Engine cooling pipes

[emc69]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the club and new to Porsche car ownership. I recently bought a 997 Carrera S on 2006 plate with 91k miles. I took a bit of a chance purchasing from a non-specialist Porsche dealer and had the car subsequently checked over by RSJ in Slough (anyone used these guys before?) They identified a number of things to attend to and they prioritised having the engine cooling pipes replaced. RSJ showed some residual coolant at the head end of the pipes just by the inside of the front wheels and at the other end towards the back of the car. There is no leaks and the residual coolant liquid have crystallised and no further visual on going leaks.

Question I had is has anyone had this done and how urgent do you does anyone think it is. I don't want to succumb to be scare mongered as you can something feel like you are being. Since the check I have done about 300 miles and nothing ado...although I will post separately on questions I have on the other items.

Thanks in advance!

 

[caphelps]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the club and new to Porsche car ownership. I recently bought a 997 Carrera S on 2006 plate with 91k miles. I took a bit of a chance purchasing from a non-specialist Porsche dealer and had the car subsequently checked over by RSJ in Slough (anyone used these guys before?) They identified a number of things to attend to and they prioritised having the engine cooling pipes replaced. RSJ showed some residual coolant at the head end of the pipes just by the inside of the front wheels and at the other end towards the back of the car. There is no leaks and the residual coolant liquid have crystallised and no further visual on going leaks.

Question I had is has anyone had this done and how urgent do you does anyone think it is. I don't want to succumb to be scare mongered as you can something feel like you are being. Since the check I have done about 300 miles and nothing ado...although I will post separately on questions I have on the other items.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jmaddox]

Quite a common issue as these cars get older. Not cheap to replace unfortunately. I am not aware of sudden massive coolant loss in such cases and probably a case of carefully monitoring coolant level and getting it done when funds allow.

 

[PAG ZERO1]

Hi emc69,
I had the same problem on my 997.2 early last year (10 year old car), I first noticed when I went to check the coolant levels and it was on the lower limit so I decided just to top up to the full level. The level never drop thereafter (10 months later), until I had the car serviced by my local OPC who noticed that there was a leak from the cross over coolant pipes, but like you the coolant liquid have crystallised and was not showing any signs of leaks. I was now sure whether to replace the pipes etc straight away so went on line to see what others had commented on with this problem, there was some concerns that if the pipes/coolant were to let go at speed and you were not quick enough to realise what had happened and shut the engine down you could wreak the engine ?
So I decided to have all the pipes replaced and hoses by the local OPC as watching You Tube it seemed to be a major job. I had all the cross over pipes replaced and hoses which cost just over £600 with PCGB discount as I like to keep my car in A1 and have no advisories on the Mot. Its your call I would suggest that having just forked out a lot on the car, and if you don't drive it hard,just keep an eye on the levels and replace when you can afford it or a suitable time when you can have the work done.
Hope this Helps
regards

Pete

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[emc69]

Thanks Gents,
Appreciate you commenting back. I'm waiting to hear from my warranty company to see if they cover the cost. It's about £1400 to replace all pipes including labour. RSJ also recommended while they are at it to replace the rear main and IMS seals (no oil drips on ground), major service, replace n/s silencer box all totally over £5k!

Should I get it all done at the same time?

 

[Rodney Naghar]

IMO I'd leave it alone. This is an issue many GT3 owners face. It's much more serious for us because we likely more frequently use our cars on track. There the cars reach higher temps and so are at greater risk of having the pipes pop off at speed and slipping on the spilling coolant resulting in a serious off. People don't just tend to replace their pipes as it could just happen again, they have them welded or pinned on (even more expensive).

However, even on track, it's a rare ocurance, and these cars always end up having their pipes replaced and back on the road with no engine damage. Overheating takes a while. Most do not have their pipes pinned or welded.

Therefore I'd wager its statistically even less likely for a road car that doesn't(?) see much track time to be sufficiently at risk of the pipes popping off or having an off as a result.

As for the IMS, if it's working I'd leave it alone. Replacement IMS' are lifed items and need to be replaced again anyway. The probability of an IMS going is also very low. keep a Porsche warranty on it for peace of mind.

 

[jmaddox]

Its up to you ,of course, but I'm with Rodney on this. Keep a careful watch on the coolant level and investigate any loss. I understand your garage suggesting other items if they drop the engine which is sensible. But over 25 years of Porsche ownership I've learnt that if it ain't broke don't fix it. Sometimes disturbing/changing things unnecessarily can result in more work/problems occurring. Keep the warranty in place just in case.

 

[STiG911]

Thanks Gents,
Appreciate you commenting back. I'm waiting to hear from my warranty company to see if they cover the cost. It's about £1400 to replace all pipes including labour. RSJ also recommended while they are at it to replace the rear main and IMS seals (no oil drips on ground), major service, replace n/s silencer box all totally over £5k!

Should I get it all done at the same time?

Firstly, I hope the warranty co will either pay for or contribute to the work, but as others have said, I'd not worry too much about it yet. My front coolant pipes were noted as something to monitor by my Indy (Autostrasse) last year, but he's not worried yet, so neither am I. As for 'while they are at it'? No. There's no such thing as 'while we're in there we'll replace the IMS and RMS' - rubbish, that's something that gets done when you're replacing the clutch, not when you're doing the coolant pipes.


What's your cars history like - is it even due a major service? Is the n/s silencer really that bad? Don't be panicked into doing a load of work all at once when you can meter it out over time, and a good Indy will encourage this, not scare you into forking out a fortune all at once. And that's all I'll say about RSJ in case I get in trouble with the moderators.

 

[John Setchell]

As wih previous cars I’ve renovated/maintained that lose coolant, finding the leak(s) can be tricky.
Pressurising the system helps, and to avoid cost of hiring or buying a test kit I have removed the pressure valve from a 986 expansion tank cap (keeping the rubber seal), drilled the top and installed tubeless bicycle valve. Pump her up to 10-15 lb/sq inch and start looking/listening.
Obviously you have to buy a second-hand cap first!

https://imgur.com/gallery/fX72EQI