Coolant additive

[Oldguy57]

Question for Wayne:
A friend of mine who does a lot of track days with his cars told me about Red Line Water wetter as it could improve heat transfer and help running a bit cooler my Boxster 98, early past summer my cooling system was flushed and replaced with Porsche's coolant. I see you have it in your catalog. Any comments about this additive?
Thanks in advance and best regards

[JFP in PA]

It is completely unnecessary. The best possible coolant for any internal combustion engine is pure water; but as that has little corrosion or freeze protection, a 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water is the next best substitute. All these aftermarket coolant additives are simply a mix of surfactants that “are believed” to lower surface tension. Unfortunately, all they really do is make your wallet easier to sit on. Your factory coolant and distilled water blend has all the surface tension modifiers needed to run for many seasons; but its life can be considerably shortened by contamination with extraneous organic compounds that break down an already excellent additive package.

If you want or need improved cooling, clean out your radiators, consider switching to a 160F thermostat (please stand by for the inane arguments that lower temp stats do not lower the steady state coolant temps); if it is a base car, switch to the “S” oil cooler, and/or add a third radiator. All of these mods work, none of them will kill your coolant……………….

[Oldguy57]

Thanks a lot JFP!
I really like your phrase, Accrochez-vous bien de vos rêves! that's why I have a Boxster, just bought a 98 last spring, for now it runs great and last summer had a lot of fun driving it and lots of memories about the sports cars I drove many many years ago. I'm located in Laval, just north of Montréal.
Best regards!

[JFP in PA]

Thanks, but it is actually a Jeff Lynne line from and ELO song by the same name from more years ago than I’d care to admit to…………..

[randy_k]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

If you want or need improved cooling, clean out your radiators, consider switching to a 160F thermostat (please stand by for the inane arguments that lower temp stats do not lower the steady state coolant temps); if it is a base car, switch to the “S” oil cooler, and/or add a third radiator. All of these mods work, none of them will kill your coolant……………….

I stopped short of the third radiator. But have done the others. +1 on JFP's suggestions. Mine does not get above 190 degrees anymore, with these changes. Not that expensive to do and you'll have to do it eventually anyway. It's just nice to have that breathing room, temp wise.
Randy

[nosnow4pc]

Can you add an S cooler to an early boxster? I was told that the S cooler wouldn't work on the early 2.5 engine. Can someone clarify? I was thinking about this upgrade at my next oil change.

[randy_k]

He's a picture of the S Cooler I put on my 1999 2.5. It's a bit tight. But does fit and has helped a bunch, cooling wise. That and the low temp thermostat.
Randy

[randy_k]

And another one.

[nosnow4pc]

Great, thanks for the clarification

[randy_k]

One word of caution. If you attempt this. Have someone there to assit you. Make sure that you have something hand to cover the holes under the cooler. Or carefully left it up and wrap something around it from the bottom. Like a large zip lock bag. When you try to remove the old one. It's almost guarenteed that fluids will leak into the ports that enter the engine. Like antifreeze into the oil ports of the engine. As me how I know??? Good news is. Hey the oil got changed twice in 500 miles. LOL
Randy

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by nosnow4pc

Can you add an S cooler to an early boxster? I was told that the S cooler wouldn't work on the early 2.5 engine. Can someone clarify? I was thinking about this upgrade at my next oil change.

A word of caution: Some of the very early 2.5L motors used an odd ball set up that had an adaptor plate under the oil cooler that is not found on the later cars, becasue the very early 2.5 block was slightly different. The same cars also used a different surge tank setup on the cooling system that did not have a line that connects from the top of the oil cooler to the tank, which is a very important modifcation made by Porsche to circumvent air becoming trapped in the coolant section of the oil cooler (the oil cooler is the highest point of the cooling system and will collect any trapped air, reducing the unit's efficency quite a bit, which is why Porsche made the change):



Quickest way to know if you have one of these it to look at the top of your current oil cooler, if it has a short nipple coming out the top with a hose connected to it (see photo above), you can do a quick bolt on swap as Randy describes. If your car lacks the top vent line, it becomes a bit more involved as you will also need to update the coolant tank as well.

[randy_k]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

A word of caution: Some of the very early 2.5L motors used an odd ball set up that had an adaptor plate under the oil cooler that is not found on the later cars, because the very early 2.5 block was slightly different. The same cars also used a different surge tank setup on the cooling system that did not have a line that connects from the top of the oil cooler to the tank, which is a very important modification made by Porsche to circumvent air becoming trapped in the coolant section of the oil cooler (the oil cooler is the highest point of the cooling system and will collect any trapped air, reducing the unit's efficiency quite a bit, which is why Porsche made the change):



Quickest way to know if you have one of these it to look at the top of your current oil cooler, if it has a short nipple coming out the top with a hose connected to it (see photo above), you can do a quick bolt on swap as Randy describes. If your car lacks the top vent line, it becomes a bit more involved as you will also need to update the coolant tank as well.

Just for clarification JFP. Do you know if there was a particular year they changed things up. Or is it kinda hit and mess based on the blocks they had laying around through the earlier years. Mine as you know as you may remember is a 99. Just curious. So if I see this come up again? I can give more info.
Thanks as always, Randy

[JFP in PA]

The ones that I've run into were both 97's, but I really do not know where the cut off was, or even if it only pertains to part of the one model year.. Porsche is very tight lipped about these kinds of things; in fact, I did not know it even existed until we were pulling one apart and stumbled over it. Now I always check for the coolant vent line on the top of the installed cooler on a 2.5L as the lack of one is a dead give away that you have got one of the early odd balls..... On the plus side, there are not that many original 2.5L's running around due to the other unique problems they had.

[randy_k]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

The ones that I've run into were both 97's, but I really do not know where the cut off was, or even if it only pertains to part of the one model year.. Porsche is very tight lipped about these kinds of things; in fact, I did not know it even existed until we were pulling one apart and stumbled over it. Now I always check for the coolant vent line on the top of the installed cooler on a 2.5L as the lack of one is a dead give away that you have got one of the early odd balls..... On the plus side, there are not that many original 2.5L's running around due to the other unique problems they had.

JFP, In any case. It's good to know that the coolant vent line on the top of the cooler, is a dead give away. It just takes a few minutes on these things to know if that is there or not. I just do not want, in attempt to help someone, hurt them. It's all good info. The more the better. At least as I am concerned.
Randy

[JFP in PA]

The newer style cooler will fit the odd ball 2.5L cars; the project is just complicated by some of them not having a vent line going to the surge tank (all the replacement coolers have the nipple for that line). And while you could plug the nipple on the cooler, I would advise against it; Porsche made this change because the trapped air caused problems, so it is better to bring the older system up to current specs. Interestingly, some of the early cars have been retrofitted with the later surge tanks due to the common tank leak, but with the cooler vent line plugged because there is nothing to attach it to on the old cooler; so a little detective work is advisable.....