Car will not start

I was headed out to go to work this morning and I tried to crank my car and nothing happened. All of the lights and systems come on no problem, but when I try to crank the car nothing happens. The volt meter is reading 10v- could this mean a dead battery? The only thing that makes me think it is not a battery is that when I try to crank I hear no clicking etc. Any help would be great!

I forgot to add that I tried to jump it and it did the same thing.

Asuming it is a Porsche 996 (this is the Porsche 996 forum) and that it is a standard shift, check the clutch interlock switch.

It is a 6 speed. Where is the clutch interlock switch? I was looking where the pedal is and there is a switch that looks like it would be used for cruise control( button depressed while pedal is fully up). And is there a way to bypass this?

Search is your friend "Clutch switch" https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ch-switch.html https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...t-the-car.html

10v sounds low. Mine reads about 12v or just over that before starting.

Ok I ziptied my clutch switch with no real results. I have not driven my other car lately and its dead too...FML. I guess I am gonna go rent a car and see if I can go get a battery.

Ignition switch goes bad in these cars. When you turn the key is there any resitance? Do a search. Lots of info regarding the repair.

You must engage the clutch all the way. If you're off just a little, you get your symptoms. GL

I went out and tried to engage the clutch. I pressed it down until it felt like the floor was going to give and still nothing. I also replaced my whole ignition switch recently so I do not think that is it.

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The issue isn't necessarily that you have your clutch fully depressed. If the switch is faulty, or if it has shifted position, you can still depress the clutch pedal fully, and the car still won't start. Without turning on the ignition, and you press the clutch into the floor, do you hear a light clicking sound when the pedal hits the floor? That is the clutch switch. If you don't hear it, then the switch has shifted position. If you hear it click but the car still won't start, the switch may be faulty. larry

I think the problem is a low battery, probably with a dead cell. It's sometime takes a long time to help boost up a battery by jumping, especially if the cables are crappy. How long did you have the cables on? Rick 99 996C4 87 944S

It could still be your battery, mine did the same thing a week or two ago. I think if your volt meter is at 10 that means one of your cells is dead, should be 12+. Mine was the same way and it also couldn't be jumped. Got a new battery and now it starts great.

Agreed, Just because the Volts are kinda there does not mean it has the amps to move the starting motor, Call CAA (or who ever) and have them come out and load test your battery or take it to them. If you ask me 10v is too low. Its always best to eliminate the cheapest things first.

I'd put my $ on a dead battery as others have mentioned. I was able to nurse a weak battery for a year before it neede replacement.

Yah if the battery is a couple or few years old ditch it......no not in a ditch but at your battery store. 10v sucks. I'll never forget a friend that installed an amp and didn't know it would stay on all the time and kill his battery if he didn't switch it off so check for stuff that might drain your battery you might of added recently. The no service needed batterys are like when we were little kids and some big guy is picking on us holding us back with a hand on our foreheads. I'd figure 99% of the batterys still need to have the battery acid level checked. Did I mention ditch the bit.......get a new battery.

try tapping on the starter and seloniod with a hammer or wrench....

My last car (Toyota) had the exact symptoms originally described here. It went on, intermittantly and undiagnosable, for a year. Finally, it happened consistently enough that I could get it looked out. It was a long, aggrevating experience, caught between a dealer and an after-market shop but end result was: a speck of dirt in the tab where the wiring goes into the starter. Everytime it jiggled, it would remake the connection thus being intermittent. I didn't even replace anything. The technician just blew on the connection. Problem solved.

Caveat... I'm not so sure about the 996 since I don't own one, but on every other car, truck and motorcycle I've owned fully charged battery voltage was closer to 14V. As others have said 10V is way, way to low.

