Stuck in San Francisco... power steering went out, here's what happened

I'm driving down HWY 1, beautiful scenery, and suddenly my battery check indicator goes off on the onboard readout and my steering becomes really difficult. Roll down the hill straight and park and have it towed to Sonnen Porsche where it currently sits. The car works, but the steering requires excessive force to turn. Starts, electrics work, etc. My friend thinks it might be the serpentine belt or I read that it could be the water pump, but I didn't notice any excessive temps... right around 180 IIRC. I'm trying to assess what might be wrong and the damage to the wallet. I was on my way back home to Seattle after picking up the car just htis past Friday and driving it around San Fran over the weekend. Best, Ben P.S. What's funny is I was in heaven driving that initial part of HWY 1 from San Fran. It is so amazingly beauitful like straight out of a BMW commercial. The vicissitudes of life... and 911 ownership lol I'm hooked. Damn the car drives, sounds, looks so good.

I take it you didn't check the PS fluid or Belt? Or look under the front of the car for signs of fluid leaking? Battery check light maybe a sign that the alternator is not charging indicating a broken belt or one that is much too loose with a tensioner problem. Good luck with the repair.

sorry to hear about your problem. I hope you make it back here to Seattle soon. Weather's very nice too here today! You had a PPI too, didn't you.... Were you planning to take on more of the coastal roads or were you heading back to I-5 soon from Hwy 1? The Lost Coast area apparently has some nice and secluded two-laner highways that if you have the time you could have all to yourself.... http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/04/2...=all&position=

Definitely sounds like your accessory belt came off or busted since power steering and the alternator are driven by the same belt. The next question is, did a component lock up causing the belt failure (water pump, power sterring pump, alternator, idlers)? This is where the money comes in, the belt is only $35 when I bought mine.

this is exactly what i've been thinking about and i did a search on power steering and it doesn't seem to pull up much if any info on failures in this forum. i'm hoping the belt slipped off or broke and it's a simple $35 + labor. So much for the PPI, but not sure if any expert would've been able to forecast this issue. a couple of times in the Marina, i started the car and it made a metallic noise to which i've search here and it sounds like it's related to a loose belt or something not sure. i'll find out more in the morning hopefully. this was a big bummer for me as the trip out initially was amazingly sweet.

no fluids while i was parked off of hwy 1 - i hope it's something simple.

my plan to drive back are botched - once sonnen fixes the ride up, i'm going to have an enclosed truck transport it - more $ out the pocket, but hey it's my baby. i'm going to take care of it no doubt. the hwy 1 start from SF is absolutely amazing. it's like hawaii there except you're in the mainland. i experienced it for maybe 10 miles and it was worth all the hassle. p.s. i've driven a turbo with an aftermarket exahust, but without a doubt as the turbo pulls harder than the c4s, the instanteous thrust and noise of the c4s makes the experience just as special in a diff way. good luck in your search

update nick @ sonnen called me up and let me know one of the tensioner things failed... the bearing failed. Everything else looks good he says, but he'll know for sure once he gets the part in. Total cost estimated at $414. I scheduled intercity to transport the c4s to my place. so that's $1414 out of the pocket to get it home.

Sounds pricey. Kahler's In Dublin charged me about cost for the tensioners (there's 2 of them) and quoted half hour labor. Guessing <$200 total without looking at the invoice. This was a part of handling other issues like oil separator, coolant tank, yada yada work.

maybe you got some sort of bundle deal $414 sounds... i have no idea. i was expecting the worst i guess and my mind's been in a whirl since being stranded on hwy 1. should i just have them replace the belt as well just in case?

If I remember right, both tensioners came out to $70ish and 1 hour of labor without the 'bundle' pricing. I would replace the $36 belt also but asked them to give the old belt back to you as a spare. Dealers almost always charge more than independant shops. Hwy 1 is so beautiful, I used to drive it during my lunchtime when I worked in Half Moon Bay. Go up 92 to hwy 35 and then eventually loop back around to hwy 1. And yeah, I was following the unwritten speed limit.

the tensioner is diffrent then the idler, there are 2 idlers only one tensioner, tensioner is about 3 times the price of a idler and it sounds like he also ate the belt anything less then 600$ is a screaming deal

Not bad, just slightly more than an oil change at some dealers;-) Glad it wasn't more serious.

One of my co-worker had the same problem with his Boxster recently, alternator light came on and then lost power steering can was good to drive for another ten minutes. I pulled the engine cover and the interior access cover off and discovered the tensioner completely came off the car, it was laying on the top of the engine cover. Of course the belt was off. Since the car was recently serviced by the dealer I made a call to the service manager and they sent a technician out and replaced the tensioner free of charge, but did deny that it was their fault....

Sorry to hear about your post-purchase difficulties. Good luck getting back up to Seattle. The AWD should certainly come in handy up there!

Dealer replaced an idler pulley since it started making a whining noise. I believe it was $250 +/- for just the one pulley but it was all covered under the ext. warranty. Nothing major...

ben, u need to get that out of your system, remember, you were converted! looks like your problem has been resolved quick nicely. good luck!

wahhahaha, pl i am converted. you guys were right. i will man up and eat crow. 911 is king. anyways just got back home 12 hours straight SF to seattle. man that is a long drive, but i did not fall asleep once. car drove perfectly. friday i get corner balance and alignment... adjusting the height and getting the OZ3s put on. will post up an official hello thread then.

wow, 12 hr drving? u are the man! ben. good luck and have fun.