Very well done video. Have this job coming up soon, will be replacing water pump and thermostat as same time as preventative. Have 96K miles and water pump was replaced by first owner about 50K miles and 8 years ago. -- Have you done front engine mount as well? Doing that as well soon, perhaps at same time o coolant change.
Good call on the WP & stat. 50-60K miles seems to be the usual life span. Her's crapped out at around 90K km so that is about 54K miles. No warning either. No leakage, no noise, nothing; one day the WP pulley just fell off when the impeller shaft let go. Never done the front mount - still seems to be in good shape on hers.
Absolutely awesome . Clear and informative 👍 even pre-empted my question about not being able to easily see the level on the coolant tank window😁 definitely the best video I have seen on this subject👍👌
Great Video John. I have a 987.1 CaymenS and need to do this job shortly. Feel a lot more confident now to carry it out. Keep up the good work. Mick Northern Ireland 👍
Great video, thanks! I had to do my liters to quarts conversation in my head lol BTW, tonmake the hoses come off easier in the future, use "sil-glide " from NAPA autoparts. I've used it on my 91 Ferrari Testarossa for the last 16 years. It makes taking all the hoses off the aluminum easy. This will be my first coolant change on the boxter. It has the same amount of complicated plumbing..duel rads.
Should use the pink coolant...i have used this Prestone and it tends to run really hot in heavy traffic. Also recommend replacing the water pump/thermostat at this point since it needs to be replace every 4-5 years or every 50-60K miles.
Cover water pump and thermostat replacement in this video: ua-cam.com/video/KQboEYiejoU/v-deo.htmlsi=i3Gd19TvWh2JA5nO No, you don't change them with every coolant change -that would be a complete waste. I personally change my coolant every 3 years, pump thermostat every 10 based on the low mileage this car sees. In short, you cater your services to your specific operational requirements - it's not black and white one size fits all. I've used both factory pink and the Prestone - no difference whatsoever in cooling ability.
I got alarm 'coolant level nok', so I refilled coolant but the alarm still there. I found some leakages from rear tires area. what should I do ? how can I find leakage point and how do I fix it? I asked the dealer shop. but I need to wait for a month....
John, I really enjoy seeing the videos, very easy to understand and very professional. Question not related to the video... I have a 986 Boxster 2002 and I need to open the front trunk to replace a dead battery. I already used what the manual recommended, an additional battery connected to the fuses box, but it does not work. I wonder if you know other ways to open it? Thanks
Does your 986 not have a manual frunk release down by the drivers seat? If not, and they changed the manual release (what I have on ours) to an electronic front trunk release, I really have no idea? There is a secondary manual release cable (at least on our 99) buried up in the left fender and it's routed from the front trunk latch along the front bumper impact structure, up into the fender. I've seen it when I've had the left headlamp out to change the bulbs and when I've had the bumper cover off to clean the AC condensers & radiators. I think you might be able to access it from the front tow hook cover plug on the front bumper, but I've never tried it and perhaps a 2002 doesn't even have the secondary emergency release cable?
@@Rchelicopterfun Thanks for the quick answer. Yes, they changed from a mechanic to an electric system for the front and back trunks. I will take a look if I can find the release cable and will let you know. Thanks
Hi John thanks. I have the same car in white and we really enjoy it. Can you let us know about any of the problems you’ve had with your car.? I see that you have of a little over 100,000 km. My car has been pretty much been trouble free. I did replace a headlight switch and one parking light bulb over the last five years. I did do the water pump thermostat coolant and spark plugs when I first got the car. My car was a California car and belonged to a close friend that was a Porsche guy. We flew out from Indiana bought the car and drove the coast of California before driving it back to Indiana.
