Afraid of the answer.....
 

2002 Boxster Base 140k
New AOS, water pump, engine mount, maf, plugs, coil pack (all that I can think of at the moment)

Yesterday while driving home, all of the dash lights started flashing, temp gauge maxed out, steam clouds everywhere, ps Went out, somehow I made it home.

Today I pulled the engine cover and saw that the alternator pulley is GONE.
It sheared off. Belt was intact but not connected to anything.

Oil looks clean, as I poured in distilled water, it came leaking right out from what appears to be the center of the engine.

Called my indie. He said to try and start car as it cooled off all night. It started fine and sounded ok but felt a bit sluggish. I shut it down. Tried it again. No screaches, clunking, or loud mechanical noises. Mechanic says that's a good sign.

But he said we need to replace alternator and find and fix leak before even assessing what other damage may have been done. That's going to probably cost 1k to even find out.

Is it worth the $$ to even find out?
Or is it a roller now? If so, what's a roller worth in Socal?
What are the chances that no major damage was done since the engine started?

Not too happy about this, needless to say.
Continuing to drive was not smart, but I can't undo that now.

Water can be pouring out from a crack in the overflow tank. Otherwise you'd have some coolant too.

Find out what's wrong. May be simple stuff.

Sounds like the alternator seized.

Check your oil to see if there is any intermix. Fortunately these engines don't blow head gaskets, but overheating is not good. Is your trunk wet? Maybe the leak is cracked tank due to overheating and overpressure. It's also possible a hose went, if you have an Auto, the coolant has a line off the water pump that runs to the tranny.

You could do the alternator replacement yourself -- and get some eyes to help with exactly where the water is going/coming from -- then reaccess. That'll probably cost you maybe $200-300.

Mike

From here on, DON'T START IT ANYMORE.

Thanks.
I did have the coolant tank replaced about a month ago.
When I did some poking around today I saw a broken thin metal pipe that is covered in rubber on the top of the engine. It looks like it came from the coolant bottle.
I also saw a broken hose that I think is a different one that has one of those weird connectors like on the AOS hoses. Both of these are roughly in the same place on the top of the engine near the AOS. I'll go take some photos.

The pulley from the alternator is GONE.
That's what failed.

The real question to me is did I cook the engine? Are the heads warped, cylinders cracked, etc?

Ok. From what I have just seen, one of the hoses comes from the top of the oil cooler. The engine still has oil, though. It does not appear to be mixed. There is no coolant in the tank, but all of what I saw on the floor was pinkish in color too. What does it mean when this line is broken?
This hose is in the center of the second photo and kind of out of focus.

The other hose comes from the newly installed coolant tank and looks like it broke off at the firewall, but I am not sure.
This is the one that has the connector on the end of it where it blew up.

The pulley from the alternator is gone. Sheared off.

I have attached photos.
Can anyone attempt to assess how badly damaged the engine may be? Or, does the fact that it started and ran briefly on a low battery yesterday mean good things and there's a chance I'll be ok?

I spoke to the indie he said an alternator is about $800 installed and the hoses may just need to be clamped back on. He said there's no way to know how much damage has been done until those things are repaired and it's run and brought back up to temp. I only paid $5500 for the car and have put about 3k into it in parts. It does have 144k needs some suspension work (front control arms and a chain tensioner- prior to all this) My problem is do I put in another 1k to find out, try to do it myself? (I know I cant get those clamps on the firewall for the coolant tank.) What do I do? He also said that it's possible that it will run fine and then warp in 5000 miles, there's no way to know. Or it might be ok. Or I can sell it as is and walk away. Any advice is welcome. Especially the more experienced guys. He told me he's never seen an alternator pulley shear off or the hose from the top of the oil cooler break. And he's a 3rd generation indie Porsche mechanic.

Please let me know, this board has some VERY knowledgeable people!http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1504035848.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1504035863.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1504035874.jpg

You'll need one of these or similar (or at least you'll wish you had one) for those
hoses.

http://https://www.amazon.com/Astro-9409A-Hose-Clamp-Pliers/dp/B003D3N7YW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504040951&sr=8-3&keywords=hose+clamp+tool

Looks like those metal pipes were fatigued -- maybe damaged in prior work. Car overheats, temperature (unlikely) or excessive pressure causes the damaged pipe to fail.

You can find a remanufactured Alternator online for Less than $200 bucks with pulley -- (I've even seen them closer to $100 -- but not sure if they had a pulley)

I'd also pick up a new serpentine belt.

Pick up a replacement hose (check with ITSNOTANOVA/Woody), heck he might even have a used alternator for cheaper.

