped the hose through, re-applying the clamp behind the gasket. Otherwise it wasn't too bad and I didn't even bleed!

Tool Pants made a comment early in the thread that Porsche should have stayed with air cooling. As the owner of a '78 SC, I agree. That thought went through my mind often while doing this repair.

[cjwheeling]

I just want to thank everyone who has contributed to this DIY. I just finished my replacement on my 2001 Boxster S; what a pain in the rump. Would have been much harder if not for the advice of everyone here. :thankyou:

BTW, I tried to do it from the top but I couldn't figure out how anyone could bend their arms enough to do it. According to the service advisor at my local stealership, their mechanics always do it from the top.

[svansyoc]

Was just going thru older posts and found this thread, won't help the people that have already gone thru it but our technitians trick on replacing the coolant tank is to disconnect the battery and remove the connections at the dme control unit on the left side of the trunk bulkhead and push the rubber gromment of the wire loom into the engine compartment,Then use the this hole, using cable hose clamp pliers to access the clamps. This trick can really speed things up.

[mkesler]

Has anyone installed the racing type aluminum expansion tank? I just hate to spend the time replacing another plastic tank when I know I would never have another problem with the aluminum type and they only cost $1oo bucks or less.

[DaveE]

Has anyone installed the racing type aluminum expansion tank? I just hate to spend the time replacing another plastic tank when I know I would never have another problem with the aluminum type and they only cost $1oo bucks or less.

I'm not familiar with them. Do you have a link?

[ezmunyman]

Hi All.

I replaced the tank. It was a MF! my question is after I finished I refilled tank with Porsche antifreeze, drove car for 30 minutes now my check engine light is on. Does anyone have any idea why this happened? and what can I do to fix it. 99 Boxster.

EZ.

[DaemonRa]

I had the same issue, took the resevoir tank out and there was definately a crack in the bottom.

1. where can i look online to get the best deal on a new one and is it smart to look in junk yards?

2. My car had issues with the temperature gauge saying it was overheating, i've ran low on coolant before and it has never even come close to overheating however my gauge told me it was getting very hot and it goes from cold to overheated in 15minutes of driving. What other sort of issue could this be?

[akboxster]

My 01 986 had the normal Boxster coolan tank crack and the dealership replaced it in a few hours. I kept having moisture build up above the coolant cap and oil cap on the underside of the trumk lid. I took the car in and they tech inspected and put in a new tank with cap. He showed me the tamk where it had the crack in it, mostly a hairline crack. He said it was age and how it was manufactured (designed).

[onejstchillin]

I hate to beat a dead horse. But. I have an 02' that leaks coolant near front of rear wheel well from what appears to be a drip hose. I've pulled the carpet to check the tank and it's dry even while the coolant is leaking. There is some condensation around the cap area and the trunk lid. The car runs fine but as soon as I turn it off I loose more than half the fluid.

Any ideas what is going on hear. The tank is dry to the touch sides and bottom.

[Loren]

I hate to beat a dead horse. But. I have an 02' that leaks coolant near front of rear wheel well from what appears to be a drip hose. I've pulled the carpet to check the tank and it's dry even while the coolant is leaking. There is some condensation around the cap area and the trunk lid. The car runs fine but as soon as I turn it off I loose more than half the fluid.

Any ideas what is going on hear. The tank is dry to the touch sides and bottom.

If your cap is a -00 or -01 change it for sure. Still if you have condensation around the cap that would be the place to start.

[portana]

Thanks to this Board, I have also tackled an expansion tank replacement on my '98ster. Looks like it has been awhile since the last post and for those of you planning on replacing yours, with this post, I want to net out my replacement per these steps since there were some techniques not previously mentioned which I wanted to pass along: (PM with any questions)

1. Partially drain coolant. Get someone to spot ya and tell you when the coolant has drained out of the tank. This gets messy. Have extra shirt on hand. Tighten plug.
   
2. Remove clamps from two of the three water hoses attached at the firewall plate (my apologies for not using proper part naming). Overflow hose did not have any clamps. Pull loose hoses. Be prepared to catch some residual coolant.
   
3. Remove fasteners and loosen tank from trunk and firewall. Remove cooling sensor. (twist white connector to tank)
   
4. Here’s where it gets fun…this worked for me. A lot has been posted on how to remove clamp off main hose at bottom of tank from behind the firewall, but I wanted to share my methods….from below the car, fish the cable pliers head up and let it clip on something temporarily. There is a (assuming) hydraulic line which you need to pass the head of the pliers next to it and against the firewall. It fits. From inside the car, behind passenger seat, reach and find end of pliers. Your blinded at this point but feel top clip and place it on top ear of clamp. Gravity is working for you here. Then push body of clamp so its flat against fire wall. Check you made connection with flashlight. Its ok if pliers head is open wider than clamp. I am only working the clamp holding hose to tank at the short 3” hose. Once your satisfied the top of the pliers is engaged with the top clamp ear, go to the pliers from below the car, squeeze handle slowly. Back in the car, you’ll see bottom clamp flange reaching bottom clamp ear. If your satisfied the pliers will engage the bottom of the clamp, go back and squeeze and set pliers. However, this won’t loosen clamp enough. With a carpenter’s clamp, further compress pliers handle. You can now loosen the clamp down the hose. Contrary to other postings and Bentley, this was the only clamp I removed from behind the firewall off a hose.
   
5. Back in the trunk, you can now pull the tank from the hose. This loosens the tank further. Remove the oil tube from the tank. Pull out the dip stick and the old tank pulls out.
   
6. Transfer the three water hoses to your new tank. Re-install cooling sensor. Put tank back into position and replace and tighten fasteners. Re-attach the water hoses using screw clamps. (I used total of 5 clamps, four at trunk side hoses and one in firewall).
   
7. With the bottom coolant outlet through firewall, from firewall side, push the 3” short hose onto outlet. Tighten scew clamp. (I used 8mm socket with ¼” driver). This was actually tricky cause the clamp kept wanting to spin and your working blind.
   
8. Top with coolant and check for leaks.
   

Couple notes:

• I used Craftsman Hose Clamp Cable pliers for this job thanks to recommendations found in past posts
  
• Purchased new tank from Pelican. Cut hole for dip stick through pre-placed knockout hole
  

[mbscw1]

I realize fully that this may be a stupid question, but is it possible to patch seal this tank ? I know for most Porsche drivers, paying the full replacement cost is the way to go, but if you needed to, "could you put a sealant patch on the tank"? Thanks

[JFP in PA]

I realize fully that this may be a stupid question, but is it possible to patch seal this tank ? I know for most Porsche drivers, paying the full replacement cost is the way to go, but if you needed to, "could you put a sealant patch on the tank"? Thanks

No. Because of the material the tank is made from, and the pressures at which it operates, patching or glue simply will not hold. And, as you would have to remove the tank to patch many of the failure cracks, you would have already done the major work required to install a new one.

[mbscw1]

Perfect ! That's just what I needed to know. Thank You.

[mbscw1]

^{One last question please, as I wait for my expansion tank to arrive (Monday 21st), my 99 boxster has been sitting patiently. I went out today to crank it to make sure the battery was not dead and a white cloud of smoke poured from the exhaust. Do I now have another problem to deal with or did it smoke because it was low on coolant ? Thanks}

[JFP in PA]

Low coolant will not cause the car to blow smoke; usually it is a small amount of oil that accumulated in one or more cylinder while the car was sitting, and is not uncommon in these cars. If the smoke persists, that would be something to be concerned about as it could be a an AOS failure on the way or possilbe coolant leak into a combustion chamber.