Dead Battery

[Luddite]

So you saw a spark when you connected your van battery to the emergency connector in your Porsche.... No surprise there... You are connecting a higher voltage to a very low voltage (if any) from that point on your van battery is dropping voltage as it is now charging your Porsche battery....

if you imagine it as two water tanks of equal dimensions one full the other empty, connected together via a pipe and a valve, you open the valve between the tanks and in time you end up with two half full tanks..... If you need a full tank to do the job...half a tank just wont do it...?

Water tanks have a floating ball valve to top up the tank to ensure the water level does not drop below a pre-set level in the tank...

When you fired up the van, you took some degree of power out of the van battery to get the engine running, after which the alternator was trying it`s best to bring two batteries up to the required voltage, which will indeed take TIME, and dependant on the alternators output capabilities...

Simples...?

Of course if I have got any of that wrong, I am more than happy to be corrected...

 

[Rob6]

Sounds like good advice - thanks.

 

[Rob6]

This is great news. Frankly I'm amazed that 12V across the fuse box wasn't enough to open the frunk latch - perhaps the car battery was so flat that it created problems with the circuit. Did leaving it connected with the van running somehow put some juice back into the car battery?! No idea how but that's the only thing that would explain it...!

Help needed yet again. After the thrill last week of getting my car started I ran it for an hour. Went to start it today - same problem. Completely dead and cant open bonnet. But not to worry I was full of confidence after the help getting me going last week. But disaster!!! In my joy, i must have pushed the little red thing too far into the fuse box - now I cant get it out to start the process over again. I have tried taking the 3 screws out of the fuse panel, but that just takes the facia off and doesnt help at all. Any clues how to get to the little red thing to pull it out??
Thanks all

 

[T8]

Any clues how to get to the little red thing to pull it out??

For the first time in 12 years since I did it on my 996C4 I had to do it today on my 997.1T.

When I took the fuse box cover off I found a long, fine piece of metal with a hook bend on the end. It's clipped on the inside of the box cover. I didn't need to use it.
EDIT: I have subsequently found out that this metal hook is for the emergency removal of the ignition key and nothing to do with the red power point.

If yours is missing I'd use some long nosed pliers but be very careful when you tug it not to pull it out too far as it will break the wire attached to it.

Good Luck

 

[Rob6]

Hiya - on mine that handy tool is a little yellow plastic pincer thing. Normally would work perfectly well. However for reasons I cant explain the red thing was stuck right in there. No chance of getting it out even with pliers. I have a rubbish solution. I have actually cut out buts of the plastic that holds that red thing in place. Now I can get to it easily. The problem now, unlike last week, it doesnt seem to matter how long I leave it hooked up from our running VW van, this time I cannot pop the front bonnet. I have left it running now and just hoping for the best in about an hour. Surely life should not be this difficult just having a flat battery???

 

[Zingari]

I now have a pig tail connector leading out through the top of the bonnet and tucking it away under where the wipers sit. Can't be seen and I just fish it out to connect to a charger if I get a flat battery. Saves all the messing about given some of these powerpacks have 'intelligent' sensors in them, if they don't detect a conventional lead acid type battery they won't provide the full charge to power the bonnet release.

 

[Rob6]

I now have a pig tail connector leading out through the top of the bonnet and tucking it away under where the wipers sit. Can't be seen and I just fish it out to connect to a charger if I get a flat battery. Saves all the messing about given some of these powerpacks have 'intelligent' sensors in them, if they don't detect a conventional lead acid type battery they won't provide the full charge to power the bonnet release.

Thanks - yesterday was not fruitful unfortunately. I guess the battery can be so dead hooking up to that red thing wont sort it? I left running for ages with no luck. I was going to try one more thing, but wasnt sure if I should? Can i simply hook up my battery charger to that red thing? The crocodile clips might make a better connection?? Just wasnt sure if a battery charger plugged into the mains was OK? Thanks again

 

[Neven]

The little cable is still on the left even on RHD cars

 

[Hogarty997]

I purchased one of these recently. Very useful if you can get to the flat battery..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CY2X67ML?ref=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_ud_dp_AB310ZR9GBCW9EPYK17A&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_ud_dp_AB310ZR9GBCW9EPYK17A&social_share=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_ud_dp_AB310ZR9GBCW9EPYK17A&starsLeft=1&skipTwisterOG=1

 

[Rhodris-dad]

As a matter of interest, have you put a meter across your battery when the engine is running to see what volyage the alternator is charging the battery at? It should be over 14v at idle.

For the record I have the same problem if i do not drive my 997.1 for a couple of weeks, I have to lug a spare battery over to connect to the fuse box to open the frunk etc. It will be worse in winter as cold kills batteries so you will need to trickle charge or drive more often.

It's a997 thing.
I found my 997 to be heavy on batteries. It would drain, if not started for a while, very easily. Don't recall the same issue with the 996 and the 991....spent 2 months in France summer before last (no trickle charge) and it started first time on my return. (Spyder the same this winter)

 

[martin t]

I just looked up the powerpack and Argo also have them for £85 so I have decided to buy one as well.

Mind you a new 12v battery will be about the same price but this one fits in a pocket!

 

[Gizmob73]

I fitted a CTek plug under the scuttle panel on the passenger side. Makes it super easy to put my 997 on charge when in the garage, and if I ever have a flat battery it can be charged without needing any special access.

 

[jerzybondov]

I fitted a CTek plug under the scuttle panel on the passenger side. Makes it super easy to put my 997 on charge when in the garage, and if I ever have a flat battery it can be charged without needing any special access.

Could you elaborate a bit (or post a pic) for how you routed this? Thanks!

 

[Gizmob73]

Could you elaborate a bit (or post a pic) for how you routed this? Thanks!

It wasn't my idea, in fact it may have originated on this forum. See this. https://911uk.com/threads/ctek-connection-location-with-car-cover.96352/page-2

 

[Gizmob73]

Could you elaborate a bit (or post a pic) for how you routed this? Thanks!

Just took a couple of shots to show what I have done, please excuse the dirt on the car and the poor quality pictures..


I have my charger suspended from the garage ceiling and it plugs into the car when not in use.
I used a standard CTEK accessory wired to the battery and it feeds under the scuttle very easily. It's one of the first jobs I did when I got the car.


When not in use, it simply tucks fully back into the scuttle and you pop the scuttle cover over the top again to make it invisible.
It's handy to charge, nothing to trip over and no wires trapped in the door seals, but also would give a simple option to put some charge back into the car and get it open if the worst ever happens.
My only tip would be to put the scuttle cover somewhere safe when not in use. I now store mine clipped on the charger cable, but initially I just rested it on the wiper blade. Once I forgot to put it back on and lost the first one as it blew away somewhere and had to get a replacement.

I hope this helps someone.