I keep my fingers crossed, BJ, that it won't be catastrophic!

Btw...while on a parking lot yesterday, i put in the 1st gear kinda sloppy...and it was kicked out again immediately...man, that sounded like a catastrophic engine failure :D

Isn't there supposed to be a belt around those pulleys ;)?

I don't think you should use that belt again.........
Have you any idea why it tracked off - the tensioner pulley usually keeps a good tight reign on the belt?

Good, it's not the IMS. So was it the alternator as suggested by other?

It was frayed. And had a tick for a while before finally giving, it likely would have broken if it wasn't for shutting off the engine so quick.

Check all your idler pulleys & tensioner while the belt is off, they may have caused the belt to track improperly & easy to replace now.

Sweet. That's great, Jake!

Always good to hear of one saved.

how often does an alternator seize ? I have never seen this happen before ....

On manual transmission cars, the alternator has a free wheel clutch integrated with the pulley. This can seize in a worst case scenario.
A couple of years ago, I heard a slight clicking / rattle sound @ idle which stopped when I ran the engine with the accessory belt removed. I found it was the alternator clutch on its way out - it felt very notchy when turned by hand.
You also need a special splined removal tool to get the clutch off the shaft.

Your welcome.


See 100+ M96 powered cars a year and you'll see it often. In the past year I have probably made this call 7-8 times and been right every time.

Guess how I diagnosed this with such little information... It wasn't luck!

Nice work Mr. Raby. I have no idea. Worked on more m96s than I have seen on the road in my life? Just guessing!!

Whew! I never thought a breakdown would be such good news. ;)

Awesome BigJake! Nice call Mr Raby!

It doesn't surprise me that Jake was able to do this long distance email diagnosis, he has probably seen and duplicated every failure mode on these engines ! Nice call Jake.

Just my opinion, anyone buying a used Boxster, unless they have documentation showing that the serpentine belt has been changed in the last 10-15K miles, should replace it. Inexpensive, easy to do, and a great way to avoid headaches down the road. I carry a spare belt and a 21mm/24mm open end wrench in the car (along with a few other tools), just in case.

Exactly why I have my little emergency bag along with extra belt, relays, etc just in case. It is great that it was a simple fix.

Learn something new everyday (Problem is remembering them) that these alternators have a clutch. Makes sense that these can seize if the clutch goes.
So now add Alternator clutch to the preventative maintenance list

Is there a Clutch kit for these?

I did a AC compressor clutch kit on my 03 Jeep liberty, about $90 and a couple hours. So Much cheaper than replacing the Compressor.

So the question here, Did a pulley seize or was it a worn belt that jumped the pulleys?

+1 on extras - long trips I carry my old Belt and the tools to change it

+1 Credit to Jake for making the right call early on.