[mustanghusker]

Hey guys. I just got back for a nice 2 week vacation to find my car battery totally dead. The battery is solid but I (like many others) have something that causes a slow drain. If the car is left for more than 3 days or so it won't start. Given that I was out for much longer than that the car is completely dead. The little light that blinks for the alarm isn't even on.



All that said, my jumper cables and battery boosters are in the trunk, and I can not figure out how to get into the trunk to get them. With the batter dead nothing works. Does anyone know of a way to get in there with a dead battery? I have tried the release on my key fob, the one inside the car, and using the key. I am probably just going to buy a battery charger but was hoping to put that off for a few days.



To top it all of I found out that I have a slow leak in a tire as my right front is completely flat now. Go figure.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Mark]

Sorry I don't have the exact info handy, but there is a manual release in the car. If you have the operators manual handy it will tell you in there.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[jpk]

On a coupe, there's a manual pull cable that you can reach from inside the car; don't know about a cab (can you weasle into the trunk by folding the seats down, or is a bulkhead in the way? Can you even fold the seats down from inside the car?)



The owner's manual mentions the manual operation of the hatchback for the coupe, but not for the cab.



You may need to find someone else with a pair of jumper cables to get you going; once they're connected, you should be able to get into your trunk.



I use a small automatic trickle charger to maintain my battery while the car "hibernates" over the winter; it just plugs into the cigarette lighter.



You shouldn't have more than 100 milliamps parasitic draw; ideally it shouldn't be more than 30mA. 500 mA (1/2 amp) will discharge a battery to the point it won't start the car in about 48 hours. Sounds like your draw is worse than that.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

open the driver door



remove the little vent piece in the door jam (not the matching one in the door)



reach in and locate cable



tug hard

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[mustanghusker]

Thanks for the input. I pulled the vent off and found the cable no problem. I got in to the trunk and got the cables, but the battery was too far gone.



So, in the end I had to go and spend $60 on a new battery charger. I guess I will probably need to use it again until I can get this gremlin figured out.



Thanks again guys.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[josephsc]

Battery chargers are handy to have anyways.



FWIW, I've encountered 2 944's in the past with a mysterious battery drain problem (sit for a few days and the battery is dead). The problem turned out to be the ground for the door switch -- which are the screws that hold the switch to the body, just fore of the doors. The screws are exposed to the elements are subject to dirt. Something about a relay that doesn't shut off if that switch is messed up.... Cleaning them might solve your problem -- or the problem could be something else. Just a thought...

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Ryan]

Both my Porsches suck the battery down without driving. I will have to check the door ground thing. I put a charger on them every week while in winter storage. Pain in the ass. Hope the fix is that easy

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[sguy]

I finally got my car out of the garage Sunday after a month of sitting - darn snow and cold. The engine turned over a little slowly, but started right up. A good battery and system on our cars can sit that long and still have charge for starting. Just for reference.



Cheers,

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[earossi]

For those of us who leave our cars sit for extended times (during the winter, my car is laid up to prevent any salt from getting to it), you should consider purchasing a battery tender. The tender is a form of a trickle charger, except that it shuts itself off when the battery reaches full charge, thus protecting against loss of battery water due to overcharging. They're only about $35 and provide good insurance that your battery always remains fully charged.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Dave]

[quote name='earossi' post='30652' date='Feb 6 2007, 12:15 PM']For those of us who leave our cars sit for extended times (during the winter, my car is laid up to prevent any salt from getting to it), you should consider purchasing a battery tender.[/quote]





Or a nice battery cut-off switch which complies with club racing rules... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

had one of those - danged thing was a royal pain - every once in a while it would lose contact and cut out and subsequently caused the loss of memory on the stereo

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Etnier]

Which brings me to my current major gripe: what is keeping firms like Alpine from putting lithium batteries into their head units? My Alpine loses everything when the battery is disconnected: it's a big pain.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Anchorman]

Agreed - something in the head unit that would preserve the settings for a period - four hours or so - would be a great feature.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[RPM]

Porsche has a nice battery trickle charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Kinda pricey but from Sunset it was under $100.



Nice Porsche crest on it <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

there is a gadget that plugs into your cigarette lighter that does that - just another thing to have to buy

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Anchorman]

But none of that does any good if you're removing the head unit to work on the console!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

lol - true enough - been there lost that - and with mine, it's a particularly long process to run the analyzer and reset everything

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Mark]

hmmm menu-save config to flashcard. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

lol - now if only i could figure out how to do that - the analyzer is built into the head unit - i don't think i have data output - gonna have to look into that

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[peartree]

For those of you interested in chargers, I've been really happy with my CTEK charger (about $50). I have the 3300 model and I also use it for my motorcycle. Little known secret...this is the same charger that is sold with the Porsche label for twice the price.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.