I'd say a few $hundred bucks, some scraped knuckles and some knowledge -- and a weekend of curse words -- and you might be back on the road -- and if you aren't, you gave it a shot. If it grenades itself -- then you can consider your options.

Sounds like you're in it for about $8k -- less than $400 or 5% for probably better than a 50/50 chance your fine. Sure it might have started down a road of a premature lifespan -- but if it runs for 1000 miles -- then it'll likely run for a lot longer.

Mike

Thank you Mike!
 

Thank you Mike!

The only way to know how much damage there is is to get it all back together, brought up to temperature and see if you have leaks, misfires, etc. It looks me like $500- $1k or so in parts to get to the point where you can see if you have warped or cracked a head, etc. It is impossible to diagnose with a couple of pictures. You are in a tough spot.

Hopefully you did not damage the engine by driving it, but experience tells me that it is never a good idea to drive without coolant. Remember that when your engine has no coolant in it, the temperature gauge will not read correctly. In fact, it likely won't read higher than boiling once the system is open, so you may think you are OK, when in fact the engine is getting incredibly hot. In my experience, most damage is done after the driver already is aware that there is a problem, but keeps driving.

For example, last week I saw a Cayenne Turbo at a shop that was driven until it stopped after a coolant fitting failed. What could have been just a bad day with a tow and couple hundred dollar repair turned into a very expensive totaled car because the owner decided to keep driving with coolant spraying from the engine bay. The owner just wanted to get it home, 10 miles away. He thought that because the temp gauge did not show that it was overheating (it pegged, then fell just above normal - boiling) that he was OK to keep driving, even with other lights flashing and the smell of burning plastic. It made it about six miles and seized in the middle of the road. The first glance showed that the engine covers had melted. The wiring harnesses were destroyed. Pretty much everything plastic or rubber in the engine bay was damaged. The engine had seized. It was just incredible that it did not catch fire. My guess is that repairing that vehicle would be $20k+, if it even gets repaired. Had he just stopped and gotten a tow in the first place, the repair would have been cheap.

It is a good sign that the engine runs smoothly, but having two problems that happened at different times (broken coolant fitting and missing/spun off alternator clutch/pulley) scares me. Until you get it back together I wouldn't say that you are in the clear.

I have a good used alternator out of a 99 with good shape belt if youre interested. Also may have that rubber hose.

Pm me if you like

This is the second failure of this hose quick connect in as many months. Maybe something to replace preventively. Anyone with a part number?


http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/66826-overheating-issue.html

Answers are coming in.....
 

That is the piece that's broken along with the hose that comes off the top of the oil cooler.
The coolant fitting in this case broke as it was probably the weakest link once the pressure became too high because the water pump was not working since the alternator pulley sheared off.
I have yet to have someone tell me they have heard of an alternator pulley shearing off.

Looking for the same piece that failed on my car. Went to Brumos Porsche looking for it. The parts guy went to get one for me for free from the shop. The mechanic came out, pulled me aside and softly said that that part is a pos and to go to Napa and buy a copper jointer and that I didnt here it from him. I suggest maybe doing the same. That is the only non oem part I have ever bought and I have bought alot as you can imagine buying a car with 88,000 on the clock. Present mileage 136,000 plus. Good luck

Did the alternator shear off -- or bolt back out?

I have seen the water pump shear off, and I have seen an idler pulley shear off twice.
No reason to believe an alternator couldn't

It's possible that the belt replaced was too small. We believe this was the cause of both idler pulley shears. I don't remember if the belt was the same brand or not.

Mike

I sell used alternators for $50 plus shipping. I haven't seen that hose connection fail too much but I don't think there's anything wrong with going to the hardware store and getting a copper joint like was suggested by Craig. Like it was said earlier. get those pieces fixed first and then see if you've done any damage.

craig ? I thought I was hiding brhind the nicecar

^ That's about right. I would add scanning for fault codes if you have a OBDII scanner. If not just quickly grab one from your local autozone. Any medium/large mechanical or electrical failure will have registered already.

Find out what? If no codes and the car starts, just replace the alt and plug that hose where it goes. Fresh fluids and off you go.

Good luck with the car bud! Good thing it still starts. PS: Overheating only hardens the alloy/metal microstructure. Good thing but you can't let this happen a second time as some of the material may already have reached brittle levels. Go easy for the next few hundred miles as everything will need settling down to new shapes and sizes! Should be fine (its a Porsche!)

It looks to me like the clutch on the alternator spun off somehow. Weird... Does the alternator still spin? How do the idlers feel? How about the water pump? Check them for smoothness and any play.

