Bay Area Emergency - Help needed!

So, I have a slight emergency. I drove my 97 Boxster out to Monterey for the historics this weekend, and I might be stranded.

I was leaving Laguna Seca this evening, and when I accelerated I heard a loud clunk. Naturally fearing the worst, I shut it down immediately and coasted to a stop. I got out and looked underneath, and there were no tell-tale signs of failure.

I started the car back up, and the alternator and power steering lights were on. Yep, lost the serpentine belt.

I nursed the car to my hotel parking lot, keeping an eye on the temps. It got hot, but not too hot.

By pure serendipity, I brought a 10mm wrench with me this morning, so I could take the cover off and look at things. It seems like the PO's cheap NAPA water pump that was installed 9 months ago suffered a failure of the pulley, as it separated itself from the pump shaft. (The pump has got a lifetime warranty, but why would I want another pump that is going to fail in 9 months?)

Well, I'm 250 miles from home, and I'm in need of a solution.

Option 1) Bodge the pulley back onto the shaft just well enough to get me home. Anyone got a TIG?

Option 2) I replace the NAPA pump with another NAPA pump under warranty and install it in a parking lot somewhere. (Assuming they have one in stock). This option would see me doing the job twice, as I would want to put a good new Porsche pump in at a later date.

Option 3) I use my road-side assistance to get the car towed somewhere I can keep it for a week until I can come back next weekend with a genuine Porsche pump and install it.

I am currently at the Monterey Hilton Garden Inn. If anyone can help me, please e-mail bradley.c.brownell (at) gmail, or call/text 269 five99 zero28one.

Thanks all!

JB weld the pulley back on and drive it home gently, then deal with it on your own time.

NAPA pump. It may not fail in 9 months, but it's the right way to get home if you don't want to come back in a week.

Is it easy enough to change in a parking lot that it won't ruin your weekend? If so and you can get the NAPA pump I say change it. Then all you have invested is your own labor, no storage fees for the week or return trips in a week. Then you change to a Porsche pump at your own convenience. Twice the labor but maybe less cash out lay.

I like option 3. You're already paying for roadside assistance so why not use it? That's assuming that you can find a place to store the car for a week.

Napa pump. I have driven your return trip and you don't want a shoddy water pump during the summer. You are going to be driving up some mountains.

The again, this could be the perfect excuse to kill the engine and then have to find a 911 engine

Rent a car hauler trailer and a truck/van from uhaul. No since in doing any job half way out repeatedly.

Seems like a lot of gearheads would be around Monterey this week. Maybe catch a backhaul from a car transporter? Portable welder dude? Time to network with fellow enthusiasts.

I think that's part of what he's trying to do

Not sure how much trouble you're in. But I live about 20 mins up the road in Marina, unfortunately I don't have a tig. But I do have a bunch of handtools and garage space at my apartment . Maybe try and swap the pump?

Choose whichever is cheaper between 2 and 3, accounting for how much the work of a pump change is worth to you.

dansxr2 wrote: Rent a car hauler trailer and a truck/van from uhaul. No since in doing any job half way out repeatedly.

My experience with uhauls is they're so expensive for 1-way tows that this option would be unappealing to me. I don't know how involved the water pump on a Boxter is but I would usually rather do a water pump twice than pay the $500+ that the Uhaul would cost.

That's probably academic at this point though - Maroon92, what did you end up deciding to do?

Okay, well, I made it home.

It was sort of option 1, but a way more ghetto way of doing it.

I had to remove the pump (through the interior of the car, that was fun...) slam the pulley back on with a rubber mallet, slather it with JB Weld, and pray. A lot.

240 miles back to my garage, it made it with nary a problem. The pump developed a leak (expected, as I didn't think I got one of the bolts tight enough, and the metal gasket was pretty borked by the time I put it back on), but it was a slow enough leak that I only had to top up the water once at a fuel stop.

The water pump bearing sounds REALLY bad now, like way worse than a 9 month old pump ought to.

Here's to doing the job all over again next weekend!

Hey, doing it the ghetto way ended up being the cheapest and most exciting way of getting yourself and the car to your house.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: Hey, doing it the ghetto way ended up being the cheapest and most exciting way of getting yourself and the car to your house.

I was about 60 bucks into the bodge job with coolant, tools, JB Weld, and coolant disposal fees. I can live with that.

Now to go buy a 400 dollar Porsche pump...

Hang that old water pump on the wall...that's a trophy at this point! Glad to hear you made it home.

Coolant disposal fees? Last I checked on city sewage its safe to dump down the drain.