dead battery - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

986chris · 03-11-2008, 04:57 PM

Boys after not driving since christmas, the battery is dead. I tried pulling the terminal in the fuse box and boosting in with a battery charger but no dice. Thinking of push starting it or sawzalling a hole in the hood ha! Anyway a great idea here would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

Lil bastard · 03-11-2008, 11:51 PM

Search under the passenger side bumper for the emergency release cable - it's a bicycle type cable to manually release the Hood mechanism. Just pull it.

These get moved around, so it may take some searching, but it's in there.

Good Luck!

mikefocke · 03-12-2008, 01:44 AM

link and there is also a web page showing replacement batteries and their sizes and aprox prices.

fab · 03-12-2008, 11:20 AM

add to your list of things needed for Porsche
Battery Maintainer....not expensive somewhere <$60

60drvr · 03-12-2008, 06:40 PM

Right wheel well (passenger side) you have to get under the wheel well cover to find the cable. It is a thin grey cable/wire. If you have time, and the weather is warm enough, take the time to remove the front clip, clean your radiators and then move your cable to the tow hook spot. I used duck tape and small zip ties and you would never know it was there. There is a great post with step by step pics on how to remove the front clip and how to move your cable access wire to the tow hook. I did it in about 3 hours with the removal and reinstall by myself and it was really easy. I have a battery maintainer, I live in Ohio, and I try to drive my boxty once a week but the maintainer is piece of mind. Hope this helps!

986chris · 03-13-2008, 02:55 AM

I also talked to the dealership they said it's passenger side up in one of the holes through the bumper cover, I'll give it another try tonight. I wish I could drive it every week, but we have just been slamed with winter this year! Good news , track opens April 4th yea-ha!!

986chris · 03-13-2008, 06:14 PM

o.k. so still no luck with the dealerships advice. i,m a grown man trying to reach up in the bumper with no visual. so much for emergency cable. i'm heading for the push start senario.

Lil bastard · 03-13-2008, 07:16 PM

With no 'juice' to power the fuel pump and injectors, the push-start method may not work, though I hope for your sake it does.

Another option would be to use a 'Memory Saver'

This one is under $10 runs on a 9-volt cell, but they also have one which runs off an AC transformer ($24). This should give you enough juice to operate the hood latch at least once to open the hood and get to the battery. You'll probably need the key in the ignition to unlock the circuit to the latch lever since it's locked with the key out.

Find them here - http://www.toolsource.com/computer-memory-saver-style-p-71759.html

AutoZone also sells one, it's Part Number: BTE296 which may be easier for you to get.

986chris · 03-15-2008, 08:09 AM

finally, success. jumped the hood latch circuit with my truck and it worked great. my battery charger must be the culprit, however it still hums but no sparks when i rub the clamps together. anyway topdown 60 degrees today woohoo! later.

Lil bastard · 03-15-2008, 09:28 AM

That's great!

I would check the battery thoroughly to make sure your charger didn't kill it - you don't want to have to go through all this again.

You can take it to a shop and have them do it, or you could buy a simple load tester for <$30 (possibly less than you'll pay to have it tested) - especially useful if you have multiple vehicles -

It's a nice tool to own and you'll find you use it more than you'd think.

You can get it here: http://www.shop.com/Electronic_Specialties_ESI700_Analog_Battery_Teste r_with_120_Amp_Load_Capacity-36780660-p!.shtml?trk=10

986chris · 03-22-2008, 06:39 PM

thanks for all the help Lil B. the battery was new last summer and I never had it on the charger. Will the load tester test the charger? so one week later i'm back in the same situation with a dead battery, but I've got the process down now.I dont think I drove it long enough then it sat another week.

Lil bastard · 03-22-2008, 06:52 PM

No! Never use a load tester on the charger - you'll blow them both!

But, I still suspect the battery. Even if only a year old, there are lots of reasons a battery can fail prematurely. Manufacturing defect, hitting a pothole and breaking/cracking the plates, alternator output too high and so on.

Have the battery load tested. Test the battery with a multimeter when it's not hooked up s/b no more than 13.2volts. Hook battery back up and run car, this time when you connect the DMM leads to the battery terminals, you should see 13.8-14.2 volts, if more, the alternator diodes have probably failed and this is cooking your battery.

986chris · 03-23-2008, 04:53 PM

dealer put a new alt. when I bought the car 08-07. warranty company did a service call before issuing policy. thats how I got the new alt. & bat. Any advice on a meter, good one, make and model? Will the load test measure amps or is it a different test.

Lil bastard · 03-23-2008, 09:06 PM

No a load tester will not measure Amps that's an ameter. But for a DMM (digital Multimeter), if you're a homeowner or such, it pays to buy a good one.

Once you have it, you'll be amazed at how much you use it. There are several good brands out there. My preference is Fluke they make several models and are a well respected brand.

Mine also has a temp probe in it and that's a nice feature to have. I've used mine on everything from household wiring to my lawnmower. I figure it's saved me more than 10 X the cost over the years, not to mention hours of frustration trying to chase down electrical issues.

For a Shade Tree guy, I think the load tester I linked is perfectly acceptable. These things can range up to $400, but there's just no justification to spend that much if you''re not making your living with it. Expect to pay around $100 for a quality DMM with good features - Temp probe, audible continuity, auto adjustment (AC/DC and range), though they can be had for as little as $10.

The $10 one will suffice for a lot of people. I have been wrenching on cars since I was 13, so for me, I always looked at my tools as an investment and bought good ones. Other people's priorities are different and that's OK too.

986chris · 03-25-2008, 02:45 AM

our tool philosiphy matches. so i could use a dmm as a tire pyrometer too? which i was getting ready to buy.

Lil bastard · 03-25-2008, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 986chris

our tool philosiphy matches. so i could use a dmm as a tire pyrometer too? which i was getting ready to buy.

Well, I never thought of that, but I don't see why not. It may not be as accurate as an IR Pyrometer, but then again, you're not driving the GP at Monaco either - lol. It'd be interesting to test the DMM against a Pyrometer and see how the two differ.

If you find you need more accuracy than that, you can always get a pyrometer. But I suspect you'll use a DMM much more.