987.2 click no crank

Our 2011 987.2 Cayman S is suddenly refusing to start. It has given no sign of impending issues (slow cranking or dash lights dimming when cranking), and everything was peachy when the missus drove home last night, but this morning it's suddenly making no effort to crank whatsoever. I can hear a relay click, but there's no crank action at all. The battery voltage is fine, the lights don't dim, and I've tried jumping it from another vehicle, but without success. Even tried both keys, in case it was somehow related to the security system. Before I have it towed to our local P-car specialist, are there any diagnostics that a shade-tree mechanic with some experience with automotive electrics but no access to a lift can perform? Is the main relay panel accessible to mere humans? Is there an accessible terminal that I can use to test the starter motor? How many arms and legs am I likely to lose if the starter has spontaneously decided to cark it? Thanks!

Sounds like dead battery but not starting with another car to jump it is odd. The voltage can read fine but if it can't support the cranking amps it still won't start the car. Was the other car running and did you let to stay connected for a while prior to trying to start? Any chance you reversed the polarity when you tried to jump it? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is it constant clicking, or just a single click? If it's a single click, it's likely related to the starter, not the battery.

Yes, I left them connected for several minutes and no, I didn't reverse the polarity. Single click, as if the relay is pulling in but the starter is simply not drawing any current whatsoever. I've experienced low or dead batteries before - this doesn't feel like that at all. I suspect a dead starter (though I consider that unlikely given the sudden onset), or a bad relay. Perhaps even a fusible link - is there one in the starter circuit? - or even a bad connection somewhere. Here's another thought: would a faulty neutral interlock produce similar results?

Check your positive cable all the way to the module it connects to opposite end of the battery coonection. These have been know to go bad. If it is the positive cable, you will need a Positive lead kit which is seriously back ordered. I was told it could be up to a 6 month wait! This happened with my 07, 987.

This is off the wall, but do you have a 2nd Porsche ? When I switch keys between my LE & CSS, Porsche will let the wrong key turn the ignition to the on position, there will be a click noise in the key area, and nothing else happens.

Only one P-car, and I've tried both keys, but you could be right - it might be somehow related to the security system. I guess we'll just bite the bullet and get it towed in the morning. :/

It sounds like what happened to my 2007 Cayman last month. My car wouldn't start...just the clicking sound. AAA tried two different jumper/ booster packs (both were fully charged) and the car still didn't start. The battery was checked and deemed to be good. Lights did not dim. Had the car towed to the shop and they diagnosed a corroded "distribution cable". They had the pin, but had to order the cable from over 2400 miles away. Took about a week.

I had this problem with my '79 911SC. Turns out that the engine had a hydraulic lock as a result of a stuck fuel injector filling a cylinder. Pulled all the plugs to be sure, defeated the distributor for safety, cranked it through, and never had it recur.

Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. Heard from the shop today - it's a bad starter. $500 part, but at least it's in stock!

i had battery very low once - it took ~10-15 minutes jump cables connected to another car with engine running before the Porsche could crank again. with a little low battery situations the jump cable or booster worked for me immediately. but not when the battery went too low.

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500$ for a starter is not too bad. for Porsche i would expect over 1000$.

I was just thinking a few weeks ago how strange this case was.... and suddenly I got struck by this too.... single click but no crank, jumpstart no effect, battery looks ok. starter issue as well.

don't think its due to water - the starter is pretty high up around the same height as the AOS . The techs did say its not uncommon for porsches around 8-10 years old to have this issue. its more "frozen" or stuck.

Reconditioned part, not new.

It must be starter season. :/

"Seized" was the word our tech used.

starter fresh from the box....glad to have a car that starts again! had to get some other items related to removal of the parts above the starter like the rubber gasket for the intakes that were showing their age.

eldilf, since yours is a manual - is your clutch switch working properly?

thanks for replying. i did the bypass on it and still same reaction. i am now going to see about the relay in the trunk. i took them off to just take a quick look and one the terminals looks a bit blued as if a bit burnt. going to see about replacing that to just kind of rule things out.