Hi Steve, Like your 986, my wife & I have had few issues with ours since we got it back in 2001, this will be its 21st year in our garage 🙂 Regular maintenance basically plus a few of the known things which I mention in one of the videos (I think the lifting a 986 one). It has never once left us stranded roadside - knock on wood. Biggest two jobs I've done on it myself were replacing the clutch and while l had the transmission out, I changed the rear main seal and the IMS bearing. The dual row IMS bearing I removed was in perfect condition but I put the LN Engineering ceramic hybrid dual row one in for piece of mind. That was at about 90,000 km; it's now at 115,000 km. That same winter I also replaced the convertible top with an aftermarket one that has the glass window. The original top's plastic window was badly scratched and cracking at the fold line. The black canvas was also showing wear & tear, especially along the fold lines. I now treat this new top with 303 Fabric Guard every year and that really seems to be helping it stay looking like new. Our 986 had a rear tail light relay intermittently do funny things about 8 years ago (right tail light would stay on after car shut off). Traced that to a cold solder joint on the relay itself - resoldered the relay - been fine since. The rear spoiler relay also started intermittently acting up a couple years ago (spoiler wouldn't retract), but I just pulled the relay out and plugged it back in and it's been working fine since - likely some corrosion on one of the contacts is all I can think? Replaced the original HID headlight bulbs a few years back. Some other bulbs here and there. Brakes all around once. Water pump now twice. Last time I did the pump (last years video) I replaced all aux belt idler pully bearings (one was shot). Battery twice. Alternator once. Center cubby box lid hinge broke several years ago and I just glued it, but it cracked again last year. I'll have to get one of those hinge fix kits I guess for a permanent fix. Only thing I'm not particularly fond of is the rear tires seem to melt away by just looking at them the wrong way, but that is very likely a user issue... Awesome little cars 🙂
@@Rchelicopterfun Thanks for the reply John. I will try it out that 303 fabric guard on my Boxster. The top was brand new when I got it from my friend Joe. I installed the Indy 500 tires from Firestone. I’ve never been a Firestone fan but these tires are great for normal use and they are very reasonably priced. They are said to last around 30,000 miles. So far I have about 5000 on them and we will see how that goes. I need to do my brake fluid this year and your video was very helpful.
Steve - Great minds... I've got a set of Indy's on ours right now too after reading all the good reviews they were getting from fellow P-car owners 🙂 Always had Michelin Pilot Sports on this car before, but these things as you pointed out are lighter on the wallet, drive really nice, and do seem to be holding up better (so far - time will tell). Have fun with the brake flush.
I notice at about 30:26 you do have that tool with the rightangled shaft and pointy end. Works great and doesnlt chew up hoses like a Channelock pliers. Anyone know what that large Hex head plug is for near the Coolant drain?
Coolant will settle at lowest point in the system. If your back end is high and nose is low, a good % (likely about half) of the coolant will remain in the lines and both radiators. The only way to get it all out is to have the car level and remove the hoses.
What year is this 986? Just wanted to say it looks to be in excellent condition...pampered (just like mine!) I appreciate your videos and plan to do most of the work you have shown...save those $'s! I got lucky and bought my 2000 986 3 months ago with 31,000 documented miles on it so I am in a position to really keep it looking good (it's in EXCELLENT condition) and plan to do so....thanks for the effort, it's appreciated!
It's a 99. I used to work a Porsche dealership and got this one for the wife when it came off lease in 2001 knowing how the original owner babied it. Sound's like you found a little gem yourself - congrats! Hope you enjoy it as much as my wife (and I admit I) have enjoyed this one. These are such great little sports cars and thanks to the over exaggerated IMS issue, are way under valued. Guess most people forgot about all the collapsed chain tensionsers which destroyed engines in the early air cooled 911's (I had a 1973 911T for almost 20 years), and those things are selling for a mint now - wish I kept it. Hopefully the IMS issue will continue to keep the value of 986's & 996's down so more people can afford these awesome cars.
Unrelated, but what aftermarket radio did you go with on your Boxster? I’ve had my eye on a few, but worried about which would actually fit with an after market bezel.
Hi Patrick, Nothing special in there. Just one of those cheapie chinesium Amazon Android quad core double din head units. The one I put in her car has the DVD/CD player, navigation, and the most important item that I wanted her to have - the rear view/backup camera (don't ask why, but I'm sure you can guess). That feature alone is worth the cost of the unit times 10! haha I seem to recall the Android double din costing around $250.00 3 years ago. Bet they are even less now I'm sure. Figured there was no point spending close to $1K for a big name double din unit considering these things are obsolete the minute they go on sale, and sound quality is not something she really cares about - it's a Boxster after all and even one of these cheap Android double din units sound better than the factory unit that came with it. The best "sound" improvement you can give one of these little cars is to put in the rear speaker kit if you you didn't get one as an option. There was a fellow on eBay a number of years back that sold them for about $225, that is where I got the kit for her car. Not sure if he is still selling them or not? I could not believe how much better the sound was after I put that speaker kit in. As for the "bezel", I just custom made one out of Lexan sheet. I painted it with textured black spray paint (the stuff that feels a little rough when it dries). It's very similar to the look and texture to the black plastic parts in the center counsel (bat wing & climate panel, etc). Good match in other words.
