smoke from passenger vent
 

I went out for a drive this morning and as I started to hear a rattling sound and someone told me that smoke was coming out of the passenger vent. The good thing is taht this started when I was about a half a mile from the house and when I got home I smelled antifreeze and smoke was coming out of the passenger vent. I looked under the car and I saw something had leaked out and that it was causing the smoke. The other thing is that the ABS light, Traction Control Warning light ( The one with the ! symbol on it) and I lost all power steering as I turned into my drive way.

I am waiting for the car to cool down and I welcome any thoughts on what this could be from.

Thanks in advance!

Not sure about Porsches but an antifreeze smell and smoke from the vent is generally a sign your heater core is shooting craps. Let's see what others think.

I think he means the exterior vent on the passsenger side of the car. Perhaps the motor threw the belt?

Definitely the belt, but with possible waterpump/power steering pump involvement.

Determine what is leaking - coolant or power steering fluid.

Before replacing the belt, be sure both ancillaries are turning freely.

My guess is that one of them, the waterpump or power steering pump siezed which caused the belt to wear through and break.

Waterpump is most likely cause as you still had power steering until you hit your driveway. If the bearing seized, the seal is on the same shaft and likely went as well explaining the leak.

BTW, how many miles?

Thanks a lot for the feedback, LilB.

I checked it this morning as the car was cold. I started her up and the coolant tank was empty. I poured in some fluids into the coolant tank it leaked out. Also the same warning lights are still lit. She is a base model year 2000 and I have about 89000 miles on her.

Is a major repair and what do you think this might cost. Is it a belt, the water pump and or the power steering pump. When you refer to the bearing is that the bearing on the water pump?

Also, any advice on finding a local shop with a trustworthy mechanic or tech would be of great help because the shop I usually take my car to is about an hour away and I don't want to risk any further damage by driving the car. I would do it myself if there is a peace written that gives directions on how to fix it. Provided it is a simple solution I might be wiilling to try it myself as I have very basic mechanical skills.

Replacing the Waterpump and the belt is a very easy DIY.

You'll need a replacement belt, new or rebuilt waterpump (a rebuilt uses only the existing casting - all other parts, the shaft, bearing, seal and impeller are new), and a gasket. Tool requirements are minimum - 10mm socket, U-joint drive, 19mm socket, E-12 Torx Bit, Pliers.

The PN#s are:

Poly-Rib Belt - 996.102.151.64

Waterpump - 996.106.011.53

Gasket - 996.106.340.51

If you PM me an email addy, I'll send you the procedure as a WORD document.

Thanks LilB

Just sent you a PM with my addy

Get the rear service cover off and see what is going on with the water pump and belt.

I removed the rear service cover and my belt was chewed up pretty good and I have to replace the water pump. I just wonder what could have caused that to happen? I have taken my car to Porsche for everything since I got her a few years ago. Appreciate any aditional feedback. I am going to try to do it myself with the help of a mechanic buddy when my water pump arrives. I just bought a new one on ebay for $107. Here is the link if anyone needs to get one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching&vi ewitem=&item=250240037342&_trksid=p3907.m32

Thanks again for eveyones help. Please post or message me any photos or diagrams that you think might be helpful.

Thanks again LilB, I look forward to hearing from you with regards to the installation directions.

Where in Fl are u??

west palm beach

The bearing in the water pump failed. This causes the pulley for the pump to wobble and the belt is not happy, since that belt also runs the alternator and power steering. That is why you had the warning lights and no power steering.

Here is the pump. Engine is out of the car for this picture, because it is hard to take a picture of the pump with the engine in the car.

The aftermarket pumps have a metal impeller. The factory pump has a plastic impeller. You will note this difference when you replace the pump.

Thanks Toolpants!

Should I assume that the metal impeller will be better and stronger than the plastic ones found on the factory pump.

Actually, there are pros and cons for each type of impeller. The metal ones are usually pressed pot metal. They could react more than the nylon ones if you allow your coolant chemistry to go sour and wear more. The nylon ones are maybe lighter and so draw slightly less HP. The differences are probably so minimal that it really doesn't matter.

Besides, this is not what failed (nor does it usually). The bearing is the likely culprit and either caused the pump/pulley to sieze, or as ToolPants described, it started wobbling, taking out the shaft seal with it (which is where the leak is coming from).

I've replaced maybe a dozen waterpumps in my time and always used a rebuilt one with no issues whatever. In fact, in a couple cases, the rebuilds lasted longer than OEM. Plus, they are almost always significantly cheaper.

Be sure to inspect the old pump when you remove it to account for all the mass. You wouldn't want to have pieces of the old seal or impeller flowing through your cooling system where they could cause blockage. If you find debris, or that impeller is very worn, you might think about flushing the system as part of the repair.

There is a debate about the metal vs. plastic impeller.

I have formed no judgment yet.

Here is the factory pump with a plastic impeller. A local owner gave it to me. The bearing failed.

Do you guys think I should change the thermostat and the hoses too?

Personally, I would swap the 'T'stat, and at least check the hoses...

By chance I was talking to a mechanic today about the use of a plastic vs. metal impeller.

This mechanic works at a dealership so he has never seen a metal impeller pump on a Boxster, as that is not what Porsche uses or sells.

He did say that VW use to use a metal impeller and when the bearings failed the impeller would grind away at the aluminum engine case, and perhaps that is why Porsche uses plastic.

I like the idea of using quality aftermarket parts that cost less then what Porsche charges. I'll bet that ebay pump is aftermarket with a metal impeller. Take some pictures of it and your old pump. If the Porsche water pump was so great to begin with, then it would not have failed so soon. I say put it in.

This mechanic gave me a pump he had just replaced. You can see the plastic impeller broke when it hit the case when the shaft wobbled due to failed bearings.

As you can see a chunk of the impeller is missing. When I see your pictures I will tell you more.

He does not replace the thermostat or hoses unless there is a reason to do so.

Toolpants, are the blades sheared off on that impeller or are they designed that way? I hope I never need to look at one in person, as my car just broke through 13k miles.

The vanes for the impeller broke off. The middle of the impeller, or what is left of it, is still on the shaft. The bearing on this pump is much worse than the bearing on the pump on the left.

The owner of the pump on the left is a local owner. He heard noises and saw coolant on the ground. I told him is most likely the pump. He took it in right away before the bearing got worse, and before the impeller could break into pieces. Since he caught it quick enough he did not throw the belt.