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Car Forum / Porsche / Porshe 944 / July 2006Need guidance on two problems: Alternator and power steering pump squeal
Car: 1990 cabriolet (S2) Hey folks. Thanks for the advice on July 1st about the cooland overfill. The trip went fine with no tragic breakdowns, etc. Anyway I've got two things that are bugging me. I'm fairly certain that they aren't big problems, but I want to nip them in the bud before they grow. Problem 1: Alternator going out? I parked my car for about five days and didn't drive it. On day 6, I went out to start it and it was dead. Car had to be jumpstarted. After that, I have noticed that the voltages are off a little bit. 1 out of every 3 or 4 starts, the battery gauge will read about a half volt lower than it should. But if I shut off the car and restart it, it will usually show the proper readings after that. I took a voltmeter and checked the battery at rest: it was around 12.5 volts. Running, the reading at the battery was 13.7. So I'm thinking the inconsistencies are due to a pending alternator failure. Am I off base here? Problem 2: Power steering squeal. The power steering rack and pump are new (about four months old). The deal is that when I start the car, I will hear a high pitched squeal. If I hit the gas, the squeal gets louder and faster. It then subsides if I let off. This squeal will last for anywhere from 10 - 20 seconds, and then it goes away. On a few occations, it didn't squeal at all. Steering feel normal, and I'm not leaking any power steering fluid. The power steering resoviour is full. I'm thinking that the power steering belt may need to be adjusted? If so, is squealing a sign that the belt is too tight or too loose, etc? Any other places this could be coming from? Other causes? Thanks. Scott. =============================================== * Reply by Jack D. Russell, Sr. <jackru$$ell2@notmail.com> * Newsgroup: alt.autos.porsche.944 * Reply to: All; "Mr. Crash Davis" <confirm@corn-bread.org> * Date:Thu, 20 Jul 2006 06:49:15 -0400 * Subj: Need guidance on two problems: Alternator and power steering pump squeal ===================================================== Car:> 1990 cabriolet (S2) MCD> MCD> Hey folks. Thanks for the advice on July 1st about the cooland MCD> overfill. The trip went fine with no tragic breakdowns, etc. MCD> MCD> Anyway I've got two things that are bugging me. I'm fairly certain MCD> that they aren't big problems, but I want to nip them in the bud MCD> before they grow. MCD> Problem 1:> Alternator going out? MCD> I parked my car for about five days and didn't drive it. On day 6, MCD> I went out to start it and it was dead. Car had to be jumpstarted. MCD> After that, I have noticed that the voltages are off a little bit. MCD> 1 out of every 3 or 4 starts, the battery gauge will read about a MCD> half volt lower than it should. But if I shut off the car and MCD> restart it, it will usually show the proper readings after that. MCD> MCD> I took a voltmeter and checked the battery at rest: it was around 12.5 MCD> volts. MCD> Running, the reading at the battery was 13.7. MCD> MCD> So I'm thinking the inconsistencies are due to a pending alternator MCD> failure. Am I off base here? IMHO...Yes, you are. The alternator readings are inline with what they should be under normal operation. I would suspect a bad battery. Check your car's grounds. The 944 gauges aren't the most accurate or reliable. Problem 2:> Power steering squeal. MCD> The power steering rack and pump are new (about four months old). MCD> The deal is that when I start the car, I will hear a high pitched MCD> squeal. If I hit the gas, the squeal gets louder and faster. It MCD> then subsides if I let off. This squeal will last for anywhere MCD> from 10 - 20 seconds, and then it goes away. On a few occations, MCD> it didn't squeal at all. Steering feel normal, and I'm not leaking MCD> any power steering fluid. The power steering resoviour is full. MCD> MCD> I'm thinking that the power steering belt may need to be adjusted? MCD> If so, is squealing a sign that the belt is too tight or too loose, MCD> etc? Any other places this could be coming from? Other causes? I would think it's too loose, but a simple thumb test should tell you which it is. If you do attempt to tighten the belt... Completely loosen BOTH bolts on top of the PS pump (Where it attaches to the bracket) before attempting to turn the adjusting turn buckle (on the bottom), or you will be buying a new PS pump. The ears will break off with little force. Good luck.  SignatureJack Alternator OK. You need to slow charge the battery, at one or two amps for a few days to drive lead sulphate off battery plates. Squeal is due to belt too loose. Tighten it up. Thanks for the tips guys! What would cause the battery to run down in the first place? There is a new engine in the car and some of the electricals are a little different. The previous owner put some sort of LED bar gauge in where the clock use to be (I think it measures oxygen, but I'm not sure). There are 10 LED lights, and right now they are all on all the time. Even when the car is turned off. It doesn't seem to me that this would be enough to drain the battery over 5 days, but hey that's why I'm posting the forum questions! > What would cause the battery to run down in the first place? A short or ground, something that is leeching power from the battery. > There is a new engine in the car and some of the electricals are a > little different. Scary. Tracking down a PO's hack electrical job can be... lengthy. > The previous owner put some sort of LED bar gauge in where the clock > use to be (I think it measures oxygen, but I'm not sure). There are 10 LED lights, and > right now they are all on all the time. Even when the car is turned off. It doesn't seem > to me that this would be enough to drain the battery over 5 days, but hey that's why I'm > posting the forum questions! Pull the fuse that controls the circuit to the LEDs and see if that's causing the problem. Another common ground problem is the door switches.... I believe with the key out and the door open, the power windows will not go up/down. Purchase