Need help!
 

Hey, so.. I was driving to the store and my car just stopped working. The engine was running still but it wouldn't respond to giving it gas, i was only going 25 so i turned into a drive way. in the middle of the turn the steering wheel locked up like the car was off so i braked and put my flashers on got out and waved for people to go around, cuz i was kinda in the road still. i turned it off started it back up and it was fine, i was basically at my destination so i continued in. then on the way home everything seemed fine i had no trouble after that. It probably wouldn't affect other people this way, but a couple years ago i was in a van fire so i guess it kinda traumatized me. so anyway I'm not sure if it'd be an easy fix or if i need to sell it. I'm not sure if ill ever be able to trust this car again. so should i sell it or do you have any ideas on what it could be.

I think it could be a 30 year old super car not getting the attention it expects. ;)

Sad to say my likewise 30 year old 928's would not be on my top ten list of most reliable cars. They are new enough to be fussy about sensor inputs, but not new enough to have higher quality wiring, sensors, or self diagnostics. For reliability I look at new, simple, proven track record cars, camry etc.

OTOH you may have a simple issue, broken fan belt, loose wire, loose something. Have a nice hot drink and calm down, and we can split hairs over exactly what happened.

Engine was running, but would not respond to gas.
A) pressed down on the gas and nothing whatsoever happened.
B) Car didn't go forward, but rpm on tach changed.
C) Are you sure engine was still running?

Middle of turn steering wheel locked.
A) Locked, would not move at all? Sounds like a key/switch issue.
B) became very hard to move like the engine died. Maybe engine died, or PS belt broke.

yes it was running, it all kinda happened fast so i dont really remember all of it. Nothing happened when i pressed the gas, didnt revv and tachometer didnt move. I could hear it running tho. umm.. for the steering i think it was just hard to turn, like the engine was off. and like i said it was fine after i turned off the engine and started it again

Sounds to me like the motor died if it ran after you started it. Look into electrical issue......maybe ignition switch???? How has the maintenance been on this car???? Mileage???? Other data would help!!!!! What has been done recently? What upkeep of the car?? Give us a history of the car if you can, maintenance wise, OK!

well, ive only had it for about 3 years. its been taken care of as long as ive had it . its got 12x,xxx miles. and i havent had anything done except had the fan motor replaced.

So the dealer/ who/ has done everything? What is the history? Are you the original owner?? These cars are old and require a lot of attention now. What has "been taken care of"????? As these cars age, you need to pay attention to many issues. Upkeep is mandatory on these cars as on all cars.

Are you doing anything yourself or is all done by professionals? Anyway, it is a matter of elimination on your original issue. Most likely electrical to start with, guessing.

Well, when i bought it there were no serious problems. So ive had nothing done except the fan motor. i dont know the history of it. i think im the third/fourth owner. and i meant that weve taken good care of it as long as weve owned it.

My parents have been gone all day so i just briefly told them what happend in a text. So my dad might have more of an idea what it could be when he gets home. but i dont have an more info i can give. in the time weve had it its mostly just sat, and been driven every couple weeks. no work has been done except what i already listed and some work on the sunroof.

OK calm down you can fix this issue, its not hard if you follow these directions..
First you need to clean the battery connections,
remove the spare tire,
then remove the ground strap from the under the tool tray,
then remove the negative battery terminal,
then the positive terminal.
use a battery terminal cleaner tool or sand paper to polish the terminals and the battery posts,
if any other wires are connected to the positive terminal then remove these and clean them, wipe all of the contacts down with a rag with alcohol on it.

On the ground strap pay close attention to the end thats connected to the chassis,
if it looks crusty or corroded clean this very well,
if the cable looks like it has white or green dust inside the black sheathing then you should replace the negative ground cable.

After you fit the positive terminal on the battery,
leave the ground strap off for now.

Next take a picture of the CE panel first.

Get a fuse relay chart at 928GT.com its on page 2 under tips and links,
print off a chart and keep it in your car.
Next get a light and open the CE panel cover,
pull out each fuse and clean the ends with a pink eraser, make sure that the correct amperage fuse is in the correct slot,
also make sure that the empty slots are indeed empty.
if any of the fuses holders are corroded or loose bend the tabs and tighten the connection.

Next check each relay,
do one at a time,
clean the pins with the eraser any relay that has corroded pins should be opened and smelled for burning or internal corrosion,
take a small piece of 600 grip paper and gently clean the internal contacts use a sheet of paper to clean out the sanding residue.

make absolutely sure to replace the relay in the correct slot use a marker to show the up position if necessary before you remove the relays.

