Down but not out
 

The wife was on her way home with the boxster the other day and told me she heard something rattling. Next call I got was her telling me it sounded like something fell off the engine and them the car shut down...wouldn't restart. Found out the water pump went and not an IMS which would have been worse case. Water pump, thermostat, new belt and some dollars and she'll be back on the road......whew

Must have been nice (still heart acing) to hear that you don't need a new motor! Glad to hear the car is still on the road! Happy driving!:D

phew!! how did you find out? You had the car towed to your indy?

Wow! You just sent a ripple of terror through the community...Glad it worked out ok!

Curious, has the water pump every been replaced and what is the mileage on your car.

What exactly failed?

I ask because you say that the engine wouldn't start. Usually the engine will continue to run even if the water pump bearing is screaming like a banshee or the serpentine belts breaks.

Of course, glad to hear that it was all fairly easy to repair. :)

was there smoke? and how long was the car running after the rattle?

Sometime those plastic vanes can disintegrate and get circulated in the engine. Examine the old pump. If it "shut down" and wouldn't start it sounds worse than a WP.

When the car turns itself off that can easily mean significant bad things have happened. Before shelling out for a water pump etc., make sure bigger issues are not afoot. You may pay for these relatively minor repairs only to find that there are more significant issues to be resolved.

When the water pump "went" on my 01S, the clunk sound I heard was the pulley separating from the water pump shaft. This led to the dash lighting up like a Xmas tree because the car was running on the battery since the belt was no longer spinning the alternator. I shut things off within a minute and the temperature gauge remained at 180.

Is it possible that your spouse drove the car after the sound until the battery died? If so, this might explain why the engine shut off. If not, I'd guess something more serious has happened. The pulley falling off the shaft of and by itself should not shut the engine down

Im curious to hear the outcome of this. Wondering why the engine died. Was it cranking fine but not starting? Or not/barely cranking?

Don't want to be a bearer of bad news, but that is exactly how my C4 reacted when the IMSB went. I would definitely pull the filter and check for metal as a first step. After you eliminate that anything else should seem minor.

I don't know too much about this so I apologize if the answer is obvious (maybe I am hoping its not), but what kind of damage exactly can occur if the impeller blades were to break and get circulated in the engine? Also, how would one know if bits of the blade break and get into the engine? Leaking coolant with smell? Check engine light? Noise? And how would one go about the remediation process?

Thanks.
Update: I found some good discussion on the water pump here: http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/29522-water-pump-impeller-blades.html