darthhowie

My car is a 2006 C2S with 23K miles.

So the engine was making an odd noise this morning, even at idle. It sounds a bit like when you're riding a bicycle and the chain isn't on quite right. After about 5 minutes of driving, the sound went away. I drove the car for another 15 minutes or so and parked at a shopping plaza. I then noticed that there was a little bit of white smoke coming from the engine compartment. I also noticed coolant (an orangy liquid) was leaking rapidly from somewhere under the engine area. I called Porsche Roadside Assistance and they advised me to not start the car and they arranged a flatbed which towed me to the nearest dealer. The problem is the service department will not be open until Monday.

So, my question is, does this sound like a water pump issue? Also, did I do any damage to my engine. I did not notice the temperature going past the normal midway mark of 175 but I may not have been paying attention. When I stuck the key in after noticing the leak (I did not start the engine), it was at 175. Was the white smoke from the engine compartment the engine burning up or coolant against the hot engine? Any other ideas as to what this can be? Thankfully I have a CPO warranty...

Thanks in advance.
Worried Owner...

neanicu

Most likely water pump...and I say that because of the noise you've heard before failure,otherwise it could've been just a coolant hose. Not too many miles on the car for the water pump to go but you never know...
No way you've damaged the engine from what you're describing!
The smoke you've seen must have been hot coolant vapors,nothing else.

Macster

Flat bed the car to the dealer come Monday for what is likely a water pump.

As for any damage the tech will evaluate the engine. It sounds like the pump came apart which might have caused collateral damage but based on what you posted probably not.

BTW, I have to point out for others no Porsche engine making noise ever got better with more running. Really if you hear something out of the ordinary shut the engine off first, then call roadside assistance or your auto club for a tow to the dealer. Any running the does after that should be in the presence of techs who know what they are listening for.

Hella-Buggin'

+1...

If something doesn't feel right... Take it in. It's better to take it in and be told its nothing than riski it. Now the water pump blades could have shattered and may be lodged in the oil passages.

darthhowie

Thanks everyone. I will ask the dealer service advisor to have them check for water pump blade pieces in the oil passages, I assume they can be removed if found? Also, will they replace the water pump with a stronger improved version or is this something that needs to be replaced every few years?

Barn996

Some suggest that you should replace your water pump every 4-5 years. Others say replace it when you have symptoms like coolant loss or strange noises like the ones you have described. GL

yemenmocha

Just had my water pump go and I'm 28k miles, 2006 Carrera S.

It made a weird noise that didn't sound right, but luckily I took it right in before it failed. I don't like noises.

Charolastra

OP: Same thing just happened to me* (just search my posts by username to see relevant posts). It was a water pump. My car is an '07 C2S w/ 51.5k on the ODO. $1700 later, it is back to normal....hopefully this water pump lasts a bit longer!

Macster

Do not ask the service department to check for water pump parts in the oil passages. Unless the engine is horribly busted this is not a possibility.

The tech has seen enough water pumps in all kinds of conditions he'll know what to do based on what he finds.

If you want ask him when he removes the water pump -- assuming it is a water pump that is bad -- and he finds the impeller missing material what would he advise?

I would were it me do a "back flush" of the cooling system forcing water through the system in its reverse direction to force out any impeller debris.

With the water pump/t-stat out for replacement there are "two" coolant paths that have to be considered.

One coolant path is from the water pump to the radiators (and heater core) and back.

The other path is from the water pump through the engine and back again.

As for periodic water pump replacement I have not seen any reason to do this. I mean sure your car suffered a premature water pump failure. But there are many more cars on the road that have not.

But say you now want to replace the water pump every so often. Are you prepared to replace it 23K miles? Or a bit less just to be under the 23K mile "failure point"....

Ok. But the next time you're online you'll read about a starter motor that failed prematurely, so you'll want to replace that in your car before it fails. Then another poster has a premature clutch failure. Then another an aternator. Fuel pump. CV boots. Steering rack. Radiator. Battery. Wheel bearings. MAF. O2 sensors. Converters. A/C compressor.

You might as well throw the car away at 23K miles and buy a new one.

Relax. At 23K miles the water pump failure was an anomaly.

Just pay attention to the car and if you hear anything out of the ordinary then you can clinch up but take the car in pronto, or better yet have it flat bedded in.

Rhody

As another data point for everyone, my water pump just failed this week too. I was cruising on the highway at 70-ish MPH and the water pump shaft broke... huge noise that was terrible. I immediately shut it down and pulled over, not knowing what was going on right away. I had no prior lights, signals or warnings. Once i got out of the car, i saw the fluid draining out, so i definitely suspected it was the water pump. I had been doing some reading and research here on the forum, but i hadn't proactively changed it. I waited for the flatbed, dealership service guy said it was probably the waterpump and sure enough i had the car back a few hours later.

My car is a 07 C2S with 51,000 miles that i recently purchased with CPO, so although i knew the water pump was probably covered, being stranded on the side of the road, for probably the first time ever with a car (i've always been able to fix anything that was wrong) was a terrible feeling.

I'm hopeful the rest of my ownership will be more issue free.

cello

Good info on dealing with the Tech by Macster.

Re the WP, Excellence Mag recently did a pretty thorough article on WPs and concluded that the same should be considered a service/wear item (ie, periodic replacement). The problem is that the WP impeller blades fail and the Techs noted that in certain instances the blades partially failed; ie bits chipped off, before full failure. Apparently the WPs are not the most robust of parts. The thinking was to get the thing out before it timed out as the cost of the part and replacement is not exorbitant. Of course, its not their $ either...

IIRC (and its been some time so take this with with a grain of salt, so to speak -maybe someone else has the Article or recalls exactly), they were rec replacement every 3-5 years assuming normal use.

..FWIW

Deansdream

I recollect they recommended replacing every 40-50k miles. My first failed then with no damage other than loss of coolant, but the article recommended preventative replacement as failure could cause serious engine damage.

DDL24

I have a late 05 build date C2Cab with about 41k miles and just replaced water pump last summer under CPO...dealer said they found small/tiny leak so they went ahead.

darthhowie

So it was the water pump as suspected, tow and replacement covered under CPO thank the maker.... all is well again