I have a 986 Boxter S and purchased a really nice Sony radio through Crutchfield and installed it myself. Later I noticed the same radio was featured in a Porsche magazine
That would be my guess. Purging air just takes time in some cases. Ensure you have climate control temp set at max to fully open the heater valve. If you can't purge it by revving in the shop; then drive the car, bumps/vibrations etc. will help burp bubbles. Rev it, keep a close eye on both coolant temp and level. Top up as required and recheck/re-drive until all the air is out and the level stabilizes.
It's a very good idea & time to flush out the coolant with that work. The exception would be if the coolant you have in there now is practically new and you don't want to pour all that money away. Of course the other consideration if you try to save new coolant, is how confident you are that you can keep it clean during the drain/recovery process. You don't want to introduce any particles of dirt or other contaminants.
I hate that the boxster 987 doesnt have the bleeder valve. Ive been burping my car for a few days now haha. I could have bought a vacuum system but porsche could have easily added a bleeder as in the 986
Mines a 2009 Gen 2, 2.9. Remove the engine cover over the top of the engine and you will see there is a header tank and the air bleed valve right at the side of the Blue cap on the header tank. ( This is additional to the filler caps behind the small carpeted flap in the rear load area)
Is what safe - the flush process or the coolant type used? I'm sure the flush process would have similarities, but since I've never worked on a 13 Cayenne, I have no idea of the nuances or differences in the flush procedure. As for the coolant type. That's your call. Pestone All Makes All Models states it's compatible with pretty much everything, but I personally don't buy that 100% as I don't believe in absolutes. It's why I specifically state in the video it's still best practice to ensure all the coolant is thoroughly flushed/removed if you don't know the type in the system before introducing a possible different type.
Not sure what you mean by "transferred?" If you mean topping up after the test drive, no, the vent doesn't need to be opened up again after the initial air purging during fill up and revving
As I state in the video, any modern day aluminium safe AF is going to be okay provided what is used, is used exclusively and not mixed with different technology coolants.
I show & explain exactly how I did it in the video. Fill, watch, rev engine, recheck, top up, test drive, recheck, top up if required and a week later, it wouldn't hurt to recheck again after several heat and cool cycles.
That's because there is nothing show! All bleeding is internal back into the expansion tank when the vent valve is open (which I did show). This opens the upper lines from the radiators so no air is trapped at the top of the rads - it's that simple.
Very well done video. Have this job coming up soon, will be replacing water pump and thermostat as same time as preventative. Have 96K miles and water pump was replaced by first owner about 50K miles and 8 years ago. -- Have you done front engine mount as well? Doing that as well soon, perhaps at same time o coolant change.
Good call on the WP & stat. 50-60K miles seems to be the usual life span. Her's crapped out at around 90K km so that is about 54K miles. No warning either. No leakage, no noise, nothing; one day the WP pulley just fell off when the impeller shaft let go. Never done the front mount - still seems to be in good shape on hers.
@@Rchelicopterfun Thanks John.
instablaster
Thanks for not having music. The simple and frugal and direct nature of your videos really speak to me. Thanks.
Absolutely awesome . Clear and informative 👍 even pre-empted my question about not being able to easily see the level on the coolant tank window😁 definitely the best video I have seen on this subject👍👌
Amazing detail. No time wasted. Extremely thorough. Very efficient. Thx John!
Cheers
Mike
Glad you enjoyed it
Very thorough explanation, great vid. Thank you!!
Great Video John. I have a 987.1 CaymenS and need to do this job shortly. Feel a lot more confident now to carry it out. Keep up the good work. Mick Northern Ireland 👍
I can just tell you and your wife are awesome people! Thank you!
Thanks for the thorough video and comment replys. Yours are the best !
Glad to help
I use the 50/50 prestone in my Benz since 2013 no issues at all
Nice informative video - well done. I appreciate the thoroughness of this!
