ColoradoMark

I drove about 200 miles today, towing my tire trailer to Pueblo. Scheduled to do a two day track event with NASA.

i was putting my track tires on this afternoon. When I pulled my left front off I could smell coolant and could see some white spots on the suspension. So I suspect a small coolant leak. Nothing was dripping under the car. I did have to add some coolant a few weeks ago when I got back from another event, but did not think much about it as I had not checked the level for some time. Nothing is evident visually, but things are buttoned up and hard to see.
i had a third radiator installed last year.
My plan is to grab some distilled water and go to the track in the morning. I’ll run a session and see if there are issues.
The obvious downside is to blow a hose, cause mayhem on the track and have a hard time getting the car home.
should I just go home now and not take the risk?
Thanks!

ManoTexas

Why put you and others at risk. Go home.

docdrs

See if you can track it down. Maybe a clamp needs to be tightened. Is the level in the overflow tank decreasing at a regular rate. If you blow a hose I think you may regret not identifying where the source is.

user 72902

I'd bet its one of your 10 year old hoses that has a pin hole leak. Drive it until you are up to temps and then have a look. Your coolant will be heated and expand and put the maximum pressure on the hoses and this will be the best time to find a small leak.

CAVU

+++!!!

yelcab

Get a coolant leak pressure tester with a cap for the 997 Porsche. Pressurize the system and find the leak.

ColoradoMark

Well I am back home.
I ignored what I think was very good advice, but being “on the ground” I felt like I could keep things in check and not cause problems on the track.
Temperatures were high this weekend, my car thermometer was showing 106 as I was leaving the track today. Beside the six sessions on the track there was very heavy stop and go traffic on I-25 on the way home. (I hate I-25!)
I monitored things on my track sessions. I used, perhaps, a half cup of water. Yes, it was a risk. One with consequences I was more than aware of having almost gone off from a GT3 blowing a coolant line over 1/2 a mile of track at HPR last month.
Anyways, no harm, no foul. I’ll take it in to be pressure tested and have my hoses inspected. It could be anything from just having driven through someone else’s antifreeze to a leaking hose or radiator (ahh, I miss my 993).

Hella-Buggin'

Is there a local shop that can fix it?
It would really suck if you blow coolant all over and a crashes into a wall or worse, get's hurt.
It's probably the coolant expansion tank as they fail. I'm on my third one. But unless you know that and that it's not actively
dropping coolant while driving, you should quit while you're ahead.