As for the coolant fitting, I found that brass PEX crimp plumbing fittings work well and have sizes that work great. Cheap too. There is a plastic T used near the coolant reservoir on many late '90's and early 2000's Audis that fails often and a 3/8" brass PEX Tee replaces it perfectly for $1.25. I showed them to a local independent shop I work with and now then buy them in bulk. My guess is that you could find something that will work better than the factory part for less than $5 at Home Depot.

As for the alternator, you can get rebuilt units or grab one from Woodie for even less. They really don't fail often, so I wouldn't worry too much about using a used one. Get that stuff back together and see what else you find. Hopefully it will be OK...

very encouraging news it seems
 

Yes, the pulley sheared off (as seen in the photo) it's gone and nowhere to be found.
The belt was from Pelican and I'm pretty sure it was the right one.
The alternator still spins, the water pump spins, the rollers still have the required "resistance" (they don't spin for very long) The belt didn't even break!

I'm holding good thoughts that an alternator, a belt, a fixed hose and away I go!

Pick up below before everybody else does ;)

It is just semantics, but the alternator clutch/pulley did not shear off, it spun off. If it had sheared the shaft, you would have a snapped off alternator shaft. It looks to me like you could just install a new clutch/pulley assembly and it would be OK. The alternator has a one-way clutch on it so it will continue to spin and not throw the belt when you shift. This is kind of unique and not usually seen on other cars. What may have happened is that the clutch seized (they do fail occasionally) and when you shifted the momentum of the alternator unscrewed the pulley from the shaft and the pulley fell away. Normally the one-way clutch would slip in that situation, as it was designed to do. After that, the temperature and pressure in the cooling system got so high that the weakest point failed (that plastic fitting) and the cooling system blew. I don't understand why the cap wouldn't vent though...

That is my theory anyway. I bet if you look where this happened you will find the pulley pretty much intact on the street.

To the Idie
 

I've decided to have the idie take a look at things.
Yes, I could probably do the work and save the labor cost, but what's really important to me is his opinion once the engine runs again and gets up to temp.
I really hope I didn't kill my car.
I'll report back this afternoon.
You guys have been most helpful in gathering the info before deciding what to do.
So it's basically spend the $$, roll them bones, and see what's next....

This was my point -- it did not look like it sheared to me...

My guess is you will be back on the road in no time --

Mike

The waiting is the worst part...
 

I just dropped off the car.
We will see what he says in the next day or two.

This message board and it's members are invaluable.
Thanks to all of you!

You can trust Woody with used parts. He's been a supplier to us and we have always been treated VERY well. Don't get overcharged with "factory" parts....

Agreed
 

No question Woody has been most helpful in helping me figure out what to do.
He is a good man and a valuable resource to all of us.

Looks like I killed it....
 

Got the car back from the mechanic. New alternator pulley and clutch, new belt, fixed hose leak. He told me he brought it up to temperature and it didn't leak or overheat.
He even told me that he drove it. I drove it for maybe an hour and there didn't seem to be any problems. I thought that I had dodged a bullet. The temp gauge never got above 195 the whole time, even when I got home.

Then as soon as I got home and pulled into the garage and stopped the motor, I heard a hissing sound and coolant leaking out onto the floor by the passenger rear wheel. The inside of the trunk was dry, as well.

Not a whole lot of coolant leaked out, but it doesn't look good, does it?
What would the symptoms of a blown head gasket be?
Isn't there a coolant overflow back there? Am I deluding myself thinking that it just may have been spitting out some overflow?
I can't call the mechanic until the morning, but what should I look for in the mean time?

edit: I just looked again, the oil is clean the coolant is pink and there does not appear to be any intermix.
Is it possible it's just burping out air or am I delusional?

there is an overflow tube located by passenger rear wheel. I think that there might be air trapped in the system and it has to be bled. Wait for the experts to chime in. In the meantime do search air trapped and how to use the bleeder valve on top of coolant tank. Again I could be totally wrong but I have been down that road. How much coolant?They say to drive thru a couple heat cycles with valve open. My solution was to back up on ramps and run to purge....worked great. Good Luck and I am sure you will be fine soon!

The Mechanic said he drove it.....strange he didn't hear the hissing and see coolant on the shop floor Something is not right.....How much collant leaked on the floor?

amount of coolant
 

Maybe a 1/2 cup of coolant. Enough to be noticeable. The hissing sound is what caught my attention.
The mechanic is Rob Wessels at Dutch Treat here in LA. He's supposed to be very good and seems like a decent guy, so I don't think that's an issue.