Glad it was helpful
brilliant video thankyou from england 🏴
🙂👍
Great video, thanks! I had to do my liters to quarts conversation in my head lol
BTW, tonmake the hoses come off easier in the future, use "sil-glide " from NAPA autoparts. I've used it on my 91 Ferrari Testarossa for the last 16 years. It makes taking all the hoses off the aluminum easy.
This will be my first coolant change on the boxter. It has the same amount of complicated plumbing..duel rads.
Good tip! Thanks 🙂
O have an Oriental red 2000 boxster with 2.7 l engine 89k miles. New to me in June 2019.
Wow! I learned a lot from you today.THANK YOU!!
Supeppppppppbbb brrro love you so much.. Today same my cayman make it crazy... Thanks your video..thanks allot... ❤️👍.. Frome srilankan TAMIL
Great 👍
Thank you thank you 🙏 🏆🥇
Should use the pink coolant...i have used this Prestone and it tends to run really hot in heavy traffic. Also recommend replacing the water pump/thermostat at this point since it needs to be replace every 4-5 years or every 50-60K miles.
Cover water pump and thermostat replacement in this video:
ua-cam.com/video/KQboEYiejoU/v-deo.htmlsi=i3Gd19TvWh2JA5nO
No, you don't change them with every coolant change -that would be a complete waste. I personally change my coolant every 3 years, pump thermostat every 10 based on the low mileage this car sees. In short, you cater your services to your specific operational requirements - it's not black and white one size fits all.
I've used both factory pink and the Prestone - no difference whatsoever in cooling ability.
I got alarm 'coolant level nok', so I refilled coolant but the alarm still there. I found some leakages from rear tires area. what should I do ? how can I find leakage point and how do I fix it? I asked the dealer shop. but I need to wait for a month....
John, I really enjoy seeing the videos, very easy to understand and very professional.
Question not related to the video...
I have a 986 Boxster 2002 and I need to open the front trunk to replace a dead battery.
I already used what the manual recommended, an additional battery connected to the fuses box, but it does not work. I wonder if you know other ways to open it? Thanks
Does your 986 not have a manual frunk release down by the drivers seat? If not, and they changed the manual release (what I have on ours) to an electronic front trunk release, I really have no idea? There is a secondary manual release cable (at least on our 99) buried up in the left fender and it's routed from the front trunk latch along the front bumper impact structure, up into the fender. I've seen it when I've had the left headlamp out to change the bulbs and when I've had the bumper cover off to clean the AC condensers & radiators. I think you might be able to access it from the front tow hook cover plug on the front bumper, but I've never tried it and perhaps a 2002 doesn't even have the secondary emergency release cable?
@@Rchelicopterfun Thanks for the quick answer. Yes, they changed from a mechanic to an electric system for the front and back trunks. I will take a look if I can find the release cable and will let you know. Thanks
Hi John thanks. I have the same car in white and we really enjoy it. Can you let us know about any of the problems you’ve had with your car.? I see that you have of a little over 100,000 km. My car has been pretty much been trouble free. I did replace a headlight switch and one parking light bulb over the last five years. I did do the water pump thermostat coolant and spark plugs when I first got the car. My car was a California car and belonged to a close friend that was a Porsche guy. We flew out from Indiana bought the car and drove the coast of California before driving it back to Indiana.
Hi Steve, Like your 986, my wife & I have had few issues with ours since we got it back in 2001, this will be its 21st year in our garage 🙂
Regular maintenance basically plus a few of the known things which I mention in one of the videos (I think the lifting a 986 one). It has never once left us stranded roadside - knock on wood.
Biggest two jobs I've done on it myself were replacing the clutch and while l had the transmission out, I changed the rear main seal and the IMS bearing. The dual row IMS bearing I removed was in perfect condition but I put the LN Engineering ceramic hybrid dual row one in for piece of mind. That was at about 90,000 km; it's now at 115,000 km.
That same winter I also replaced the convertible top with an aftermarket one that has the glass window. The original top's plastic window was badly scratched and cracking at the fold line. The black canvas was also showing wear & tear, especially along the fold lines. I now treat this new top with 303 Fabric Guard every year and that really seems to be helping it stay looking like new.
