ksjcorpus

so last night i was on a date and sort of bragging about how my 993 barely comes to life after 4000 rpms when my antilock brake light came on. 30 seconds or so later as i was pulling into a parking lot of blockbuster, the airbag light came on and my radio started to crackle. i turned the car off, a little concerned and a little ticked i walked into the store to pick up a movie and when i came back out the car wouldn't start. it turns over like the batter is dead. my car is a 95 with 28k miles that i've had for 5 yrs and that has caused me no mechanical or electical problems whatsoever. the wiring harness was replaced a couple of years ago. so what do you guys think? im waiting for the dealership to open up so i can get them to tow it in. hmmmmmmmm

tsjoel

Never go out with that girl again!! Its obvious your car does not like her. Btw you might want to name your car Christine.

Ray Calvo

Alternator's dead. DUUUUUHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

(Yes, they do die in modes without displaying a warning light guess how I know! Try turning the key to "ON" and see if the alternator warning light comes on.)

forklift

I agree w/ tsjoel, see if she has a sister.

ksjcorpus

ya she wasn't too impressed ........... we took a cab back. i guess it was a duhh question but what freaked me out was the antilock brake light coming on first. anyway ......... so how much do you think it's going to set me back at the dealership?

mike cap

Karmin,

The problem could be your alternator as Ray said. Verify that your dash undervoltage (battery) light is functioning. But it is unusual for an alternator to die at your mileage.

If your battery is original (white Porsche OEM with screw off caps), then I would opt for this as the problem. A nine year old battery that has been sitting a lot (low mileage) is way past the point of needing replacement.

If your dealership comes back with an "alternator" problem and a big $$$ bill, question them thoroughly. If you want, you can give me a call for a punchlist of things to ask them. A battery only replacement should not cost you much more than $150 or so. No towing included.

My office phone is 800-333-0519 x 106.

Rezal

At least it wasn't your fault.

I once went out on a date in a my project '78 Lotus Esprit and ran out of gas. What was even more embarassing was that we had stopped at three different gas stations asking for directions. I blame stupid Lucas electrics. Thankfully, my date found humor in the situation.

FlyYellow

my brother-in-law had a funny story here. He has a '65 MGB and was out on a date (not bragging) but was telling the girl of all the work he had done on this car. Well one of those UK electrical gremlins got him and the passenger side under dash caught on fire. The girl was really freaked and was very nervous about getting back into the car once he extinguished it. Needless to say that was their last date....

ca993twin

If a teensie little dash fire freaked the girl out, he is better off without her. If you have a British car, you should be dating some kind of beefy, who doesn't mind getting out and pushing the car into the service bay, and who is disappointed if any single drive doesn't result in some sort of car-related emergency. Yes, I've owned two Austin Healey 3000s. I never found that girl either.

prscha

the dealer offers new and remanufactured alternators, reman about $370.00 and new about $875.00

Randall G.

Yeah, could still be the battery. The car won't run right if the battery is complete junk.

If you can't jump the car, good chance you have a battery problem--a battery that's so far gone it can't even be jumped.

My old '66 911--on at least one occasion--all of a sudden started running like a turd (e.g, back-firing, hesitation). Alternator? No, bad battery, that went from serviceable to junk in a hurry.

Good luck, and let us know what it turns out to be.

Tito

Could be the wire connecting the battery to the starter motor.
Mine went in a similar fashion.

Tito

FlyYellow

i'd check the ground strap as well...

hdemas

My best guess is that Ray is right on it being the alternator. I had the alternator die on a MB 300E and it did the same thing--ABS or airbag light came on first, then lights got dim and more warning lights went on and then the car died and wouldn't restart. Was at night, too.

cfdarch

All this happened when my alternator died...I'm w/ Mr. Calvo on this one. Mine acted weird...at night of course...then the car died...I was only a few blocks from home. Left it on the side of the road...got up the next morning, the car started and I limped to the shop....just barely made it.