98 Boxster Hood Latch

[Ambrosehoosier]

Looking for tips on how to free up the interior lever/switch for the front hood latch. Mine seems bound up and 10W40 doesn't seem to help. Battery is dead and I need access to the front compartment to put charger on it. Any tips appreciated.
Ambrosehoosier

[djomlas]

i just had my front bumper off, there is actually a long cable/wire that runs from the latch to somewhere in the passinger side front grille area, try and look for it, it may be hidden nicely, get a flashlight and look around, its silver in color, if you find it pull it and it should open your front trunk.
mine had a little lop at the end

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

Don't force it = the levers are latched as part of the security system. There are a couple things you can do.

First, there is a release cable under the passenger side wheel well, locate and pull this cable and the Hood Latch will open, there you can access the battery and get it charged.

Second, you can get and use a Memory Saver - http://www.autodax.com/products/toolsequipment/kas295a.htm . With this, you can use the power of a 9-volt battery to open the doors which will release the Hood Opening Lever so you can open the Hood to get a charger on the battery.

Finally, there are a number of chargers which will plug diectly into the cigarette lighter to charge the battery directly (assuming it will still hold a charge). This is my least favorite option because I don't like charging through the car's wiring harness to the battery - potential to fry some very expensive components if a short exists somewhere in the system. Not better, convenient, but not worth the risk IMHO. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[NickCats]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Finally, there are a number of chargers which will plug directly into the cigarette lighter to charge the battery directly (assuming it will still hold a charge). This is my least favorite option because I don't like charging through the car's wiring harness to the battery - potential to fry some very expensive components if a short exists somewhere in the system. Not better, convenient, but not worth the risk IMHO. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Jim,

Why are you so adverse to the cigarette lighter chargers ? How great is the chance that charging through the wiring harness will fry something due to a short ? Why would Porsche choose to offer this option as part of their tequipment if there is such an inherent risk ( aside from simplicity ) ?

http://www.epiqautosport.com/pro_battery_maintainer.php#?

Thanks,

Nick

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

@NickCats - Maybe my aversion to charging through the wiring harness stems from owning so many Italian and English sportscars through the years. Overly cautious? Maybe...

There could be several issues with charging through the cigarette lighter. First, one is merely speculating that the Battery is run down for lack of use (maybe even good speculation and correct 99% of the time) and not due to some short in the Wiring Harness or such. Second, should the charger fail, or succumb to a power spike from the household current (not at all uncommon as most Computer and Top-end Stereophiles know), the wiring harness is directly involved and potentially some very spendy electronic components as well. Also, you work the charger harder having to push that current through all the wiring.

The Porsche Charger isn't made by Porsche, or even to their specifications, it is actually made by a Swedish Firm - CTEK and merely labled as the Porsche Charge-O-Mat II. In actuality, it's just a re-labled MULTI XS 3600 model. CTEK makes good stuff, but it's in no way Porsche specific, aside from the label.

To me, there is little convenience over popping the hood and attaching the leads directly to the Battery.

You may well never have an issue in the wiring harness due to using this charger, I'm not saying that you will. But, I know I won't have one because I don't use the wiring harness to charge the Battery. I'm not saying one shouldn't buy the through-the-lighter type charger, not at all. But that's far from actually recommending them...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[JackG]

Originally Posted by NickCats

Jim,

Why are you so adverse to the cigarette lighter chargers ? How great is the chance that charging through the wiring harness will fry something due to a short ? Why would Porsche choose to offer this option as part of their tequipment if there is such an inherent risk ( aside from simplicity ) ?

http://www.epiqautosport.com/pro_battery_maintainer.php#?

Thanks,

Nick

I'm not Jim, but after reading his answer maybe I can help out here...

The "short in the wiring harness" really isn't an issue. It's not like a short would only exist from the lighter socket back to the battery, but not from the battery out to the lighter. If there's a short, and it somehow killed the battery, it's already done its damage. The battery can supply hundreds of amps, frying pretty much any wiring in its path. The little lighter socket chargers are electrically limited to just a few amps, which even the smallest wires in the harness can safely carry.

As for electrical spikes from the AC power, well... any charger could be susceptible to that. However, nowhere remotely as susceptible as computer gear. The battery is essentially a HUGE capacitor, which would soak up some spike, if it were even able to make it through the charger. I'd be far more worried leaving a car on a big charger connected directly to the battery posts, as they can output far more current, and as a result can (and have) caught on fire themselves.

As far as the charger having to work harder to "push" the current through the wiring... well, that's not how electricity works. The charger presents a voltage to the battery, which then takes as much current as it needs (or the charger can deliver) to store in itself. If you insert some extra wiring between the charger and battery, you are essentially inserting a resistor into the circuit, which decreases the current flowing, which in turn EASES the load on the charger. It just takes longer for the battery to charge.

The only aversion that makes sense is to not want to attach one of these chargers to an old English or Italian car. With their pre-historic wiring harnesses and history of melting down when turning on the windshield wipers, you cringe everytime you turn the key!

Hope that clears things up.

[NickCats]

Jim / Jack,

Thanks for the info !

Since I have both the Boxster and the Harley sitting on battery tenders plugged directly into the wall, I think I will invest in a surge protector on the way home...

Nick