[DeTomaso] Here's a weird one

[Will Kooiman]

My wife called me last week while she was on the way to work.

 

She said she heard a crunch, the power steering went out, and all of the
lights on the dash came on.  I'm assuming it was more than just the check
engine light, but I didn't see it so I can only go by what she described.

 

The same thing happened to me in her car 2 years ago.  The water pump
cracked badly around the bearing.  It dumped water on the ground, plus it
made the serpentine belt pop off.  $800 later ('00 Boxster-S), and it was
all better.  I figured the same thing had happened this time.

 

Not so.  This time it was a failed alternator clutch.  Yep - not a typo.

 

Her car has a sprag clutch on the alternator pulley.  A sprag is a one way
ratcheting bearing.  It free wheels in one direction only.  The clutch had
been locked up for who knows how long.  The failure was the inner shaft
walking off of the sprag.  It eventually walked enough to make the
serpentine belt pop off.

 

It's a good thing it wasn't the water pump.  I wasn't looking forward to
another $800 repair bill.  This time it was only $440 - not counting the tow
truck.

 

I'm going to try to talk her into a Mangusta.