Refer to my first thoughts above again

Could use any advice on this pending repair.

For some time I have had a very slow coolant leak somewhere -- mechanic (who I trust) couldn't find it, but every once in a while the red light would flash and I'd fill the coolant tank.

Yesterthe light started flashing but when I went to fill the tank, it poured out the bottom of the car, right side just in front of the rear wheels. Possible causes that occur to me are a faulty line or a faulty expansion tank. The latter case, my mechanic tells me, could be expensive.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

2001 Base, purchased in 2004, replaced engine at 130K+, RIP 2017

as he should have been able to find your coolant leak on first pass if he knew how to properly diagnose. Solving a consistent low coolant flashing light by adding fluid (to a CLOSED system which rarely needs any maintenance) is um no solution. It begs you to find and correctly fix the problem before it becomes catastrophic (which is way beyond pissing all the coolant on your shoes...)

Otherwise, by description of where it all leaked out, obvious signs point to expansion tank... assuming it came out at a rate equal/close to poured in. W/o coolant, do NOT drive but get it towed to someone (not your current mechanic) who knows what they are doing and they will diagnose and pressure test the system properly.

Expansion tank will be ~ $350 parts + labor to R&R (seriously, if your mechanic was worth his salt he would have easily found this earlier as signs are fairly obvious and you wouldn't be out a tow too). Word to wise... get an OEM tank and don't try to squeak by w/ aftermarket as many who have ended up revisiting issue in short order. Depending on age/mileage of your motor (as I see it's been replaced), might consider doing t-stat / H2O pump if they weren't done at time of transplant...

Good luck



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2015 02:44PM by Burg Boxster. (view changes)

Thanks. He checked the tank carefully at the time and said he checked everything else and could not find a leak at all. I credit him on this because it was a very slow leak and in the past he's done outstanding work on both this car and an aging BMW we have as well, always finding the problem, always fixing it and ALWAYS undercharging us, including not charging at all for spending two days looking at the blown engine origninally in my car that we ultimately replaced. He also grossly undercharged me for the time and additional servicing connected with finding the right replacement engine, putting it in and getting the car back into roadworthy shape.

Were this any other of the mechanics I've dealt with over the years, though, I would be following your advice in a flash -- and I certainly wouldn't have taken the risky step of spending thousands of dollars to replace the engine in the first place.

Thanks.

... that aren't obvious you need to cold-pressure test the system.
By pressurizing the coolant system you'll be able to physically find the leak whether it's from the water pump, the expansion tank, one of the radiators or any of the lines or its connections.
If you can't find the leak after inspecting the system (on a lift) then the leak may be internal.
That would be the worst case leak. Go check your oil with the dipstick. If the oil looks like milkshake it's going to cost you.
Good luck
Happy Boxstering
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

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"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

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He has the car now, but he checked the oil last week when I thought I needed an oil change and he said it was too clean to change, come back in a few months.

I think he did pressure test it.

Five thousand miles back. Oil is clean.

Seriously, I'm glad you've been happy w/ this guy in the past his undercharging and all. That said, it's becoming evident, in my opinion, he's not serving you well of late.

Cooling issues (pertaining to both oil & water) should not be taken lightly on any motor...

H2O side...From quick archives glance, this issue has been nagging for 15+ months. It's a CLOSED system which rarely needs attention. Meaning the H2O in really shouldn't go anywhere except (for ll intents and purposes) stay in the loop unless there is a void in system. If there is, then needs addressed quickly. If void isn't making H2O mix w/ the oil (good!), then it will be clearly evident elsewhere where it leaks out (tank, rad, pump, hose, etc...) particularly so as you've re-filled the system more than once.

Oil side... if your signature is accurate and car currently has 134k, 5k from last oil change / engine transplant (at 129k), then your oil is 30+ months old. At minimum, it's 18months overdue to be changed... unless you're shooting for better luck w/ engine #3...

You really should find a new mechanic...

if they are not regularly heated up above boiling, and held there sufficiently long, the oil is contaminated with accumulated water, fuel, and combustion acid by-products, all of which are awful for motors. Oddly, a track driven car will have nearly zero dilution since it get so hot so often and stays there. My oil lab analysis confirms this.

30 months is a very long time. for 5 k, that means 160 miles/month. Not much. Its fine if that means 4 trips of 40 miles, but i bet it doesn't.

In my street car, which puts about 5-k/yr on, i change it every 12 months, and a routinely try to get it good and hot - i drive it somewhere significant (until my commute changed, that meant work once a week - 30 miles on the highway each direction).

How oil can be clean after 5k miles i have no idea. And how someone can tell that it looks good visually, is beyond me. One needs to test viscosity, dilution, pH, metals, etc. Or, since few can or will, it needs to be changed more often than strictly necessary.

If you recall, Ed the bearing guy felt that acidic oil was one of the major culprits in the failures of that-whcih-must-not-be-named.

G

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

The sooner I get the oil level down to Min, the sooner the car will be back at the dealer to take the next step in having the oil drop resolved. Then I think another multi-thousand mile road trip is in order. Maybe to "nowhere" this time, instead of always somewhere.

Minus 40 degrees... Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?

Quote
Laz
The sooner I get the oil level down to Min, the sooner the car will be back at the dealer to take the next step in having the oil drop resolved. Then I think another multi-thousand mile road trip is in order. Maybe to "nowhere" this time, instead of always somewhere.

Hey, at BRBS there are times when people take a drive to nowhere. Ya oughta come done and try it.

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

[www.youtube.com]

Quote
JackintheBoxster - Friday, 31 January, 2014, at 4:31:32 pm
Apparently was a minor leak in a hose, indy mechanic said don't worry about it, going over to pick up car, no charge from him.

[pedrosboard.com]

I mean, if he inspected the system before and the water pump was leaking he should have seen signs of white crustiness near the water pump. And it's not like he would have missed the pump since that's a (if not the) prime suspect in a car of this age/mileage.

Was broken, now replaced, parts and labor seven something. As a bonus, a rattle that might have been a loose part on the catalytic converter has now disappeared.