Coolant type

[Estrada]

I'm replacing the water pump on my 2002 911/996 and I had mixed coolant in the system. I've cleaned out the entire cooling system and would like to know what coolant is best. I've been told that any of the OAT coolants are good. I've also been told to use MBZ coolant since it is easier to get. I am new to the Porsche family and would appreciate any help.

[88carrera]

There have been many threads about this subject on this and related 996/986 forums. Personally, I use only genuine Porsche coolant, 50:50 with distilled water. Why try to save a few bucks and risk ending up with jello in the cooling system?

[DaveBerry]

Use the Porsche approved coolant only. It is pink in color. I bought mine online.

[Estrada]

Thank you for your response. I've been told both ways but with both of you saying "Porsche" my decision has been made. Where on line did you find it? I've been told that the OES Genuine Porsche coolant is not really from Porsche, it's another vendor.

[88carrera]

Rather than take the time to see if I could save a few bucks by having this relatively heavy and inexpensive coolant shipped, I chose just to go down to my local Porche dealership and buy a gallon. It was around $30. They gave me the normal PCA 10% discount.

Make sure that you are aware of the potential problem of air bubbles in the cooling system of the M96 engine that are difficult to remove without the special apparatus that the dealerships have. This engine is notoriously difficult to get all of the air expelled after a coolant removal. The air bubles can cause serious overheating if not properly removed. You can search for the topic on this forum or on Renn Tech, for example. I chose to just have the dealship do the flush and air removal rather than buy the apparatus and play around with it.

[Airrik]

Also adding Red Line Water Wetter doesn't hurt either, in fact improves engine temperature dramatically.