Do you have a Low Coolant Level Warning Light on your Porsche? A Coolant Light is not something that you should ignore and it is important to address these warnings right away to avoid and prevent further damage.
A Low Coolant Level Warning Light indicates that the cooling system of your car has been compromised with either a part failure causing you to lose coolant, or it may indicate that your Coolant Level has become too low and should be topped off when necessary. If neither of these problems with a coolant level are present, this could mean that you have a faulty coolant level sensor.
This 2011 Porsche Panamera with a 4.8L V8 engine came to us with a low coolant level warning after losing all of its coolant in a parking lot. While driving the car, the thermostat housing exploded and resulted in a massive loss in coolant that created a plum of white smoke. The customer was concerned with a low coolant level warning light, steam, all the while the Porsche began to overheat.
After towing the car to a Porsche service and repair shop nearby, we were able to do one of our free vehicle health inspections and discover that the thermostat housing had failed. The Porsche thermostat housing had two hardline hoses that route coolant to it, one of which had failed completely. This is a hard line that is part of the thermostat housing and is not replaceable separately and since it failed, the thermostat housing needs to be replaced.
Not only had the Thermostat Housing on this Porsche Panamera failed, but the coolant temperature reading on the cluster was reading hot as soon as the ignition was switched on, which indicated the coolant temperature sensor was also failing.
We came to find that the OEM style thermostat housing is sealed in with adhesive from the factory and has a notable weak point. The hard pipe on the new thermostat housing for this Porsche is all one piece and it bolts to the thermostat rather than being glued in place like the original piece was.
While finding a V8 in a Porsche may not be the most common, a few other models such as the Cayenne Turbo & GTS models, and the Panamera Turbo & GTS models also have V8 engines. We have found this thermostat housing to be a common weak point for Porsche’s with a V8.
As a best practice we suggest replacing these V8 Porsche Panamera and Cayenne Thermostat Housings preventatively so that you do not end up stranded or overheating like this Porsche Panamera did.
We are an Auto Repair shop in Oceanside California 92058 and we perform maintenance and repairs for various Porsche makes and models. If you are experiencing a Low Coolant Light and own a Porsche Panamera, we can help you today! Give us a call at 760.721.5500.
Checkout this video of our own experiences with a V8 Porsche Panamera with a leaking Thermostat Housing: https://youtu.be/BzIfjtTn9GE