Alternator ceased and fan disintergrated!
#1
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Alternator ceased and fan disintergrated!
Hi guys,
Has anyone had this happen to them? All of a sudden there was a huge bang, so after stopping, it appears the alternator may have ceased, which in turn caused the cooling fan to shear off and break apart!
Not a great way to start the day but at least I managed to get my son to school and was just about to put the car away in the garage when this happened!
Has anyone had this happen to them? All of a sudden there was a huge bang, so after stopping, it appears the alternator may have ceased, which in turn caused the cooling fan to shear off and break apart!
Not a great way to start the day but at least I managed to get my son to school and was just about to put the car away in the garage when this happened!
#4
Three Wheelin'
Was it the original alternator do you know?
That dent in the engine cover is a real kick in the nuts :-( but the rest is easily sorted.
Out of curiosity I looked up the cost of a new fan before mine went in for paint as it had a few chucks missing. Gulp...!
That dent in the engine cover is a real kick in the nuts :-( but the rest is easily sorted.
Out of curiosity I looked up the cost of a new fan before mine went in for paint as it had a few chucks missing. Gulp...!
#5
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Yeah, the dint was the icing on the cake. I didn't see it at first...
I think type911 have the fan at £300 + VAT. Annoying as my fan was in good condition.... Not sure if it's the original alternator, but I've not replaced it in the 10 years I've had the car, so probably due to be changed anyway!
I was planning to have some rust repaired over the winter, so I guess it's going in a bit early now that this has happened!
A.
I think type911 have the fan at £300 + VAT. Annoying as my fan was in good condition.... Not sure if it's the original alternator, but I've not replaced it in the 10 years I've had the car, so probably due to be changed anyway!
I was planning to have some rust repaired over the winter, so I guess it's going in a bit early now that this has happened!
A.
#7
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Quick question - The car is in an underground garage. Is it OK to drive the car out without the fan connected - it's about 300m, so not far. I just want to make sure that it won't damage the engine and I'll only do it when the oil is cold etc.
Thanks
Thanks
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#9
Nordschleife Master
That's crazy, but not unheard of.
On the 993 forum, a couple of people have had the fan break apart, throw blades through the hood, tear up a/c barrier hoses, bend the crank pulley, etc. It happens since magnesium sucks and fails over time.
For example, **this thread**
The alternator shaft sheering off is another story. I have never seen that happen.
Tearing it down and seeing if the alternator is really seized should be interesting. it's also possible the fan threw a blade first and it just chained reaction from there.
What engine speed (RPMs) were you spinning when this happened?
On the 993 forum, a couple of people have had the fan break apart, throw blades through the hood, tear up a/c barrier hoses, bend the crank pulley, etc. It happens since magnesium sucks and fails over time.
For example, **this thread**
The alternator shaft sheering off is another story. I have never seen that happen.
Tearing it down and seeing if the alternator is really seized should be interesting. it's also possible the fan threw a blade first and it just chained reaction from there.
What engine speed (RPMs) were you spinning when this happened?
#11
Rennlist Member
The exact words I was mouthing to myself as I looked at those pictures!
I wasn't thinking kick in the nuts when I saw the engine cover picture, but that's a perfect comment in this situation.
I wasn't thinking kick in the nuts when I saw the engine cover picture, but that's a perfect comment in this situation.
#12
Nordschleife Master
Sorry to see that Andy especially since you decided to keep rather than sell the car. At least by keeping it you didn't have a recent buyer coming back trying to accuse you of selling it with a known fault (which you didn't know of, of course).
Out of interest, were any belts replaced recently prior to it happening?
Out of interest, were any belts replaced recently prior to it happening?
#13
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Yes, I replaced all 3 belts myself (about 6 months/3000km ago). I made sure that were not too tight etc., but maybe it was something I did. It needs 3 new belts again now though! Either way, it's quite a big failure and the alternator shaft has just completely sheared off which left the fan flying around in the engine bay...!
The mechanic has it now so hopefully it'll be fixed soon!
The mechanic has it now so hopefully it'll be fixed soon!
#14
Three Wheelin'
I can't imagine you could have done anything wrong that would have lead to the failure of the shaft before anything else!! A good postmortem of the alternator will surely reveal something...
#15
Nordschleife Master
Being aware of these types of failures, I'm always afraid of something like this happening while I have the engine bay opened up and I'm working around the running motor (e.g. when checking oil level).