Tach died then engine on highway NEED HELP pls what is it>?

[Kraftwerk]

Tonight while driving out of town on the highway, I noticed the Tachometer was not working. Just as I was pulling onto the shoulder the radio, then the engine stopped, this could be really bad..I coasted to the side.
Fan belt is okay but car does not start, only re-tryed once, sounded harsh.
ANY IDEAS or information would be greatly appreciated. I am hoping it is 'just? the alternator. Mechanic will have a look in the morning but untill then I am
worried,since, to add to the mix, I am far from home, very far. Otherwise my local wrench would be fine but I am in Europe with my car since five months and five thousand wonderful miles. Any help would be appreciated as a to finding a good mechanic etc. Is George out there somewhere?
It happened outside Geneva, Switzerland. Probably THE most expensive place to break down! But they have some decent garages I imagine. Thanks for any guesses as to what this might be.
I have had the car for about sixteen months and it has been great, so far.

>Jt

[Rot 911]

GeorgeK posts on here from Switzerland, he may know a good mechanic.

[Kraftwerk]

Yes George K!
Always wanted to meet the guy...and his cars..

GeorgeK you out there?
Jt

[304065]

Hey JT

Could be low battery voltage, caused by a bad alternator or regulator. Did the low-voltage light come on at all before it stopped?

Hmm. . .radio died first. That makes sense, because electronic components have a minimum voltage on which they will operate- you drop below that, they throw up their hands and quit. The engine runs off a CD box, which might still charge and fire the coil at lower voltage.

But why you didn't notice a low-volt light is beyond me particularly if you noticed the tach had died. Was there a schön Mädchen in the car by any chance?

Usually the tach needle bounces all over the place when there are voltage problems. Do you have any kind of a voltmeter handy?

Good luck. I think GeorgeK is in Sion, which according to Mapquest is 100 miles from Geneva, but I'll let him respond to that one.

Good luck! At least the beer is good.

[Kraftwerk]

Thanks Cramer,
Nice to hear from you.
In the morning I will have a look with the voltmeter.
Swiss beer is not so great actually. If only this had happened
in Germany, in say, Pfaffenhausen or Stuttgart. Ah well
at least it wasn't in one of those ten-mile long-tunnels

jt

[gsxrken]

Giving this a bump. Good luck JT. Once it's sorted, do post what is was.

[rrcrawford70s]

I had a VERY similar experience..

Tach needle bounced up and down, then the engine died. Car would not turn over...then decided to turn over after 15 min. or so.

Check the braided ground strap to the CD Box, mine is 3 prong.
Pull the strap, recrimp the female connector to the strap. Crimp the connector to the male recepticle of the CD Box.

Noah P., SAVED me while in Las Vegas during the S Registry 10th Anniversary.

When I got home I soldered the connections...NEVER had the problem since...

[scottb]

I had the EXACT same symptoms. It was the alternator.

[JCR]

I just had a similar experience. After anywhere between 3 and 30 miles of driving, engine suddenly coughs, sputters and backfires. Idles okay, but undriveable at anything over walking speed. After a 15min cool down - all is fine again, for a while.

Groundstrap checked, but still had the problem. I just put in a new/used Bosch 3pin CDI box - and haven't had a problem so far - 60 miles of driving.
CDIs can be had pretty cheap on the ebay - I paid $54.00. A local shop charged me $$$ and ended up NOT fixing the problem. Still have to address that matter.

BTW - my alternator is 6 months old - not the issue in my case.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Id say alternator as well....

[CliffBrown]

If the alternator is the problem, the car should start and run with a jump from a fresh battery (helpful fellow motorist). At least then you'll know the problem is in the electrical (probably charging system).

If the closest Porsche friendly shop is not in town then you can at least purchase another fully charged battery and drive several miles down the road to a recommended shop before that battery fails (a lot of miles if you drive in daylight and turn off all non-essential electrical items).