I'm really disappointed and concerned.
I don't know what's going on now.
I'm a recent cancer survivor, I was laid off during treatment and I bought this car as a celebratory gift and project to bring myself (and the car) back to life.
At this point do I sell it as is and get out from under it? Keep a close eye on things, try driving it locally a bit more tomorrow and try to see what's going on?
Would a failing head gasket do this? Did the overheating it kill it and it's dying a slow death? Or is it just in need of more burping?
It ran fine, no loss of power or any issues, didn't budge the temp gauge, just started pissing a bit when I got home.
What do I do?

Watch your oil and coolant for intermixing and watch for excessive coolant and oil usage. If everything seems normal over the next few weeks, you're probably in the clear. You seem very quick to want to label the motor as being blown. Don't throw in the towel just yet. While driving a car with blinking lights for 20-30 minutes is very very bad, you more than likely dodged a bullet. I'm guessing you still have air in the system. Find the steepest hill you can find, park your car nose down and open the bleed valve.

Have you contacted the mechanic about your problem? If it were me I would take the car back to him and let him check out the problem. Remember he said it didn't overheat or leak......

I'm with the possible air still in the system camp. However is the coolant expansion tank cap the one that was on during the overheating event? If so it could be weak, I'd replace.

Not giving up just yet....
 

Yes, that is the original cap that was on during the meltdown. I removed all of the carpet from the trunk before I took the car in to the mechanic. I had the tank replaced by him about a month ago. I left the carpet out. When it was spewing yesterday the trunk was dry. I wondered if the meltdown had cracked the bottle or not. If the cap were the culprit, wouldn't the trunk have coolant in it?
Yesterday the coolant was definitely coming from above the passenger rear wheel somewhere. I just looked again after letting the car cool overnight and very little coolant came out. The level in the bottle is a bit low, but not drained or even well below the min mark. I started the car briefly and it started right up and seemed ok.
I know that the mechanic's shop is in a very flat area and I drove it up hills yesterday, which is where I live. He gets in shortly, I'm going to call him. The biggest thing is of course it's a 3 day weekend, he's closed Monday and so is Pelican (local to me)

I'm a recent cancer survivor, I was laid off during treatment and I bought this car as a celebratory gift and project to bring myself (and the car) back to life.
At this point do I sell it as is and get out from under it? Keep a close eye on things, try driving it locally a bit more tomorrow and try to see what's going on?

Hey I'm also a cancer survivor and bought this car after 3 years of being free from that disease. The thing is do like itsnotanova said and give that a try before giving up I also had my share of problems with mine. Don't forget you didn't give up on life so don't give up on the car.

Thanks Frank!
 

Good encouragement!
Thank you.

If the cap leaks the coolant collects and runs down the overflow tube behind the pass tire, as you reported seeing, you may also see condensation on the trunk lid above the tank. When the tank leaks coolant collects in the trunk.

Thanks.
Ordering a new cap then.

Well It's cheap so yeah, but I'm only giving thought to things to check. The purge valve can also leak in this same area and was also exposed to the meltdown and could now be compromised. You will want to remove that plastic cover over the expansion tank and attempt to identify the leak point. As an FYI the cap is very easy to cross thread.

It's back to the mechanic this morning. I'll keep you posted.

It just keeps getting better.....I brought it in to him leaking coolant from the overflow. He suggested that it might be the cap. We changed the cap and I drove home. It's still not circulating properly and sending the heated coolant out the overflow. He now says that something in the circulation system was cooked by the overheating. The water pump, the thermostat, where the impeller blades connect to the pump shaft may have melted, radiator, broken impeller pieces blocking coolant channels, etc. etc.
I'm really at a loss here now.
The temperature gauge does not register overheating, but it's obviously leaking and something is wrong.
I'm trying to get back on my feet from surviving cancer, unemployed, and no more money to put into this car right now (or at all?)
At what point do I walk away or keep dumping money into it?
The engine seems to run fine and after letting it cool off for about an hour I can see that the coolant tank is only about 1/3 full (of course 3/3 full would be way too much. Point is a fair amount of coolant came back out the overflow and something is wrong.
Should I cancel the insurance, keep it garaged, and slowly save up and fix the cheapest thing first (thermostat?) or is there just going to be so much collateral damage from the meltdown that I walk away and sell it as a roller?
Another mechanic I just talked to told me to have the test done for hydrocarbons in the coolant. If there are, he said to walk away. He also said that the coolant is circulating, since the gauge is not showing abnormal readings or overheating and that it could still be more air in the system.
Please offer advice. I'm desperate.