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BillyJo98

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Everything posted by BillyJo98

  1. JFP, Question: I have approximately 4.0 gallons of coolant in the car at the moment. Do I need to empty as much as possible before pulling vacuum again per your instructions above?
  2. JFP, thanks. You keep debunking my "theories" and maybe I'll get a little closer to figuring out what the issue is. So, the Airlift gauge will hold at 25 for as long as I want to leave it there. I'll pay close attention to what blinking patterns the gauge cluster shows and report back. It seems like I've seen patterns 1, 2 and 3 at different points.
  3. To clarify, I only took a glance at the block once the water pump was removed. My main concern was what the impellor blades would look like. The engine block looked clean and the composite blades also look fine. I can’t speak to what other types of pumps may have been used in the past though, as I don’t have any of the repair history. The scarring I noticed is mainly on inside the thermostat housing, which again was put on the car about 5 weeks ago and has less than an hour of run-time (guestimate). Thank you for sharing the diagram of the thermostat flow. It would make sense based off of the chart that if in fact I do still have a bubble (despite pulling appropriate vacuum with the Airlift) that a closed thermostat would make it nearly impossible to remove the bubble without purging and re-filling again.
  4. Circling back around on this. Replaced the water pump (Porsche part) and thermostat (Borg Warner 160 degree) this last weekend. As previously mentioned, the existing thermostat was several weeks old (probably less than on hour of actual run-time). Upon inspection, I see lots of scarring inside the metal housing; this might explain some of the silver-colored flakes I found in the coolant? I'm unsure of the age of the water pump. However, the impellor seems to be in good shape and there's no play on the bearing. The car accepted approximately 4.0 gallons of coolant when refilling with the Uview Airlift. However, I'm still having overheating issues. Several times now I've allowed the car to get up to 180 on the gauge cluster and then crawled under the car to feel the hoses. The hose coming from the thermostat does NOT get hot. The new unit is a Borg Warner 160 degree unit and as such should be opening. To recap: car has a new expansion tank, new water pump, new thermostat, new coolant level sensor and fresh coolant filled via vacuum. On a related note, my front fans no longer come on. As recently as two weeks ago they'd come on when the once the blinking red light on the gauge cluster started to warn of excessive temps. My engine compartment fan comes on around 180. I've turned on the AC to full blast to see if they'd engage, but no luck. I'll test these this coming weekend. Regardless of the fans though, if the thermostat isn't opening and send coolant to the fans, then does it even matter? I've taken the car out for several short drives now. I've filled the tank to the appropriate level (between MIN and MAX). The level hasn't moved at all though over the last several drives. Would an air bubble prohibit the thermostat from opening??? Any idea as to what I should try next?
  5. JFP, Thanks again for the response. I’ll take another crack at evacuating and filling with the Uview. Must be a user error on my part. Visual inspection of the water pump looked fine. Thermostat is brand-new. Uview pulled appropriate vacuum. Only explanation is user error. I do wonder though if perhaps the new thermostat is fried. Temp got up to around 190 degrees. Twice the tank spewed coolant all over the floor. Each time the temp was around 190 degrees. The first time this happened the radiator fans had engaged. The second time they had not. Should I be concerned?
  6. JFP, thanks for the info. I thought for sure this would be possible. But, if that's not the case, then I'm running out of ideas. I'll try evacuating and refilling again this weekend. Given the issues described. Do you think I have a blockage somewhere in the system?
