4.5 coolant pipe issue

[davew993]

I am about to purchase a cayenne s and I was wondering if it was possible to see if the coolant pipes had been changed to the later alloy type from under the bonnet without removing stuff?

Is there a simple way of telling?

 

[Gordon Attar]

They are viewable when you open the bonnet! and you should be able to tell the difference, the plastic ones feel like plastic.

 

[davew993]

Are they the two pipes that run each side of the black manifold in the middle? Or do they run down the middle of the black manifold.

Thanks

 

[T911UK]

Not quite as simple as opening the bonnet and looking[:-]

Look here

 

[davew993]

Thanks for info. Would you think a vehicle with 112k miles would still have plastic pipes? Or do they leak before that mileage normally.

Thanks

 

[tiskev]

you can never tell.I had mine done in panic at 50K and they did not need doing .

 

[Laurence Gibbs]

In order to get a peak at the pipes you need to remove the rear cover and passenger side cover (assuming RHD) and use a torch and mirror or maybe even your phone to see the pipes. You will only be able to see enough to confirm if they are ali or plastic/rubber.There is a good write up on this on Rennlist's Cayenne forum with pics (you may need to register to see the pics). I also understand there is a drain hole under the car that if wet "may" indicate leaking pipes. Again the info is on the rennlist website. The info is considered important enough to be two sticky threads at the beginning of the forum.

 

[Bollotti]

Hi

First post on here. I have a 2004 Cayenne S, and I recently lost about 2 litres of coolant a week after the last service. I cannot see any obvious leaks anywhere. I have only just bought the car, which has 85,000 miles. Cannot see anything mentioned in the service history about coolant pipe replacement.

Is this an obvious first place to start?

I did notice that the header tank cap seemed not to be on tight, so this might be the problem, I will check again in a couple of days to see if any loss.

However reading this thread has me thinking this might be the problem. Is replacing the pipe a DIY job? I am pretty handy with the spanners, but have never worked on a Porsche before.

If this is the problem, what is the cost of replacement pipes?

Thanks in advance

Bollotti

 

[T911UK]

I think if the pipes are split it will dump all water and not just 2 litres, the cap not tight would boil the water off.

About a days job to change if you are handy with the spanners, we list a kit here

http://www.type911shop.co.uk/shop/article_4817/Cayenne-S-_-Turbo-%3E%3E06-Water-Hose-Update-Kit.html?sessid=Z2kieRbvjf53yOrRs1v0EUtmpedIQIOpXVTQtKU3tJI6fh032VH4TrxBA4AjED6a&shop_param=cid%3D578%26aid%3D4817%26

 

[Bollotti]

Thanks for the heads up. I am hoping it is just the cap, as the local Porsche specialist has just quoted £1,000 to change the pipes.

 

[Gordon Attar]

£1000 is about the going rate for parts and a days labour to fit.

 

[T911UK]

Yes, £1000 isnt too bad, if you do go for it yourself just make sure you buy Genuine Porsche parts as there are some not so good copies of the alloy pipes out there!

 

[Laurence Gibbs]

From what i have gleaned from Rennlist The smaller diameter pipes tend to cause a slow leak before splitting more seriously. If the large diameter pipe goes then sudden huge coolant loss more likely. Best way to check if you have a leak is to pressure test the system. Dont keep topping up as the coolant can cause damage to other seals as it drips out. Torque convertor seal being one such seal in the line of fire.
The pipes can be a diy job if you are reasonably handy with spanners and fairly confident about what you are doing. There is an excellent complete write up on how to change the pipes , again on Rennlist and can also be found if you do a google search. It's by an American company that supplies a kit in the US.

 

[Collie]

Are these the same on a Cayenne Turbo or are they always the metal version? Turbos are becoming very cheap to buy on this side of Irish sea before €2000 annual road tax[] In line with the recent 911, 996 & 997, are the turbo cayenne engines more reliable, over engineered?

 

[T911UK]

All Gen 1 V8's have the same cooling pipes, the turbo engines are more reliable than the n/a ones as a rule