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hi all, some context before i get to issue at hand
997.1 , carrera , manual/stick shift , approx. 130K miles
original engine, original clutch, some minimal bore scoring for info.
i took it to the mechanic for service this monday
rear suspensions change, starter changed , i think what is in english air oil separator which is a piece also near the starter which is all in the back where engine is . both pieces. and there was a leak in a/c and the front grills which allow for airflow were changed.
the mechanic had the car for 5 working days and i got the car 3pm friday
now some months ago at another garage, i had the pulleys an the accessory belt changed as i was out of town and the car stopped working and it was the accessory belt that was KO. so fixed locally so i could drive the car back home and all was ok.
now, i leave the mechanic to go on a holiday road trip, mechanic was aware of this. i pick the car 3pm this friday. 70 miles into journey the car breaks down on side of the highway. the accessory belt is hanging off the the bottom of the car. long story less long a tow truck company comes after calling my insurance and i share the story with him. he tells me its simple, he said the starter piece and the the oil piece are in the back where in the engine is and they are near the accessory belt . the mechanics musnt have put it back correctly.
what do i do? i feel deeply hurt and upset my mechanic would make this mistake. is it indeed his? i didnt drive crazy i didnt do anything unusual. . please any insight would help . im very annoyed as i just paid 5k for this service.
please any help or guidance would be appreciated this was the first thing that popped up. some minutes then this showed up. 2 minutes later im at a stop, i get out of the car and i see this.
Hope you didn't overheat the engine to the point of causing major damage. *I would have taken a photo of the engine compartment to see if those parts the tow truck driver mentioned were installed incorrectly and caused the problem with the belt failing. ----> And I would have had the car towed to the mechanic (who did the Idler Pulleys/Belt install) as soon as this happened and have them repair it.
....Hopefully engine isn't damaged from the overheating.
Your tow truck drive does not know what he/she was talking about.
As I understand you, the most recent work you had done was the starter and air oil separator. That work should not have any effect on the belt.
What usually causes the belt to shred like that is a seized pulley... possibly your AC compressor, water pump, alternator, power steering pump, and lastly, the belt tensioner pulley system. Another possibility is road debris cut or was caught in the belt but this is very rare. My guess is the water pump seized.
The way to diagnose this is to spin all pulleys I noted above.... you will not be able to spin the lowest one as that is your engine crank and that one drives the belt and all those accessory pulleys.
Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)
Last edited by Bruce In Philly; 07-27-2024 at 05:52 PM.
thank you. my understanding is next to none truth be told. all i know is all those pieces are in the back where the engine is. and i know the belt is there too.
and i know the belt and pulleys were fully changed some months ago and all was well pre this service.
i just don't get how after coming out of a service that something like this could happen? and is it my fault? is the onus on me?
the car was towed to their location and wil be sent to the mechanic who did the service next week.
i will draft an email sunday evening to my mechanic with the pictures explaining what happened on my side.
i think im just feeling very defensive as i dont see how this is on me. the car spent a week with him
surely he must check everything before the keys are handed to me. i didnt drive like a manic, i left and went straight to the highway in a regular manner. no antics no speeding.
You did nothing wrong. Something else broke like your water pump. Changing the belt and a tensioner does nothing to prevent a water pump failure, and the water pump is a weakness in the 997.1 engines... it is a common failure. But it could have been something else.
thank you for the reply. so water pump was changed approx. 18 months ago.
im boggled as to how do you let a car out without checking it or is this case of pure and sheer bad luck.
In order to remove the starter and the AOS, the following has to be removed: airbox, AC compressor, throttle housing, air hose (4 inch one) behind the throttle housing. And in the process, the belt has to be removed. It is entirely possible to mess up the installation of the belt and/or its tensioner to the point where the bearing would seize up and shred the belt. I have done it.
At this point, I would lean more toward the very last mechanic who touched the car to be 90% at fault. It's possible that the mechanic before him messed up the tensioner and it took this long to show up, but... in automotive repair, it's almost always the last guy who touched it.
I'm pretty sure a belt would also get shredded if it was installed incorrectly. So all the moving parts (pulleys, compressor, water pump) could be OK, but the belt may have been mis-aligned when re-installing it.
That's the best case scenario and would require just a new belt. The mechanic should check all the other stuff to make sure nothing has seized, but I'm leaning towards this as the cause, as most of the other components appear to have been replaced recently.
There are much better Porsche Specialist Indy Mechanics than the Dealer. Better service and 40% discount on cost especially when they allow you to supply OEM parts at 50% discount from Dealer cost..
Just have to find them and better if you have long term relationship OR recommendation from fellow Porsche owner who has track record with Porsche Specialist Indy.
There are much better Porsche Specialist Indy Mechanics than the Dealer. Better service and 40% discount on cost especially when they allow you to supply OEM parts at 50% discount from Dealer cost..
Just have to find them and better if you have long term relationship OR recommendation from fellow Porsche owner who has track record with Porsche Specialist Indy.
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I'll stick with the dealer thank you...had problems with Indy whenever I tried them...Not for me!! This situation wouldn't happen at any dealers I ever took my car to...guaranteed! To each his own.
07-27-2024, 05:12 PM
help: i think the mechanic messed up my car
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