Our 986 had a rear tail light relay intermittently do funny things about 8 years ago (right tail light would stay on after car shut off). Traced that to a cold solder joint on the relay itself - resoldered the relay - been fine since. The rear spoiler relay also started intermittently acting up a couple years ago (spoiler wouldn't retract), but I just pulled the relay out and plugged it back in and it's been working fine since - likely some corrosion on one of the contacts is all I can think?
Replaced the original HID headlight bulbs a few years back. Some other bulbs here and there. Brakes all around once. Water pump now twice. Last time I did the pump (last years video) I replaced all aux belt idler pully bearings (one was shot). Battery twice. Alternator once. Center cubby box lid hinge broke several years ago and I just glued it, but it cracked again last year. I'll have to get one of those hinge fix kits I guess for a permanent fix.
Only thing I'm not particularly fond of is the rear tires seem to melt away by just looking at them the wrong way, but that is very likely a user issue... Awesome little cars 🙂
@@Rchelicopterfun Thanks for the reply John. I will try it out that 303 fabric guard on my Boxster. The top was brand new when I got it from my friend Joe. I installed the Indy 500 tires from Firestone. I’ve never been a Firestone fan but these tires are great for normal use and they are very reasonably priced. They are said to last around 30,000 miles. So far I have about 5000 on them and we will see how that goes. I need to do my brake fluid this year and your video was very helpful.
Steve - Great minds... I've got a set of Indy's on ours right now too after reading all the good reviews they were getting from fellow P-car owners 🙂 Always had Michelin Pilot Sports on this car before, but these things as you pointed out are lighter on the wallet, drive really nice, and do seem to be holding up better (so far - time will tell). Have fun with the brake flush.
I notice at about 30:26 you do have that tool with the rightangled shaft and pointy end.
Works great and doesnlt chew up hoses like a Channelock pliers. Anyone know what that large Hex head plug is for near the Coolant drain?
Hello fellow DIYers.
Can you park tail high and not have to remove hoses to drain coolant ?
great video, btw.
Coolant will settle at lowest point in the system. If your back end is high and nose is low, a good % (likely about half) of the coolant will remain in the lines and both radiators. The only way to get it all out is to have the car level and remove the hoses.
What year is this 986? Just wanted to say it looks to be in excellent condition...pampered (just like mine!) I appreciate your videos and plan to do most of the work you have shown...save those $'s! I got lucky and bought my 2000 986 3 months ago with 31,000 documented miles on it so I am in a position to really keep it looking good (it's in EXCELLENT condition) and plan to do so....thanks for the effort, it's appreciated!
It's a 99. I used to work a Porsche dealership and got this one for the wife when it came off lease in 2001 knowing how the original owner babied it. Sound's like you found a little gem yourself - congrats! Hope you enjoy it as much as my wife (and I admit I) have enjoyed this one. These are such great little sports cars and thanks to the over exaggerated IMS issue, are way under valued. Guess most people forgot about all the collapsed chain tensionsers which destroyed engines in the early air cooled 911's (I had a 1973 911T for almost 20 years), and those things are selling for a mint now - wish I kept it. Hopefully the IMS issue will continue to keep the value of 986's & 996's down so more people can afford these awesome cars.
Unrelated, but what aftermarket radio did you go with on your Boxster? I’ve had my eye on a few, but worried about which would actually fit with an after market bezel.
Hi Patrick,
Nothing special in there. Just one of those cheapie chinesium Amazon Android quad core double din head units. The one I put in her car has the DVD/CD player, navigation, and the most important item that I wanted her to have - the rear view/backup camera (don't ask why, but I'm sure you can guess). That feature alone is worth the cost of the unit times 10! haha
I seem to recall the Android double din costing around $250.00 3 years ago. Bet they are even less now I'm sure. Figured there was no point spending close to $1K for a big name double din unit considering these things are obsolete the minute they go on sale, and sound quality is not something she really cares about - it's a Boxster after all and even one of these cheap Android double din units sound better than the factory unit that came with it.
The best "sound" improvement you can give one of these little cars is to put in the rear speaker kit if you you didn't get one as an option. There was a fellow on eBay a number of years back that sold them for about $225, that is where I got the kit for her car. Not sure if he is still selling them or not? I could not believe how much better the sound was after I put that speaker kit in.
