Having Bad Experience with Braille Battery - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Steve Tinker · 06-26-2011, 01:12 AM

Darkstorm - have you tried charging your new battery over a 12 - 15 hours with an external battery charger?
Sometimes new batteries (light weight or not) require an initial, steady state charge over a protracted time frame that a car alternator cannot give...

j.fro · 06-26-2011, 04:03 AM

It's the battery. I put on a new alternator and a new ignition switch and still had the issues. Be careful using just any battery charger. Braille makes their own dedicated charger, and using any other charger voids the warranty.

darkstormvx · 06-26-2011, 07:27 AM

I can get a charger, but wouldnt I run into the same issues anyway? Im assuming it came out of the box with a full charge based on the date of manufacture. And it still ended up dying randomly. I dont operate anything in my car without it running.

I think if the battery needed an initial charge the manufacturer would've indicated it. In any case, the very next day after install I made a 450 mile trip to DC and back. Wouldnt that be sufficient to charge it?

JFP in PA · 06-26-2011, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkstormvx

I think if the battery needed an initial charge the manufacturer would've indicated it. In any case, the very next day after install I made a 450 mile trip to DC and back. Wouldnt that be sufficient to charge it?

Yes, it should. The issue is not the level of charge, it is the power reserve capacity (amps) of the unit; the Braille is light because it does not have the lead/lead oxide mass necessary to store the power to run all the stuff in the car, like your aftermarket stereo system, which is a huge power draw. These batteries are problematic for street use.

You need a correctly sized battery...............

darkstormvx · 06-26-2011, 03:19 PM

I'll just sell the replacement they send me and get an interstate battery. Id rather my car ran like it should, and this battery will kill my power system eventually.

Thanks for the advice. Maybe I can get my hands on one of those costco batteries.

Topless · 06-26-2011, 08:46 PM

Maybe simply loose battery cable connections or a faulty new battery.

If your primary car use is DD or weekend joyride and you want bulletproof operation, use a standard battery. If your primary use is motorsport and this is one of the few ways to lose weight and remain class legal, use a light weight AGM battery.

FWIW I have been using a 15lb AGM motorsport battery for two years. If the car will sit for more than two weeks without use I put it on a battery maintainer as long term storage will discharge it. Otherwise I have had no issues and appreciate the weight savings.

darkstormvx · 07-12-2011, 06:02 PM

Update

The good: I snatched an optima yellow top battery from advanced auto and after about 2 hrs building a hold-down, its in there. Ive NEVER heard my car crank up so strong. Its like night and day from the braille. Much better for my setup.

The bad: Even with the optima, there is still something wrong. I started it up the morning after (same strong start) and I had the hazards come on and the clock was reset to 12:00 again. At the mall, I went in and bought a shirt came out, sat down and put the key in, lights came up and as I turned the key everything cut off. Lights out in the dash but interior lights were bright. Key stuck again. Had guy come with jump box and popped hood. We had a hard time getting the power to flow thru when he put the clamps on. He had to wiggle the positive side as the dash lights flashed on and if it moved they cut off. Sometime dash lights came on, id turn key and it'd cut off. Finally started it and it started just as strong. When I started to drive off the headlights started dimming for a few seconds then stopped and I drove home.

Anyone have an idea of what could be causing this? I put the battery in myself so I know the cables are tight and correct. The battery is brand new and a deep cycle. I feel it in my bones, it wasn't dead. What I do know...is that none of this ever happened (hazards coming on, key stuck no power, computer reset, and alarm went OFF unexpectedly 2 nights), none of it happened until I had the dealer install the braille battery. And I know it started happening right after they did it.

I swear its like something is stopping the flow of power. I doubt the braille caused these issues now.

Ignition switch? Maybe, but it happening RIGHT after battery swap is very coincidental.

Alternator? Maybe, Never had any problems with it.

Did the dealer cut a line or cross a cable? Should I just take it back? Any ideas are appreciated.