hope you find the problem.... i know what its like not to have your car for a few weeks

ok so now i have had my car down for several months. replaced the starter and the clutch switch and still nothing but click no crank and car loses power after the click. i replaced a relay in the rear driver side who's part number indicated it was for the starter but nothing yet but click and loss of power. i hear there is another relay location under the dash over the fuse box? how many starter relays would this car have? lol im almost at the end of my rope in regards to patience in resolving this issue and thinking maybe its time to let a mechanic look at it. i just hate to not figure things out and fix them myself (of course with porsche owners' help) any other tips?

yes Don, to do the "seize" test for the cayman you need a long metal rod/screwdriver as well as the mallet (the starter is quite deep in) and you need another person to do it while you're cranking. Unfortunately I couldn't find a shop to refurbish the starter within a reasonable time frame - and I wanted some peace of mind beyond the usual 2-6 months that refurbished equipment usually provides. I was once stuck on a slope in the middle of a convoy... and the car struggled to start! eldif, you may want to take a voltmeter and check if the voltage is reaching the starter?

That's a new "reconditioned" starter. Bosch used to do that - sell to the aftermarket brand-new starters and alternators marked as "Bosch Reconditioned" - they did this so the aftermarket could sell them for half of what Mercedes, BMW and probably Porche were charging for their new ones. You might want to do two things - shoot a coat of clear lacquer on it before installing it (prevents rust and corrosion), and use some thick grease on the front pinion gear. You might put a bit on the shaft the pinion extends on too. And a tiny smear of grease around the part that fits into the bell-housing so if it ever needs to be removed it will come out easy. But that's just me... most guys will slap it in and call it a day..

I did forget to mention that in the parts catalogue, it does make mention of the support bracket for the starter. Not sure why but the part was like 10 dollars so just bought it anyway since shipping was going to take time and another shipment from the other side of the world was going to cost more than 10 dollars!

Deilenberger, whatever the call it - it was a nice shiny one I didn't install it myself so not sure what the guys did before installing it but the steps sound - er... sound?

I just got this problem today! Damn! Thought it may be my usual battery issue so I charged it for half a day with my Ctek and then again, single click, no crank. Called my mech and he thinks its the starter. Will need to get it towed in and replaced. Sigh!

Could this be caused by a loose or defective ignition switch?

Did you try jumping it ? Charging a battery with a bad cell will not help. You can charge it for days and it still won't start the car. If it doesn't change anything when you jump then it's not the battery . How much juice is it getting to the starter ? Did you check and clean the ground wire ? I would try everything I can before throwing parts at the problem.

I did the only thing I'm capable of wrt this problem... it's at the mech now

Mech just called... Its the starter motor.

Seems to be a lot of that going around; maybe it's another virus ?? Hope not, one is enough.

Not sure how much of my basic knowledge from the 60's still applies, but the most common starter failure was the solenoid relay. When the ignition switch is turned on, a small electric current is sent through the starter solenoid. This causes the starter solenoid to close a pair of heavy contacts, thus relaying a large electric current through the starter motor, which in turn sets the engine in motion. The symptom of a bad solenoid is either total silence, or just a click. A series of clicks usually indicates the battery is too weak to keep the contacts closed. It is rare for an electric motor to just stop working. That's why I suspect in most cases it is the solenoid that failed. It used to be an easily replaced and cheap (< $50) part. On tiger's image, it is that cylindrical piece on top of the motor (pointed to by #20). Only held by a couple bolts. On the other end, a heavy +12V power cable. And a couple small wires from the ignition switch. Doesn't Porsche sell a replacement for the solenoid any more? I guess they'd rather sell you a $1000 motor and $400 labor.

Yup, my mech mentioned something about the solenoid which I of course understood nothing about. He also said the starter motor was weak. I think they sent out the starter motor for reconditioning so not sure how long that will last.

for those curious - you can refer to the video posted by lonewolfsx to see how the starter works. Start issue - spun up rpms with engine off? A few... The common issue is apparently the "stuck" or "seized" gears which sometimes fails to extend or retract. That is why there is no cranking or a squealing sound that is a symptom for some. (I only encountered it once though). It just seems weird that the built in obsolescence of this device seems to be around 8-10 years. wmclarenf1 you can check the prices on the websites of the common parts sellers. the choices locally for me were limited and priced approx 30% higher.

Hey all. I just muddled my way through this same issue. I put together a video on the troubleshooting and the starter replacement, because I could not find one online. This video won’t win any awards, but maybe it will help someone. 987.2 Cayman No Crank Troubleshooting Video