[95968cab]

I drove my 968 to the Hershey meet on 21 April after getting the car on 19 April. Trip went well and I didn't notice any temp gauge issues.



I parked the car in my grage and overnight all the coolant leaked out. I checked all the hoses and can see no splits or clamp cuts. The overflow tank is fine.



I added more coolant and after a few minutes it leaked out, I did not even start the engine. I got under the car and the fluid was coming down in front of the engine but between the timing belt cover and block. I could see no source of the leak. I felt around all the hoses which were dry.



The dealer that sold me the car had replaced the thermostat. I could not find any wet areas when reaching in around the that area.



I got the cooling system diagram from the Porsche parts manual and traced the path after adding fluid but nothing was wet that I could reach when the coolant was leaking with the engine off. I did not start the engind to see if the coolant leaked when running as I don't want to create more problems.



I really didn't want to take the timing belt plastic cover off, I could do it but I don't want to expose myself to having to do something to put it back on that may be over my capabilites.



Any ideas or references to seek out?



Thanks.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[mbardeen]

The timing belt cover is fairly easy to remove & replace. Perhaps the worst part of the job is removing the belly pans to get to the powersteering & alternator/AC belt tensioners.



Your coolant problem sounds an awful lot like a bad gasket for the water pump. You might be able to repair it with some RTV, but the gasket is cheap. The biggest difficulty is actually getting to the pump to make the repair. Once you've done that, you might as well just replace the gasket.



If you're in there already, it makes sense to do the timing & balance belts, and maybe even replace the waterpump. Do you have the service records for the car? When were the belts & pump last changed?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[mbardeen]

I just saw from your introduction that you have no service records for the car. It's definitely worth doing all belts, the rollers, and the waterpump when you're fixing this.



If you're not comfortable fixing this yourself, RSBarn has a very good reputation and knows the 968s. They're in Newtown, PA, around 40 miles from you.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

rs barn no longer does service, closed their service facility, and is focused on racing development. max, who used to be at rs barn, has now gone over to provost



it sounds like the water pump has failed, or you have a major gasket or hose failure.



if the water pump failed, it would create pressure, which would then find its way out when you turn off the engine.



do NOT drive the car until you determine where the leak is.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Scott Collins]

The water pump bolts to the engine block just underneath the camshaft sprocket and distributor. You can only see the upper part of it and will probably need to do the following to troubleshoot:



1. Remove belly pan - the rectangular undertray, black plastic, under the belts.



2. Remove distributor and upper timing/balance belt cover.



2. Remove lower timing/balance belt cover. You should be able to slide the cover a bit over without removing a belt.



I just did this over the summer, replaced pretty much everything, so if you would like to be in touch, just send me a pm and we can exchange contact info.



And as Flash mentioned, above, Max, an excellent mechanic who used to work at RS Barn, is now at Provost Motorsports, in Bordentown, NJ. Fairly close to you. Might be an option if you want to use someone VERY familiar with our cars.



Good luck.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Cloud9...68]

Or maybe you're REAL lucky, and it's only leaking from this fitting on the water pump:

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.