a multimeter, connect it in series with the battery and ground with the ground strap removed and measure the current flow if any, with the key off. You should not see any more than a few milliamperes for the led lights. Mature batteries self discharge in three to four weeks typically. =============================================== * Reply by Jack D. Russell, Sr. <jackru$$ell2@notmail.com> * Newsgroup: alt.autos.porsche.944 * Reply to: All; <alordofchaos@yahoo.com> * Date:Fri, 21 Jul 2006 06:19:26 -0400 * Subj: Re: Need guidance on two problems: Alternator and power steering pump squeal ===================================================== a> Pull the fuse that controls the circuit to the LEDs and see if that's a> causing the problem. Another common ground problem is the door a> switches.... I believe with the key out and the door open, the power a> windows will not go up/down. No, with the key out and the *drivers* side door open, both power windows should operate. There is a strange relation, however, between the clock circuit and the door switches and the hatch light switch. Make sure that all of the interior courtesy light bulbs are good before trying to test that circuit. If the condition of the battery is unknown, I'd have it tested or replace it before doing anything else. SignatureJack > * Newsgroup: alt.autos.porsche.944 > * Subj: Re: Need guidance on two problems: Alternator and power steering > pump squeal > a> I believe with the key out and the door open, the power > a> windows will not go up/down. > > No, with the key out and the *drivers* side door open, both power > windows should operate. Interesting, there was some controversy (on Rennlist) as I recall on this issue. What the owner's manual says is: "When the ignition is turned off or the ignition key removed, the power windows can be operated until one door is opened." (the one I referenced was for an '88, I believe - it lists the 944S - as it was one I found online, but I believe my '86 owner manual states the same) =============================================== * Reply by Jack D. Russell, Sr. <jackru$$ell2@notmail.com> * Newsgroup: alt.autos.porsche.944 * Reply to: All; <alordofchaos@yahoo.com> * Date:Sun, 23 Jul 2006 07:16:09 -0400 * Subj: Re: Need guidance on two problems: Alternator and power steering pump squeal ===================================================== a> a> Jack D. Russell, Sr. wrote: a>> * Newsgroup: alt.autos.porsche.944 a>> * Subj: Re: Need guidance on two problems: Alternator and power steering a>> pump squeal a> a>>> I believe with the key out and the door open, the power a>>> windows will not go up/down. a>> a>> No, with the key out and the *drivers* side door open, both power a>> windows should operate. a> a> Interesting, there was some controversy (on Rennlist) as I recall on a> this issue. What the owner's manual says is: a> a> "When the ignition is turned off or the ignition key removed, the a> power windows can be operated until one door is opened." a> a> (the one I referenced was for an '88, I believe - it lists the 944S - a> as it was one I found online, but I believe my '86 owner manual a> states the same) Yes, That's what the owner's manual says. I didn't get the info from the owner's manual. It's been 10 years and the memory ain't what it used to be. I may have read it in one of the workshop manuals, or maybe Rennlist or Pelican, etc., but I haven't done forums in years. I prefer to separate the wheat from the chaff, and find that the Rennlist daily digest (e-mail list) is much more reliable than info gleaned from the forums. The participants are real mechanics/enthusiasts that have been involved with these cars for years, and know what they're talking about. In any case...it's easy enough to test. Go out and open your drivers door (without the key in the ignition) and press the window buttons. Mine operate. ;) SignatureJack > a>> No, with the key out and the *drivers* side door open, both power > a>> windows should operate. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > a> as it was one I found online, but I believe my '86 owner manual > a> states the same) > Yes, That's what the owner's manual says. I didn't get the info from the > owner's manual. It's been 10 years and the memory ain't what it used to [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > door (without the key in the ignition) and press the window buttons. > Mine operate. ;) Well... here's the thing. Of course, nothing is simple :-) In my '86 na, my windows used to operate exactly as stated in the manual. With keys in or out of the ignition, my windows would go up/down until after I opened the door. Once I opened the door, they would no longer operate; as a matter of fact, I opened the door once while raising the window and it stopped in the middle. This winter, I ended up with a battery drain problem. I was running the car a couple of times a week, but things got busy one week and I went about 10 days or so without starting it and the battery was dead. And now, my windows will open with the doors open. =============================================== * Reply by Jack D. Russell, Sr. <jackru$$ell2@notmail.com> * Newsgroup: alt.autos.porsche.944 * Reply to: All; <alordofchaos@yahoo.com> * Date:Tue, 25 Jul 2006 06:13:35 -0400 * Subj: Re: Need guidance on two problems: Alternator and power steering pump squeal ===================================================== a> Well... here's the thing. Of course, nothing is simple :-) a> a> In my '86 na, my windows used to operate exactly as stated in the a> manual. With keys in or out of the ignition, my windows would go a> up/down until after I opened the door. Once I opened the door, they a> would no longer operate; as a matter of fact, I opened the door once a> while raising the window and it stopped in the middle. a> a> This winter, I ended up with a battery drain problem. I was running a> the car a couple of times a week, but things got busy one week and I a> went about 10 days or so without starting it and the battery was a> dead. And now, my windows will open with the doors open. ;o| SignatureJack |
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