Car won't start!

Granted, its been about 10 days since I last drove and it is parked in an unheated garage, it still sux that it won't start. I hear this tak-tak-tak noise coming from the starter and that's about it. The clock has reset itself back to 1:00 am and for some reason there is my electronic oil level indicator with a countdown starting from 59 minutes, 59 seconds. Does anyone know the reason for that? The battery needle is barely moving off of the '10' mark. Called Porsche roadside and am promised an ETA of 90 minutes or less to have someone come jumpstart it. So, the question that begs itself is how do I prevent and/or deal with this going forward knowing that there are still plenty of cold days and I won't be driving the p-car in this weather. FWIW, I don't have access to an electric outlet (because of it being a public garage). The other question is that my garage does have some device to jump start the cars but I'm hesitant to use it. Is there any difference between p-cars and "normal" cars that will preclude me from using this device in the future if I follow the manual to the letter? Thanks amigos..

Well if not running for awhile maybe unhook one of the leads to the battery so it won't drain out(cheaper way to go). A portable battery charger(kinda heavy) can be in the car or at home so if it dies can be jumpstarted with that. I heard that there is a device that you can hook up to the battery which can disconnect it but don't know much about it. What kind of jumpstarter is in the garage? Regards. Mike

Thanks Mike. It looks like the garage has one of those portable battery chargers. Do you know if there is a "special" charger that is safe for 996? I'm just afraid of frying out something inadvertantly. The 90 minutes ETA just expired so I'm calling Roadside again to find out wtf is taking them so long..

The "portable battery chargers" so called, is actually a fancy name for a rechargable 12V battery system, perfectly safe for your application. If the 996 is your weekend car, may be a deep-cycle type battery or Optima Battery is more appropriate for you, assuming the charging system is OK. "electronic oil level indicator with a countdown starting from 59 minutes, 59 seconds" don't worry about it, hehee... it tries giving you time to get the engine warmup

you can always just buy a charger that trickles the battery. It plugs your car into the wall so that the battery constantly stays charged. It will trickle (i.e. it will only top off the battery) and not overcharge the battery. Another alternative is you can buy this tequipment battery charger : http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2456173095 for 63 bucks. The last option is to buy the jump pack (the battery start up pack referred to above by other people) which you can pick up at track auto, advanced auto, pep boys, etc... or walmart. i always keep one on hand because I have a few cars that I rarely drive and also use it on my boat which sits in the marina half the year round. It's really convenient because you never worry about having to have another car to jump start your car.

I just got one and am happy to say that it rocks--and you can use it on different cars, too (or so I understand). Saves batteries!

Thanks all. I really like the suggestion of the portable battery chargers. Any recommendations on which one to get or what to look for? Is there a certain voltage or minimum amp rating to watch for? SOrry, I'm just so clueless in this regard. The trickle chargers won't work for me as I don't have an electric outlet near me anywhere. The car started up fine and is running fine now after driving it for couple of hours.

Get the Porsche battery maintainer. just plug into the wall and into the lighter and it takes care of your problem. it will not overcharge the battery. most dealers have them in parts dept.

Performance parts sells a quick battery disconnect. Might be useful for you if you are parking the car in a public garage where you can't plug a battery maintainer into a power source. Remember that your car alarm will not work, but at least a theif can't drive off because you have the battery key. Bobby

Hi there I just went through the same problem here in Toronto. My storage facility doesn't have electrical outlets for a battery maintainer. I bought a portable rechargable unit (the most powerful I could find). It has a nice safety feature.....green light when connections are correct, red light if you've screwed up. Worked perfectly. Fortunately, the battery had enough juice for the trunk release to operate. Cheers Ian

oops... I forgot to tell you, if you let your battery die too often your battery can go bad. then again batteries all die over time, but this will definitely shorten the life of your battery. as such, I would also like to recommend chitown bob's idea of having the battery disconnect lever. I've seen them in levers, keys, switches, etc... the thing to remember is though, like someone said above, if you go this route, you will be turning off the alarm and also each time you turn on the car you will need to input your radio code... so make sure you have this handy.

My wife on 2 occasions had drained the battery on the Pepper mobile twice(left headlite on overnite) which man what a pain to call roadside assistance and play the waiting game. The portable jumper is the way to go esp you can take it wherever you'll go if something happens and man so much easier to jumpstart other people's cars(good samaritan) versus lining up the cars for the jumper cables. I'm picking one up from my mechanic today-I'lll et you know which brand it is : ). Regards. Mike

they usually cost around 30-70 bucks. a really nice one that has tire air pump and flash light etc... should cost you around 80-90 bucks at any auto store or at k-mart/walmart. Another thing to note is that you want to see the amps that it pumps out. Some larger cars or bigger batteries will require a larger amp output (one large shot at once) so that the car will start... especially if it's completely drained. As such, you should see what level of immediate output the charger offers...

The best solution for my circumstances, then, is to fork over ~$100 and get the best portable charger. I do intend on driving more often as soon as Spring is here (or at least the salt/snow/ice are gone). rideau, I like the safety feature that you have on your charger. Would you mind sharing the brand/model name please? 996FLT6, I'm also curious to see what your mechanic recommends. On a totally unrelated note, I saw a black (I think or could be some other dark shade) 996TT near Oak and Rush yesterday, pretty much caked with salt parked next to a meter. I almost cried!

Hi There This won't do you much good.....our leading Canadian autosupply chain is Canadian Tire and my new unit is their branded version....will look in manual this evening for you to see if there is a manufacturer listed. Can't wait until spring! Cheers

It sounds like your battery may have "bit the dust" since it seems that it will not hold a charge. Unless you have more than 48K miles on your car, it is still under warranty. If it is under warranty, the battery should be covered under one condition. Porsche will warranty the battery if the car is regularly driven. They just look at the mileage to see if it seems appropriate for the car's age. I know this because mine failed last summer. It wouldn't hold a charge and the car had about 20K miles when the battery failed, which the dealership said was appropriate for the age of the car (26 months in-service). I also agree with everyone else that you shoud get a battery maintainer if you do not plan on driving the car in the winter.

The Porsche trickle charger is the best solution if you have a wall outlet available. It plugs into the cigarette lighter, and there's a notch in the rubber lower door seal so the car can be locked with the windows closed without damaging the wire. My tt did the same thing (but recharged adequately with the trickle charger to start without a jump), so I use the charger if I leave the car for more than a weekend. BTW, I got one free with my Boxster and tt just by asking the salesman. AS

Chicago 996 Checked the manual...no manufacturer listed, only the importer. It's 700 V, has battery test function, an override switch for max power, the safety feature I described and a swivelling flashlight. Product name is "Motomaster Eliminator". Motomaster is the Cdn Tire house brand. Cheersl