[Kraftwerk]

Hey,
Thanks to all who replied. The answer, according to a mechanic
here in Geneva is the Alternator. It confirms my first guess, glad it is not
something worse. I remember it was one cheap/easy fix on the old '71 Ford F100.
In Geneva it is a slightly different story as I was quoted a wopping 1500 Chf (over 1000 dollars) seems very steep.. The good part is the guy has his own 911 so he has some experience with these cars,but still thats baucoup d'argent... What does a new alternator typically cost anyway?
jt

[scottb]

Uh, I paid $89 US to have mine rebuilt. It took me (an amateur DIY wrencher) a couple of hours to remove and reinstall it.

Yes, $1000 sounds high, even with the Porsche tax. Yikes!

[304065]

JT,

Our gracious host lists the high-amperage new replacement at $577.50. That's for a 95 amp model, which is an improvement from what's in thre now, complete with internal voltage regulator.

Shipping and duty might make it more expensive, though.

Once you had it, you could install it in about 20 minutes with the tools in the factory tool kit.

[911TE]

Hi JT,
This is Sebastian from Munich/Germany
I don`t know you personally, but last week-end Roger Frey from Switzerland told me he knows an American guy who is travelling through Europe with a `83 SC. Really seems to be a small world if that is you!

I`m racing vintage motorcycles with Roger and we were talking about Porsches last week because we just realized we both drive old Porsches , I have a `83 SC he a `84 Carrera.

I hope you got your alternator problem fixed!

I had absolutely the same problem, normally it is only the electronic regulator, especially the carbon brushes.
If you have voltage left in you battery or a jump start cable connected to a good battery, you turn on the ignition and if the red (charging) lamp does not go on, there is no connection between Rotor and the rest of the alternator which normally means it is the regulator. (Also theoretically the rotor)
If the red light is burning it is more likely that the alternator itself is defective.

The regulator is around 60 Euros, work is the same as changing the alternator. (1 hour with board tools)

In Munich I could help you if you can manage to come here with a new fully charged battery.

Best wishes, Sebastian

P.S. If you should have problems in Europe, post your problem at www.elfertreff.de (also in English)

[speeder]

I paid ~$145.00 USD for a factory rebuilt unit from the dealer w/ warrantee from Porsche, you should ask the guy if that price includes a "happy ending". He won't know WTF you're talking about anyways.

Sorry to hear of the alternator, how is the trip going otherwise?

[Kraftwerk]

...... so it looks like I will get a new alternator installed the Swiss way: expensively. 'happy ending' ? very funny.
I would've enjoyed installing it myself but I am working in France for a couple of days now and had to leave the car behind. It is really too bad also becase the Mt. roads here around Grenoble are gorgeous. There is a reason why the >Tour de France passes through here every year. I just drove upthe Mts in a borrowed VW. Had to turn back when we reached the snow.
Sebastian,
Thanks for all that information. And yes, I know Roger, great guy. His car is in impeccable shape. I will eventually post a picture of our cars parked near the Aare River... I have yet to see his vintage bikes. I have been to Munchen twice already. If I am nearby again I will let you know. Noticed this was your first post; WELCOME to the BOARD! never a dull moment around here. Have you ever been up to Pfaffenhausen to have work done on your car? Ah, I would rather be spending those extra Francs on a new suspension at RUF..
The trip has been great so far, excellent roads, no regrets and if this is the only "mechanical" I have nothing to complain about. Lots of fun.
thanks for your help everyone,
JT

[Beethoven]

Hey Kraftwerk,
what did it take for you import the car and drive in Europe? I'm going to Vienna for six months next year and am seriously thinking of taking the Porsche. Is it a complicated process? Expensive?

[911TE]

@ JT:
I know how it feels if you just don`t have another solution than paying...

If you should come to Munich again, give me a call!
mobile number is 0170 4124714. Would be fun meeting you!

I hope yo have already winter tires on your car to enjoy the mountain driving in the alpes!

No I`ve not been to RUF, but the guy I´m sharing my motorcycle workshop with had his 964 at one of RUFs mechanics.
But we have a lot of good suspension guys in Munich. It really is a Porsche town. On my 20 min trip to work I see around 20 Porsches driving through town. Only in Stuttgart there are more Porsches than in Munich!

Sebastian