Coolant Temperature

[oldpsulefty]

Hi folks!

I was on a trip in my 2015 Cayman and the car performed well for the 250 mile excursion. The next morning I started the car and got the low coolant light. In the six years I've owned the vehicle I'd never had that occurrence. I'd assumed at all of the routine services that it was probably topped off, but never got the light before. I got the proper coolant and charged it up, but was a little nervous, since the trip was across the desert area of western AZ/eastern CA. So far, so good, but I have been topping it off with a few oz every now and then. 3 questions:
1. Has anyone experienced very slow leaks in the cooling system?
2. My research led me to find out that the engine temperature indicator goes to 194 and stays there, no matter if the actual coolant temperature is higher. Did I understand that correctly?
3. If the answer to 2. is yes, is there any way that I can get the temperature indicator to show me the actual temperature of the coolant, not always 194?

Thanks!

[blueline]

There was some good discussion about this last spring where @Arne2 detailed the coolant temp anomalies. Several of us chimed in and did some real-world observances of what our cars were doing regarding temp readings.

Start here with Arne2's post and continue down the thread to see other thoughts on the subject from several of us.

viewtopic.php?p=18258&hilit=coolant+temps#p18258

There are possibly more discussions elsewhere on Carpokes. (To find the post referenced above, I went to the "718 Bosters & Caymans" sub-forum and searched that forum using "coolant temps".) There are probably other mentions throughout Carpokes but I have not searched for those. Could try that too using the same or similar search parameters but I think the thread I referenced above will help a lot.

[Cars that shine]

No one ever said not to use car models.

[Cars that shine]

Oops mistake

[blueline]

No one ever said not to use car models.

If you posted this in error and want it deleted, I can do that for you. (Or you can delete yourself.) It's not hurting anything if you prefer to leave it as is but if you want it gone, let me know.

[Tom]

Hi folks!

I was on a trip in my 2015 Cayman and the car performed well for the 250 mile excursion. The next morning I started the car and got the low coolant light. In the six years I've owned the vehicle I'd never had that occurrence. I'd assumed at all of the routine services that it was probably topped off, but never got the light before. I got the proper coolant and charged it up, but was a little nervous, since the trip was across the desert area of western AZ/eastern CA. So far, so good, but I have been topping it off with a few oz every now and then. 3 questions:
1. Has anyone experienced very slow leaks in the cooling system?
2. My research led me to find out that the engine temperature indicator goes to 194 and stays there, no matter if the actual coolant temperature is higher. Did I understand that correctly?
3. If the answer to 2. is yes, is there any way that I can get the temperature indicator to show me the actual temperature of the coolant, not always 194?

Thanks!

1. Unfortunately, slow leaks are a possibility (and reality) on virtually all water-cooled cars. in my experience, the best way to find them is with a coolant pressure tester, where you pressurize the system and watch where the coolant comes out. Some slow misting leaks can be virtually impossible to find otherwise. If you are losing coolant with no external leaks, then there's also the possibility of a bad head gasket or other issue that is allowing coolant into the crankcase/oil. If that's happening, you'll see mocha sludge in your oil cap, even after long drives that burn off any condensation. Chances are it's just a leak somewhere.
2 & 3: Blueline pointed to the exact post you're looking for.

[Bluebarchetta]

Besides the other benefits, oil analysis can also help you rule out head gasket leaks

[J-Dub]

1) I have not experienced slow leak on this vehicle yet but I bought it used a year ago, I guess time will tell. I have experienced slow leaks on other vehicles but it the magnitude of adding a few cups of water every few years. I did experience a rapid leak from this vehicle one time when road debris punctured my radiator
2) Yes the coolant temperature on the base, S and GTS is programed to show 194 for a wide variety of normal operating temperatures, likely to avoid causing owners concern.
3) Yes as Tim pointed out several of us on this board, myself included, have reprogrammed the gauge to show the actual coolant temperature. It is easy, an armature can do it but you will need a specialized tool. I bought and used a Launch X431 but there are other tools out there.

[oldpsulefty]

Thanks to all!