The Nine8Six (the car) is dead, can't start

[RobertKing]

Lot's of interesting suggestions, all missed the most basic thing. You said you haven't driven the car in 2 months. If the alarm was on, your battery is too low to start the vehicle. Happened with my 2001 just this week and after only 3 weeks of not being driven. Jump start it, drive around for 30 or 40 minutes and you're likely good to go. If the battery was disconnected, that does not mean the battery is good. 12.3 or so volts sounds right but, that's not under a load. Test the battery before going for expensive and likely unnecessary repairs.

[particlewave]

Originally Posted by RobertKing

Lot's of interesting suggestions, all missed the most basic thing. You said you haven't driven the car in 2 months. If the alarm was on, your battery is too low to start the vehicle. Happened with my 2001 just this week and after only 3 weeks of not being driven. Jump start it, drive around for 30 or 40 minutes and you're likely good to go.

You missed it, Robert. Read post #1.

[RobertKing]

I read the first post, the immobilizer is under the drivers seat so, dismissed the water under the passenger seat as an issue. Basic trouble shooting is to go from simple to complex, not the other way round, hence my suggestion. A battery can be new and have sat on a shelf for many months before sale. ALWAYS, test the battery first. Next, test for current draw. Then, test ECU/Immobilizer for issues. If you go the opposite direction, you needlessly spend time and money when it may be as simple and cheap, as a battery cable. My own Boxster S (2001 3.2L) had a very low battery after 3 weeks of not being driven. Same symptoms. Hooked up a charger for a few hours, turned the key and she started right up.

[particlewave]

Originally Posted by RobertKing

I read the first post, the immobilizer is under the drivers seat so, dismissed the water under the passenger seat as an issue. Basic trouble shooting is to go from simple to complex, not the other way round, hence my suggestion. A battery can be new and have sat on a shelf for many months before sale. ALWAYS, test the battery first. Next, test for current draw. Then, test ECU/Immobilizer for issues. If you go the opposite direction, you needlessly spend time and money when it may be as simple and cheap, as a battery cable. My own Boxster S (2001 3.2L) had a very low battery after 3 weeks of not being driven. Same symptoms. Hooked up a charger for a few hours, turned the key and she started right up.

Originally Posted by RobertKing

2,050 horsepower? On what planet? Brand new battery is meaningless. Brand new, can fail just as often and as quick as 3 years old or more. You've no idea how long that battery sat on a storeroom shelf before it was sold to you. I do diagnostics on computers every single day, it's my living. Batteries and such issues are no difference. Simple to complex is the proper order. Eliminate the simple before moving onto something complex. While it could be, the immobilizer, it's far more likely something much higher on the chain is the actual culprit. As I said in a previous post, my own, 2001 Boxster S did the same thing after 3 weeks of not being driven. A few hours charge and she was back up and running.

Yikes.

Yeah...I'm fairly sure it's the immobilizer.
You really ought to read every post on a thread before commenting. His battery is fine.

[Nine8Six]

Robert, my battery is the Best-in-the-World! Well, you know what I mean by that. Made in Tacalloo (new country), and marked up 1000%. Fits well though



What you said totally make sense and I should have charged up the battery before to rule this out. I actually did today just to give it a better life than it had. And you are so right man, often the silliest things we forget are often the cause of bigger problem(s). Always best to keep a down to earth approach when doing car diagnostic. Although pretty hard to achieve when you know zero about Porsche cars (my first Porsche man).

All I know is when electronics starts flashing and resisting in porsche cars, it either the audi $10 switch or the windshield washer fluid gone bad lollll As hard as I tried to believe it wasn’t the immobilizer, trust me I did tried :/

Keep up the great advice man

[Nine8Six]

Immob back in car, car start normally (amazingly?), but everything else fails; locking/remote mechanism, windows, etc etc don’t know what else, don’t care. Windshield washer pump and brake lights works super well though :/ man it xux

Steve (Qmulus Technology) thanks for jumping in – way too kind. The information you’ve published is already invaluable to the community, thanks so much. Same goes to the folks who can tweak and flash those YEEPROMM. Pretty amazing the wealth of knowledge and skills we have on this forum.

Saying skills; to reverse engineer and go as far as removing 20y old crispy components (relays, caps, whatever else it'll need), or flashing chips, you need that guy with 30y experience and with some preety damn solid ‘skills’. The problem is not much knowledge, it’s about NOT screwing up (zero/nada) anything in the process LOLLL So if this happens to you, place your brain where it normally goes and hire the folks who knows what they are doing. DO NOT ATTEMPT BY YOURSELF (you’ll screw up something and create more problems I promise LOL).



Steve was spot on though. You can trace back those relays to that Toshiba driver and much all pins from that are high. Consistent with what happening in the car (solid ugly RED lights on every switches).

So now my current status is passed well beyond suicidal, not sure what it’s called but it doesn’t feel right – my boxster is dead for the first time, OUCH lollll My indy found a replacement ($300) but said don’t expect it to be less damaged than yours (+dealer’s pst/piwis, + whatever else they have at $3000 for sale there I’m sure…).

The (only) other option is the cleanup, repair and/or get a fresh set of relays (clearly). Steve – give me a week to figure out if the guys can do this here if not, check your mail next week and slip me in your schedule if you can man. I’d really appreciate if it comes to this.

[Nine8Six]

Originally Posted by RobertKing

Jump start it, drive around for 30 or 40 minutes and you're likely good to go. If the battery was disconnected, that does not mean the battery is good. 12.3 or so volts sounds right but, that's not under a load. Test the battery before going for expensive and likely unnecessary repairs.

You have no idea how hard it is to jump start a 2,050 horsepower Boxster, Rob Batt is brand new from 2016, from Porsche (in special, of course). But will take your advice and drive it as soon as it starts.

Thanks for helping me out bud

[RobertKing]

2,050 horsepower? On what planet? Brand new battery is meaningless. Brand new, can fail just as often and as quick as 3 years old or more. You've no idea how long that battery sat on a storeroom shelf before it was sold to you. I do diagnostics on computers every single day, it's my living. Batteries and such issues are no difference. Simple to complex is the proper order. Eliminate the simple before moving onto something complex. While it could be, the immobilizer, it's far more likely something much higher on the chain is the actual culprit. As I said in a previous post, my own, 2001 Boxster S did the same thing after 3 weeks of not being driven. A few hours charge and she was back up and running.