Next go to the under hood hot post connection its on the right side just next to the right side cambelt cover on the fender well..
Get an 11mm wrench and undo the stud remove the 3 wires and clean these then refit them next disconnect the 14 pin brown connector above the hot post stud check these pins for corrosion and clean with the eraser then refit.

Note there is a big ground wire from the frame rail to the engine block just under the right exhaust manifold this should also be removed and the ends cleaned then refitted,
the car will have to jacked up to do this.
Warning USE jack stands when the car is jacked up

NOTE if your hot post doesnt have a cover you can get one for a 1988 S4 it will fit,
also you will have to replace the 11mm stud and fit a new screw on cap for the stud.

Check the V belts for tightness if the alt belt isnt tight then make it so if it has looseness then the alternator may not be charging properly.

Once you have done this then reconnect the battery ground strap and test the battery with your muti meter test for voltage between the battery posts then the pos terminal and the chassis.
next test the hot post and chassis ground.
Start the engine and then test the positive post and chassis ground then the hot post and chassis.

Report back when this is done

my dad just got home and said it sounds like a gas problem. because when the engine gets weak enough the power steering stops working.

First, don't worry it's just a car. It can be fixed.

secondly the oddest thing to me was.. you were going 25 so you turned in a drive..
" you were basically at your destnation so you continued in" what the deal with that? basically there? So you just hung out with your buddies neigbor instead? ;)

thanks mrmerlin. Ill try to do that next week. with christmas coming up i may not have time cuz im going out of town.

I sounded really dramatic in my first post lol.. when our van caught on fire a couple years ago it acted similar to what happened today. so that just kind of freaked me out :)

Not sure whats weird about that :).. i was going 25, its a busy street so i coasted (as far as i could) into a drive way to get off the road. i was like 1/4 of a mile from the store and would have been hard to turn around on a street like that (busy and narrow) so i just pulled over got it running again and continued..

This isn't a van. It's a 1980's space shuttle of an automobile. Unless you smell gas, don't worry about it. The fuel injection relay, and fuel pump relay, and the fuel pump fuses should be checked as stated above. The fuel system is pretty simple. These relays are all under the passengers side floor board. There is a wooden cover that folds up. 928 International has the relay charts for all years. The engine may be running badly enough to cause the power steering to not work properly. Also the belt might be loose, cracked, or about to break. Also check your throttle cable assembly under the intake (where the porsche crest is on your engine).

Camo,
I mean no disrespect, but these quotes are telling to me:

By taking good care of it, do you mean you checked the oil, put fuel in it, washed it, and maybe checked the tire pressures?

Or do you mean, you cleaned the grounds, maybe changed the oil, checked the timing belt tension, and maybe changed the accessory belts as necessary?

Or do you mean that nothing at all was done to this car in the last three years except maybe keep it in a garage?

There are a lot of really good folk on this board that are very knowledgeable and more than willing to help a young owner, but please don't tell us that the car has been taken good care of when apparently nothing of note has been done to it in three years. I realize that from your perception, and maybe from your experience you may believe your car has been well taken care of....but, from what you have posted it has not.

Sorry to have gone into a full rant here. Again, I mean no disrespect to you personally. I would be happy to help in any way I can. Mr Merlin has given you a list of things to do. Please do those things on his list and get back to us.

I will retreat back to my cave now. :)

Sounds like what happens when a car runs out of gas. Running on fumes, but no pressure to bring up revs, idle drops very low, power steering gets heavy because of lack of rpm.

Replace your fuel filter.

Thats another thing my dad said, i have very little knowledge of cars and i made this thread before i even talked to my dad so i thought it was probably something serious.

Well, when i listed what had been done i was listing bigger projects not just maintanance. ive had the oil changed at least once (its been driven MAYBE 1,000 miles since ive owned it, it was our daily driver after our van fire). I have cleaned the grounds, checked timing belt tension, and had a full tune up (although im not sure if i completely trust the guy that did it anymore.) it had been garage kept part of the time during the winter, which is difficult being that i live in a mobile home park. when not in a garage i have tried to keep it covered being that i live in oregon. So ive kept it in the quality it was when i purchased it (except its a little cleaner and it actually gets driven now) with some minor improvements as i can afford it. also one thing i didnt mention is the muffler was hanging when i got it and i had that welded back on. :)

thats true but when youre an inexperienced driver and have been been in a fire that doesn't really cross your mind :)