[968Z]

Just got home from a short drive, and parked in the drive way. It started to look like rain and starting to get dark, so I moved the car into the garage. When I came out, I noticed a small puddle of this fluid. I didn't notice any drivability issues earlier, and it is now too dark to get underneath and look. I thought it might be hydraulic fluid, but I'm not sure. I had a new clutch plus slave installed less than 5000 miles ago. I also had a new hose installed, as this was the culprit for the clutch failure. Am I looking at hydraulic fluid?

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[94SilverCab]

A/C oil???

Jay

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[flash]

if you didn't change the master, it could easily be hydraulic fluid - happens all the time when other components are changed and one is left weak

one of the reasons i use the blue stuff is that it is easily identified

you should be able to tell though, as the clutch portion of the reservoir is pretty small - it should show a low level pretty quickly

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[968Z]

Hmmm... Could be. But the a/c wasn't on. I'll take a look in the morning.

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[968Z]

I'm pretty sure I had the master replaced too, but I look at the paperwork tomorrow. Thanks for the advice.

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[greg968CAB]

Clear fluid that has the consistency of mineral oil would be brake fluid. Think baby oil but with a smell more like baby oil that has been cooked. If you are brave taste it. If it has any hint of sweetness its probably is radiator fluid.

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[MC968CS]

Word of warning, I have seen a spate of water pump failures in 968's including my car recently, and replaced the pump. It seems there is a leak that develops in the pump bearings and is evidenced by a leak, at system pressure, along the shaft. We could only find it by pressurising the cooling system manually, and getting the car up on a hoist.

Good luck finding your problem.

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[Tom030]

"Word of warning, ............"
As an FYI there is a block off plate next to the thermostat housing that has an "O" ring that can leak and mimic a leaking water pump.
Been there done that.
~tom

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[madridcab]

Check your steering reservoir?

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[968Z]

Finally got a chance to check out the leak. It is coolant, coming off the "batwing" under the radiator, not out of the water pump housing (whew!). It may be just a bad hose, as the radiator was replaced about 20,000 ago. Two questions: One, is there something around or under the radiator that tends to fail that I should look at first? And what is the recommended replacement coolant these days? I use the orange colored stuff in my Saab, but I have (had) green in the 968. Thanks for all of the hints so far.

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[Chris Vais]

There is a drain plug near the bottom of the radiator, lower left side (drivers side). It is just a cheap plastic valve and it will fail especially if it has been used a couple of times. Your new radiator should have come with a new valve, but if you didn't install it yourself you won't know for sure. If this valve is leaking, make sure that you have a replacement in hand before you mess with it. I didn't and of course it broke when I attempted to tighten it and proceeded to drain much of the coolant out of the car.

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[DaveN]

Also check that the belt is not rubbing a hole in the rad hose. I believe there is a plastic clip that Flash talks about being missing on some cars and it stops the hose from touching the belt; tolerances are real close at that crossing point.

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[flash]

it's a support bracket - i put up a thread about it

check all of your hoses - they get old - also, new ones need to be retightened

heater control valves are known to weep just before they fail too

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[968Z]

Finally got around to getting the car in to the shop (It's been so hot here there has been no reason to go out for a drive!) Anyway, they put it up on the rack, and sure enough, the leak was coming from the blue plastic drain plug. Worse yet, when they went to tighten it, part of it just fell off. Can the remains of the plug be removed from the radiator and a new plug installed, or is it more serious? I did not take it to my regular Porsche shop, as I thought it was just a hose or something simple. I hope this is a simple fix.

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[flash]

i had this happen to me - there isn't much torque o the plug - you can get it out - use a flat blade screwdriver as if there was a slot in the plug - push to apply pressure and give it a twist - you should be able to get it turning and then just spin it out

i recommend pulling the lower hose and draining the radiator first

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[968Z]

Is there a part # for the replacement plug, or better yet is there a brass or metal equivilent?

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[968Z]

Nevermind. I found one. As a former Oregonian, thanks Flash, for all of your knowledge!

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[flash]

no worries - the plug is pretty inexpensive, and i keep a few around here, as they snap pretty easily - make sure you use the plastic plug though, and not a bolt or brass plug, because a regular bolt or brass plug will strip the plastic and still not seal up

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