Is it the alternator? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

joshua6060 · 08-11-2011, 08:06 AM

Hi, I was driving my 2001 Tiptronic Boxster and heard a loud noise, then all of a sudden the batter light came on the dashboard, the car continued to drive, but the power steering was obviously gone. Was able to drive the car a few more blocks back to the house.

Any guess/clues on what this might be? I'm guessing the alternator?

Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

brian325is · 08-11-2011, 09:10 AM

Sounds more like the belt. It drives the alternator and power steering

Lil bastard · 08-11-2011, 09:30 AM

Yep... sounds like the belt went away.

Easy fix - get the new belt (buy at dealer - aftermarket belts are a problem) and a 24mm wrench or socket (preferred), add 20 min. of your time and it's done.

Be sure to examine the idler pulleys, alternator, ps and ac pulleys too to be sure that their bearings didn't sieze causing the belt to fail. Turn them by hand to make sure they're turning freely/smoothly.

Cheers!

joshua6060 · 08-11-2011, 11:09 AM

Can you tell me the exact name/size/details of the belt to get at the stealership?

Thanks for the suggestions,

tonycarreon · 08-11-2011, 11:29 AM

http://www.****************************************************.com/product/99610215166.html

there's only one serpentine belt, and the dealership doesn't sell non-porsche branded belts.

Frodo · 08-11-2011, 11:41 AM

BTW? If you don't have the metric, a 15/16" SAE wrench will work just fine.

brian325is · 08-11-2011, 12:32 PM

Before you get too excited about a cheap easy fix, there may be underlying reasons the belt broke.

Frodo · 08-11-2011, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brian325is

Before you get too excited about a cheap easy fix, there may be underlying reasons the belt broke.

...hence Lil bastard's reply.

brian325is · 08-11-2011, 01:41 PM

Sorry, just trying to help some one out. Missed it in my original post, didn't read the rest.

But thanks for pointing that out!

Frodo · 08-11-2011, 02:45 PM

No problem!

Steve Tinker · 08-12-2011, 12:41 AM

The belt is the least of his problems - if he drove the car "a few more blocks back to the house", the water pump would not have been turning and overheating the engine could be the real issue.....

joshua6060 · 08-16-2011, 10:34 AM

Thanks everyone for the great info, I am planning on fixing this either this weekend or next weekend! Need to get the Boxster running again in time for the nice fall weather coming up in a few weeks! WOOHOO Fingers Crossed its just an easy fix.

joshua6060 · 09-04-2011, 03:03 PM

I'm looking at the Serpentine Belts on the NAPA website and half of them say "w/air condition" and the rest say "without air condition".

Whats the difference? How do I know which one I need? I'm assuming with ac???

Steve Tinker · 09-04-2011, 08:25 PM

Only you know if you have air conditioning....? You don't mention it in your previous posts,
Stands to reason that you need the (longer) belt to loop round the A/C compressor pulley - if you have A/C in the car.

Make sure you know the correct orientation around each pulley for the belt too.

san rensho · 09-05-2011, 02:23 AM

Also, check the water pump pulley for play. If you feel any play, replace the pump. If the pump fails, besides risking overheating, the WP impeller usually breaks up and you risk clogging the cooling system with pieces of the impeller, which can lead to catastrophic engine failure after you replace the WP.

joshua6060 · 09-06-2011, 12:56 PM

Well guys, I finally had a chance to get in there and apparently something happened to the water pump, the pulley and the serpentine belt was just sitting there looking at me.

I'm not sure I want to risk changing the water pump myself....so will see....decisions decisions.

I have looked around and some people say its fairly easy to change the water pump, and some say its a little more "involved".........

Comments? Thoughts?

So far, work I've done myself on the car, oil changes, brake pads, changed AOS.