Amazing that I'm on my 4th 911 over a 35 year period and have never had one breakdown on me. That streak ended last night. Pretty loud bang that sounded like a tire blowing out, but it was a belt that drives the generator, power steering pump and whatever else. Shards of belt were sprayed all over the engine bay. Just shy of 46K on the odometer, but the car is 10-1/2 years old now so not surprising that a belt blew. Porsche Roadside Assistance was easy to use and the service and outcome was great. Tow truck driver gave me the white glove treatment which was greatly appreciated.

Has anyone had a belt blow like that, and if yes, anything ugly to expect? Or pretty straight forward repair?

 

2009 C2S 177K miles

I would assume something was the cause of the belt failure. Maybe the water pump seized up... maybe the tensioner came loose or the tensioner wheel bearing was shot causing the belt to misalign. Could be a few things. Nothing is too extreme unless you took it to a dealer, then it will be your invoice (compared to a good indy). Assuming it was one of these reasons, the work is not difficult, just time consuming.

Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)

 

Thanks, Bruce. I did have it towed to Porsche Jacksonville rather than an Indy I have used previously. I had an issue with the Indy that was never solved to my satisfaction, so I don't plan to use him in the future. I'm not aware of an alternate and reputable Indy in the Jax market, so the dealership was my only option. FWIW, I've known one of the service techs there for 25+ years and he'll do what he can to take good care of the car and me.

 

Did you ever have the serpentine belt changed, or know if a previous owner had? Despite your low miles, 10+ years on a belt is a long time.

I'm hopeful that it is just the belt and maybe some pulleys that need to be replaced. Consider doing your water pump while they're in there. The pump isn't all that expensive and they'll have the belt off anyway.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

I haven't had the serpentine belt changed since purchasing the car in December of 2015. Do not know if the previous owner had it changed. That guy owned the car for just over 3 years and only logged a little less than 15K miles on it, so I'm thinking he didn't have the belt changed. Good input on the pump. I'll discuss with the service tech when he calls. Thanks!

 

Those belts are tough as nails. Make sure pump/pulleys are not seized up.

 

Well now I'm guessing it's the water pump as Bruce mentioned. Discovered this dried up water spill on the garage floor a few minutes ago.

 

Had something similar happen in my 996 when I had it. I was half a mile from home, so let it sit until it cooled off, then drove it home. Ended up replacing the tensioner, which was toast, and one or two pulleys, I forget. Water pump was fine, fortunately. Easy DIY on the 996; dunno about the 997.

 

Sully, I own a 2011 GTS with 23K miles.

I had my serpentine (drive) belt replaced, along with the tensionor pulley, in May.

Used an indy shop (The House, in Pasadena, CA) that charged me full dealer retail on parts and 3.75 hours labor (@$150).
Mine was original, according to my records (I have them all, bought a P-dealer executive lease car from it's first registered owner with 9K miles in 2016).

Your H2O pump will likely cost a bit more, but as has been pointed out, the labor will be much less than a stand alone pump replacement.

Here's a data point that might reflect what cost you are in for:



I am not unhappy with The House, but will be doing my next service/repair somewhere else.
Their main attraction to me was free flat-bed towing to/from any location (my car is stored 30 miles away from them).
Ended having it flat-bedded twice, (actually three times and then I picked it pick up at the shop) with no damage- so it is a nice option to have.

Oh, definitely install a new tensioner with the new belt. Yours is likely original.

Let us know of your outcome.

 

^^^ Thanks, Liste-Renn.