Two problems related to water pump have been reported for the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Was traveling on free entry ramp, and as I entered the freeway and approximately 60 mph, the car exhibited a brief shudder at which time the check engine light appeared and began to blink. I noticed a visible white cloud of smoke behind the car. The check engine light blinked for approximately 10-15 seconds and then remained off. I also noticed the temperature gauge rose above 180f, which is the approximate operating temperature per the temperature gauge. The gauge held slightly above 180f (~5 mm past 180f) for the duration of the drive, ! 5 miles before I stopped the car at my next destination point. Upon turning the ignition off and exiting the car there was a distinct antifreeze smell. The car was off for approximately 10 minutes and when I returned to the car there was a puddle of antifreeze directly below the car just inside the rear driver side tire. I estimate approximately 1-2 pints of fluid. Upon driving the car to my final destination (personal residence) the temperature gauge remained above 180f (! 5-10 mm). During this short drive, ~ 5 miles, I turned the car's interior heat to maximum to help remove heat from the engine. Upon turning the off the ignition the car continued to leak antifreeze. Upon further inspection the antifreeze appeared to be leaking at the connection to the water pump, on the bottom of the car just behind the exhaust, on the driver side of the car. It is possible it was leaking from other locations but I could not make this determination without putting the car onto a lift. The car continued to leak coolant at a small rate, estimated to be 20-30 drips per minutes. This drip rate remained consistent. The car will be take to an independent Porsche service shop for further inspection. I am aware this is an issue on many Porsche 911 model cars and am aware the NHTSA may be investigating this issue further.
Driving the car at moderate highway speeds, the coolant warning light came on. I pulled off of the highway as soon as it was safe, about 1 mile after the warning light. As I slowed the vehicle, I noticed a large amount of smoke coming from the rear of the car. After stopping and inspecting the car, the rear of the vehicle was covered in a film of coolant. The car was towed to the nearest Porsche dealer, at which the problem was diagnosed. Rather than have the car serviced at the dealer, I had the vehicle shipped back home to be repaired by an independent mechanic. The failure was a coolant fitting that was glued into the water pump housing. The glue had failed causing the fitting to come out of the housing and dumping all of the coolant in a few seconds. The total cost of the repair was $2,779. 21. After the car was repaired, I researched the failure to find that it was a rather common occurrence. In September of 2012, while the car was in for unrelated service, I decided to have the remaining fittings repaired preemptively at an additional cost of approximately $1200.