As for the "bezel", I just custom made one out of Lexan sheet. I painted it with textured black spray paint (the stuff that feels a little rough when it dries). It's very similar to the look and texture to the black plastic parts in the center counsel (bat wing & climate panel, etc). Good match in other words.
I have a 986 Boxter S and purchased a really nice Sony radio through Crutchfield and installed it myself. Later I noticed the same radio was featured in a Porsche magazine
Thank You!
Thanks... Great video
Thanks for watching 🙂
Sir, where can I find all your Boxster 986 videos?
Channel playlist & in the description.
I did this but now my heater doesn’t blow hot possibly air in the core? How do I fix this issue
That would be my guess. Purging air just takes time in some cases. Ensure you have climate control temp set at max to fully open the heater valve. If you can't purge it by revving in the shop; then drive the car, bumps/vibrations etc. will help burp bubbles. Rev it, keep a close eye on both coolant temp and level. Top up as required and recheck/re-drive until all the air is out and the level stabilizes.
Im planning to change my water pump and thermostat do I need to flush the coolant since all of the old coolant will be drained? Thanks
It's a very good idea & time to flush out the coolant with that work. The exception would be if the coolant you have in there now is practically new and you don't want to pour all that money away. Of course the other consideration if you try to save new coolant, is how confident you are that you can keep it clean during the drain/recovery process. You don't want to introduce any particles of dirt or other contaminants.
Might be best with rear raised to get air out. Is it the 2 5cc?
Nope, best level. 2.5L
Thank you
Welcome
Hey what color is your car? It looks like Viola metallic! I have an '01 S in that color.
@Scott Perschke - It's Ocean Blue Metallic (paint code: L3AZ)
I hate that the boxster 987 doesnt have the bleeder valve. Ive been burping my car for a few days now haha. I could have bought a vacuum system but porsche could have easily added a bleeder as in the 986
Dan DeLuca There is a bleeder valve. What generation 987?
Dan DeLuca
Doesn't the 986 have a little Spring style bleeder valve? Under plastic plate on tank in trunk? Mine does.
Jeff Jeff yes the 986 does but 987s dont.
Dan DeLuca Ahhh, didn't know that,I have a 02. Thanks
Mines a 2009 Gen 2, 2.9. Remove the engine cover over the top of the engine and you will see there is a header tank and the air bleed valve right at the side of the Blue cap on the header tank. ( This is additional to the filler caps behind the small carpeted flap in the rear load area)
Is it safe for porsche cayenne 2013 ?
Is what safe - the flush process or the coolant type used? I'm sure the flush process would have similarities, but since I've never worked on a 13 Cayenne, I have no idea of the nuances or differences in the flush procedure. As for the coolant type. That's your call. Pestone All Makes All Models states it's compatible with pretty much everything, but I personally don't buy that 100% as I don't believe in absolutes. It's why I specifically state in the video it's still best practice to ensure all the coolant is thoroughly flushed/removed if you don't know the type in the system before introducing a possible different type.
@@Rchelicopterfun thanks for explanation
when you were transferred and then topped up, did you open the vent valve again or not?
Not sure what you mean by "transferred?" If you mean topping up after the test drive, no, the vent doesn't need to be opened up again after the initial air purging during fill up and revving
@@Rchelicopterfun thanks :)
Isn't the boxster supposed to use DeX cool or am I wrong about that
As I state in the video, any modern day aluminium safe AF is going to be okay provided what is used, is used exclusively and not mixed with different technology coolants.
After putting the new coolant in how do i know the airbubbles will go away?
When the level in the tank stops dropping.
@@Rchelicopterfun so i can start the car then see it drop a few minutes later?
Then fill the rest of the 16liters
I show & explain exactly how I did it in the video. Fill, watch, rev engine, recheck, top up, test drive, recheck, top up if required and a week later, it wouldn't hurt to recheck again after several heat and cool cycles.
Are you Canadian 🇨🇦 ???
Yes.
The video is a good video but you never show when you were bleeding the system😂
That's because there is nothing show! All bleeding is internal back into the expansion tank when the vent valve is open (which I did show). This opens the upper lines from the radiators so no air is trapped at the top of the rads - it's that simple.
That easy with pliers when u can actually do that
Most hoses u can't cause to much shit in the way....lol
I use VW coolant at a lower cost, it’s approved to the same standard as Porsche……same company.
👍