1st Pcar Breakdown - VERY Lucky Man!!!
04-19-2004, 10:14 AM
#1
Track Day
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1st Pcar Breakdown - VERY Lucky Man!!!
So I'm cruising along the motorway, when I suddenly lose all power, no warning, no lights, no power!
I pull the car over to the relative safety of the hard shoulder, and reach for the spare DME Relay in the glovebox, could this be my first experience of the legendary DME Relay failure? No, swapped the relay and the engine still cranks over with no sign of life. So we suspect the fuel pump, but it sounds as though it is running OK. Next place to look is a plug, which appears to be sparking OK. So off comes the distributor cap, which is when we notice that the rotor arm is spinning freely on it's shaft, no locking screw! The relief of finding the fault is soon replaced with the fear of where the hell has the screw gone? Long story short, it's right at the bottom of the belt covers, and after VERY close inspection, it seems to have got there without causing any damge on the way down! How lucky was that!
I bought the car last year with a full Official Porsche Centre service history, and I haven't been in there yet, so I have to assume that the Porsche Dealer that fitted the arm did not loctite it on, just goes to show that you cant always trust Porsche mechanics!
Anyone else had a similar experience, with or without any extra damage (Belts, rollers etc) ?
Can't help feeling that I have had a VERY lucky escape
I pull the car over to the relative safety of the hard shoulder, and reach for the spare DME Relay in the glovebox, could this be my first experience of the legendary DME Relay failure? No, swapped the relay and the engine still cranks over with no sign of life. So we suspect the fuel pump, but it sounds as though it is running OK. Next place to look is a plug, which appears to be sparking OK. So off comes the distributor cap, which is when we notice that the rotor arm is spinning freely on it's shaft, no locking screw! The relief of finding the fault is soon replaced with the fear of where the hell has the screw gone? Long story short, it's right at the bottom of the belt covers, and after VERY close inspection, it seems to have got there without causing any damge on the way down! How lucky was that!
I bought the car last year with a full Official Porsche Centre service history, and I haven't been in there yet, so I have to assume that the Porsche Dealer that fitted the arm did not loctite it on, just goes to show that you cant always trust Porsche mechanics!
Anyone else had a similar experience, with or without any extra damage (Belts, rollers etc) ?
Can't help feeling that I have had a VERY lucky escape
04-19-2004, 11:12 AM
#2
Nordschleife Master
I have been shopping for a new cap, rotor and plug wires. I noticed a couple places were selling the rotor with shaft attached, which of course costs quite a bit more than that already over priced rotor. I thought why would anyone need to change the shaft? Maybe your experience is the reason?
Glad you dodged the bullet.
Glad you dodged the bullet.
04-30-2004, 07:42 AM
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Exactly the same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago, except we found the bolt resting on a ledge half way down the belt housing!!
As with you, no apparent damage to the belts (which had just been replaced before I bought the car last month) but the carrier that holds the rotor arm had become noticeably oval so that was replaced as well.
As with you, no apparent damage to the belts (which had just been replaced before I bought the car last month) but the carrier that holds the rotor arm had become noticeably oval so that was replaced as well.
04-30-2004, 10:57 AM
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Yikes, if that screw had just gotten lodged in the wrong place for even an instant that sucker might've jumped time on you. VERY lucky indeed! I'm glad it worked out okay though. I'm going to use locktight on that screw from now on - good lesson!