  7. Good Day, I have a 98’ base 2.5L 5 Speed 986. Recently I replaced the expansion tank (see backstory below) and since replacing the tank, I’ve not been able to get the car to accept more than approximately 3 gallons of coolant. I’m fairly certain that the issue is an air pocket in the system, as I was able to successfully pull 25 lbs. of pressure for upwards of 5+ minutes using the Uview Airlift. I’ve attempted multiple times to get the bubble free first by following the Bentley manual bleeding process. Following this, I’ve tried most every other suggestion on the web. I’ve parked the car on a steep slope and opened the cap (I had quite a few bubbles emerge). I jacked up the back of the car and placed my coolant refill bucket above the tank level. I’ve driven around the block etc. Still, can’t get more than 3 gallons. My question is: Can I fill coolant directly into the radiators? (E.G., remove the bumper, condensers etc. and fill from the top?) Both my engine compartment fan and front radiator fans eventually turn on (car gets up to about 185 degrees). My theory with direct filling radiators is that since each unit houses approximately ¾ to 1 gallon alone, couldn’t I just fill those gaps and then be good to go? On two occasions now I’ve had the tank overflow and leak fluid all over the garage floor. Backstory: About a month ago the car started overheating. I looked at the tank and saw the level was slightly below the “MIN” marking. I topped it off, but continued to have overheating issues. Specifically, the car would get up to about 185 degrees and the blinking light would come on warning of overheating. I purchased a new cap from the dealer and drove around for a day or two with the bleeder valve open. Car continued to overheat. Took it to a mom & pop shop and asked that they flush the coolant. Long story short, they talked me into putting in new coolant and a new thermostat (180 degree), which I agreed to. They called me back and said the car wouldn’t take more than 2.5 gallons and asked for another day to trouble shoot. Next day they texted me and said I needed a new tank (to the tune of $1,300). They said they found pieces of plastic in the tank (I didn’t get to see these pieces). They were also confused by the float in the tank and advised that they couldn’t get this piece out. I had the car brought home on a flat bed. Purchased Uview Airlfit, new coolant, drain plug, crush nut, expansion tank, coolant temp thermostat (the one that goes on the bottom of the tank), etc. . Opened the drain plug and got about 2.0 gallons from under the car. Installed the new expansion tank (took nearly 8 hours). Went to pressure test the system and was shocked to see my new tank full of pink coolant. Released vacuum and emptied coolant from bottom of the car (did this several times) and was quite surprised to end up with slightly less than 4.5 gallons of pink coolant. Meaning, the car that was towed home on the flat bed had close to 4.5 gallons of coolant in the system . . . My theory is that the shop only emptied coolant by opening drain plug and they didn’t actually vacuum everything out. I suspect the coolant I pulled from the new tank came from the radiators. In any case, I now wonder if I’ve fried the new thermostat the shop installed. I purchased a new water pump, belt and 160 degree thermostat and will probably install this coming weekend. I hope not to run into an issue when I go to refill (again). But, in the event that I do, I’m considering trying to put coolant directly into radiators. Wondering how much harm (if any) this might cause.
  8. Hey JFP, Thanks for the quick response. I will give that a shot (delicately) when I get home. I'll follow up manana and let y'all know if that works.
  9. Good Afternoon, Relatively new Boxster (1998 base 2.5L 5-Speed Manual LHD) owner here. I'm having a tough time installing a new ignition switch. I originally purchased part #4A0-905-849-BMY-INT from Pelican only to find out that my car must of had the updated assembly installed at some point (I know this has been a common malady for a lot of cars), as the existing part in the car is the later Audi switch (part #4B0-905-849-OEM ). I purchased the newer switch and attempted to install this weekend. Unfortunately for my back/body, the lock assembly won't accept the new switch either. When comparing side-by-side, each switch is identical with exception to the orientation of the female end of the switch, which is turned in he opposite direction. So, whatever little prong is supposed to insert into this housing won't accept the new part. I gently tried turning the female end with the tip of the key (thinking that perhaps the key entered the switch anyway). But, no such luck. And, given that this is an $80+ part, I don't exactly want to tear it up. A previous thread describes a similar issue to mine. However, the conclusion to the thread didn't share specifics on what part solved the issue: "Turns out, my '98 had the entire switch replaced with a newer part (mechanical AND electrical) before I bought it, and it needed the newer electrical switch! Thanks to all who replied :renntech:" Based off of pulling the existing part and ordering the exact part #, I thought for sure my issues would be solved. I touched base with the Porsche experts at Pelican through their ticket system. But, they're not sure what the issue is either. Has anyone else come across this issue? Again, I don't want to damage the part. But, I'm willing to try prying the assembly apart to see if I can change the orientation. My other alternative is to buy the other switches offered on Pelican (Febi #4B0-905-849-M36, Meyle 4B0-905-849-M36 and O.E.M. 4B0-905-849-M56. But, I'd like to avoid this if possible (I don't think Pelican's taking any of these parts back, as they'd be opened). Any help is appreciated. P.S. I'm replacing the switch in hopes that it solves issues that I'm having with the Tach, Speedo and Horn not functioning.
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