sayporsha

This is also an introduction of sorts. I'm a long-time Porsche owner & Rennlister but just purchased my first (running) 964: a 1991 C2 Coupe with 106k miles.

I bought the car in Bend, Oregon while vacationing in nearby Sunriver. My wife & I were excited to have the bonus of enjoying a proper P-car in such a magical place.

A couple days after buying it, a Hellish knocking sound started coming from the rear of the car during tight parking lot maneuvers. That quickly worsened to every time you touched the steering wheel. Turns out the 24-year-old PS belt was losing it's brittle rubber teeth rapidly. The pump is driven off the right camshaft, so every time the belt slipped then caught, it jerked the cam chain and sounded like it would rip the cam from the engine.

Faced with either towing it to the dealer in Bend for repair or towing it home to Salem (which might cost the same), I chose to cut off the belt so I could at least drive it home. I borrowed some tools from the condo maintenance guy and got it done in the parking lot in about 15 min (car has cone air filter, would have taken longer with airbox).

It's actually not bad to drive this way - it feels more mechanical and you get a little more road feel (not to mention a few ponies), but steering effort is high in parking lot maneuvers. I will probably replace the belt but will try it out for a while, plus let my 964 buddies drive it to see how they like the unassisted steering.

There was no sign of any problems during the test drive and it was a big surprise given the low mileage and condition of the car. I suppose lack of use is a factor, as the car was only driven 3,000 miles in the last 6 years.

Having trouble uploading pics, but the belt was missing about 7 inches of teeth. Otherwise it looked to be in good condition until you folded it back, revealing lots of cracks. Consider replacing yours as preventive maintenance if there is no record of it ever being done.

Thanks to Rennlist and all who contribute. I figured out what the problem was after reading someone else's post but it was buried in a thread about a different PS issue, so I decided to start a new thread here in case someone else has this problem and can learn from my experience.

Cheers

sayporsha

Finally able to upload some pics:

Mr.Alex

Personally I would not drive it until you replace the belt. Can't help but think you're digging an early grave for your steering rack.

deadendd9009

Why would that be? There is fluid in the rack, simply is not getting pumped. I was under the impression the pump only made it easier for the driver to steer, but the rack isn't affected if its pressurized or not.

I could be wrong?

sayporsha

From what I've read, there is no harm to the rack from driving it this way. If you drain the fluid and drive it, that might damage the rack.

Mr.Alex

You might be right, for some reason when I was on last night I thought pump gushed out.