Porsche Cayenne Coolant Pipe leak

30 Apr Porsche Cayenne Coolant Pipe leak

This 2006 Cayenne S over 100k miles on the clock, had a distinct coolant smell coming from the engine bay and from underneath the car when the motor was running at idle. It had an immediate and dramatic coolant leak from the rear of the engine. In fact, as fast as you could get the coolant in, it would drain back out and on to the ground. When the mechanics of Fluid MotorUnion in Naperville hear this particular vehicle configuration having a cooling problem, you can bet a Porsche Cayenne coolant pipe leak is the culprit.

It is common knowledge among 955 Cayenne S, and Turbo owners, that the factory-installed coolant pipes will eventually fail. Under the intake are the original plastic coolant pipes, these lines carry coolant at a pressure from the front of the engine to the back. Porsche’s V8 Cayennes will see these pipes deteriorate over time, and all will eventually crack and leak. The plastic becomes brittle with prolonged exposure to the heat of an engine bay, and will inevitably fail.

The manufacturer recognized that the early V8 engine suffered a design flaw with the Porsche Cayenne Coolant Pipe leak. Seeing their failure, Porsche released updated versions of the coolant pipes to supersede the original plastic pipes. The new design replaces the plastic version with Aluminum to prevent leaks, cracks, or other failures, and withstand the test of time.

After a brief diagnosis using our previous experience, we were authorized to do remove the intake manifold to get to access the leak. In this particular case, of the three coolant pipes, the largest pipe next to the intake runners had a 5 inch long slit running down the middle. Now is also an opportune time to save future expense by replacing the water pump and thermostat as precautionary maintenance. The car in now leak free and has updated metal pipes, new water pump and thermostat with fresh coolant.

This has become a must-do project for the V8 models, and is not a matter of if it will happen, it is a matter of when it will happen. The new and improved aluminum pipes make this kit a permanent solution. With this problem, its best to save yourself the frustration of failure when you need your vehicle. In fact, many are choosing replace their pipes proactively. Also once the leak has started you can face more than overheating issues. The leaking coolant can also get on to the transmission pump seal, causing it to fail, meaning the transmission has to come out in order to replace the leaking seal.

Do you have a coolant leak on your Porsche Cayenne? You may need to replace your water pipes. If you have and concerns regarding your Porsche Cayenne, don’t wait to get in touch with us by calling 815-230-2900, or contact us through email at [email protected]. We’re conveniently located in the Naperville/Plainfield area of the Chicago Metropolitan suburbs.