10V with no load. Your battery is shot. and if its not, you have one heck of a short. Pull the Neg cable off and check your volts... with no load you should be well above 12 as high as 14. 10 V with no load and even if you jump it.. I dont think your going to fire. The battery is eating it self

I was experiencing a similar problem, but it was only occasional. I didn't want to wait till the middle of the winter to be stranded. The local Porsche dealer took a look at it. I asked him to verify that the ignition switch wasn't the problem (knowing that this has been a frequent issue with others' cars. He said that the ignition switch was fine, but the clutch switch was intermittent. I was hearing it click when I stepped down, but apparently that wasn't enough. The switch was still faulty. I pick the car up tomorrow afternoon. I guess that I'll know pretty quickly if he diagnosed it properly. larry

Ok I swapped the battery and it worked fine. I guess it had a dead cell in it. Thanks everyone for your help!

Yes, another dead battery is toast. Glad it was something simple for you.

me too! I thought when it was not clicking over that I might have a dead starter.

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I just normally throw the battery in the same ditch I dump my used oil in. That way it's all in one spot. And please anyone only running on 10v..... I'm kidding.

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Over here the authority's stencil paint a fish at road drains to remind people the drains go to the ocean. I'll never forget when a milk company of Hawaii had pesticide tainted milk so they dumped it down a plant drain that went straight to the Ala Wai Canal running along Waikiki. The river ran white for a day.

[QUOTE=I was able to nurse a weak battery for a year before it needed replacement.[/QUOTE] How do you nurse a battery? Give it fluids or aspirin? Is that like doctoring it up?

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Exactly. Fluids=topped off with distilled water, no aspirin, but trickle charged it often. Finally winter set in and....it was time for a new one.

So there is great irony in the fact that I posted on the first page and now two years later I have the same problem. At first search I didn't find this thread, but now that I have I too will try the zip tie referenced in one of the links. I'll post my results once I find two minutes and some shade from this hot weather.

Batteries behave differently than they did many years ago. You always knew when one was on its way out, and it took a few weeks. Even when they died, you could jump-start the car. Now they sometimes are perfect one minute and dead the next and a jump won't work...progress. I replace the batteries in my boat every three years even when they seem strong. I should probably do that with my cars as well

You could ask the battery store to check your battery for you. Check the age of your battery.. They should last about 5 years. It should have a sticker on it somewhere. Or even before you do that, put it on an overnight charge. Hold your ingnition full on to the right (your charger will show 10) then fully depress the clutch and the starter should come in as you hold your foot down on the clutch and then slowley go to 14 when the revs come in. Then if all that fails, it must be the clutch switch if you still think that the ingnition switch is not at fault.

If you have 10v with no load you are dead. Even under light load you should still be really close to 12v or tiny bit more. Its a good rule, if any battery while not under load does not read OVER its voltage you have a dead battery.

I need help: Every time I try starting my car 997, I get the depress clutch message. I read the comments so I know what is wrong. My question is: do I need to disconnect the battery to change the micro- switch and can someone guide me on how to do replace it, step by step. thank you,

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No need to disconnect the battery. The switch is #16 here, which is held by a single small screw (need a small eyeglass screwdriver). http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-p...section=702-00 Just disconnect the two wires on the switch, remove the screw and swap the new switch in. Note the screw hole on the switch is elongated so you can adjust the switch a bit to make sure the switch is tripped when the clutch is depressed completely.

Seriously guys? All this over a dead battery? Turn the switch, only a "click" + only 10V reading + new ignition switch = dead battery. Case closed!

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Um, are you talking about the 2012 posts?

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LOL! Sh*t! It's a resurrected post! Never mind then. I guess I'm ranting about the 2012 guys.

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Well, really, you should be ranting to Jake and Flat Six.

At the risk of aggravating the forum let me pile on one quick question. My 996 exhibits this behavior after a stall and there is an odd ritual that I need to do to get the car to start again. I was originally thinking the ignition switch (although I have no other discernible problems). Any other thoughts? R

The technology for testing doubtful batteries has changed - way beyond the old load testers and VOM. Same with battery chargers/trickle chargers. Without these new pieces of equipment it is unlikely that a quickest & most accurate diagnosis can be made. For example - make sure the new Tester has an S.O.C. readout - and the charger a de-sulfation ability. The Search here is useful to find notorious ,common problems like: -the "Y" connection in the wiring that corrodes -the battery cables that corrode In both cases the corrosion/high resistance is hidden beneath the insulation Check also for parasitic discharge.