987.2 another dead radio after dead battery problem

I've been reading hundreds of posts regarding my problem and cannot find any solution, hopefully someone can help. 2009 Cayman base, stock, PDK , OEM radio with NAV. Dead radio after dead battery . Having previously installed an emergency release cable i was able to access the frunk and replace my dead battery . (No charger, no jumping, straight up replacement) Radio is now INOP, no response, no display, no sound. The car is fine, starts, runs, drives, performs properly, but nothing from the radio/nav unit. I have checked the two related fuses (i checked every fuse actually), tried disconnecting and reconnecting the new battery , pressed many button combinations, cursed, prayed etc but no response. Screen has backlit for a few seconds (twice) when starting but i cant duplicate it. This happened in my heated garage over the winter holiday, car has no mods, has never seen snow, rarely even rain. I believe its a theft deterrent radio reset issue, not a voltage spike, water intrusion, aftermarket equipment or other problem, but its got me stumped. Please share the reset fix with me (if there is one) or offer any advice you may have. Thx in advance!

if you are comfortable with pulling the head unit from the dash, you might try disconnecting the current power source supplied and running a +12V lead, either run a wire from the battery or use an old cigarette lighter plug in and snip the wires to give you a power source (don’t know about you, but my parts bin has a bunch of these from old dash cams, portable nav units, etc) and give the unit a proven power source. This way you can eliminate something wonky in the existing power feed. If it works, then your issue resides in how it is powered from within. If it still doesn’t work, then the problem lies in the unit itself. Make sure to supply a separate, different ground as this could also be part of the problem. But this way you can narrow down the variables in the equation.

Your PCM headunit is much more tightly integrated into the car's electronics than a normal 'dumb' radio. Before starting hacking into wiring i'd get a Porsche specific scanner and see what it says. It sounded like you saw the screen respond to ignition power, so I doubt that is the problem. It needs CANBUS signals to turn on and communicate with the ECU and console display. Maybe some control module is in a bad state or got zapped. BTW, you didn't say what caused your dead battery .

I have twice had my radio in my 2008 Cayman stop working after work was done on it. Each time the shop recanned for codes and reset one and the radio worked again.

@eal Eric - thank you for offering up this gem of information. A BTDT diagnostic. Certainly easy enough to try. I had suggested in an email (discussion with @gizmofixer ) that he check for voltage at the PCM connector. There are actually two power leads going to the PCM. One is switched, the other is constant. And see if both are working. I suggested he come join P9 and ask the hive-brain for help. He did and one of our members offered up info that apparently isn't commonly known. It's great when the forum does things like this!

My 981 Boxster radio started going boom, boom, boom. Fianlly I asked Panorama and they said replace to racdio. I bought a used OEM radio on Ebay and am happy again. Andy Mitchell

Do you have the Bose upgraded stereo? That's the system with " Bose " written on the doors and a woofer in the passenger footwell. If you have Bose , upgrading to a $300 CarPlay head unit might be a problem because you first need to use the standard radio controls to put the volume of the Bose amplifier up high. I you have standard audio (and no backup camera) you're good to go! I just upgraded mine in a 2008 ( 987.1 ) with Bose . I first turned up the volume using the original, so fine for me. The replacement head units adjust volume buy sending higher or lower volume to the Bose amp , so whatever the amp is set at is your maximum. 987.2 people complain that the car's clock feature is set via the radio, so you'll lose that. If you have backup camera, be aware that the replacement head units boast backup camera functionality, but you'll have to run a new camera to the back (pain in the neck) and you won't get those guid lines (despite what marketing people might claim). Bottom line is that the head unit has no input about the turning of the steering wheel, so any guidlines are more like guesslines. As for my upgrade, I couldn't be happier!

Ummmm.... my clock (in the dash display) is set with the knob on the instrument cluster with a clock-face on it. I can't speak to the backup camera issue - but has anyone tried using a factory camera with a replacement headunit? If so, was there an issue? On my '09 987.2 Boxster, I did add an aftermarket camera, running the line between it and the headunit was fairly trivial once the wire was through the bumper-cover and into the trunk. A reverse power source is easily found via the backup light connection in a taillight, then the wire is simply run forward, across behind the front engine carpet cover to the center console, tucked up under the edge of the console to the radio mounting box. The factory hole behind the license plate is a handy spot to run the camera wire, if you use a camera that mounts to the license plate screws, such as I did.

UPDATE and thanks to all who replied!! If i wasn't clear, the radio dead problem also includes NAV and Phone INOP. The entire head is dead. As suggested, i checked every fuse again and bought a Foxwell NT530 +. Very cool tool! Its going to take me a bit to master what it can do but it seems my issue is no communication. The scanner appears to be telling me the car is not equipped with a radio or a NAV, as they're not talking. As Don suggested, my next move seems to be removal of the head unit to check supply voltages to it. I dont see how this can be with fuses good and just a battery replacement, but who knows, maybe it fried itself?? Very disappointing, and not what i wanted to do, but short of a dealer visit i dont see where else to go..... Any other ideas??

Another update: The dead RADIO/NAV/PHONE persists. I have also found that i have no PASM or SPEED controls and the lack of communication extends to the dash also. The HVAC works, the defog/defrost and a/c max works but i can't check the oil, tires , or any other parameters in the dash. So, i pulled the radio to check for voltage as it seems most of the center dash unit is affected. The radio has 12v constant on at the red/brown wire which is line D fuse 10. Can anyone tell me which is the 12v ignition wire at the radio?? I would guess its the heavy brown wire as its a larger gauge wire than any of the others, but i would like to know before applying voltage to it. That wire does not ever turn on for me. I would like to verify what fuse is it?? Which radio connector block and what wire color?? and What wire color at the fuse block?? Is there anything elso on the circuit?? Any connectors between the fuse block and the radio?? Lots of questions, i know, and thank you to anyone who can help!! Can we get wiring diagrams for these things?? Thx---paul

It has been several years since I did my head unit install, and I’m not sure which wire colors I used, as the head unit came with a wire harness/loom which theoretically was ‘ plug and play’ to pretty much enable the installer to just unplug the OEM head unit, plug the existing vehicle wiring into the wire harness/loom then into the new head unit. I say in theory, because I did need to make some changes and splices, but if I remember correctly, Porsche uses BROWN as their color for GROUND. In other grounding points in my ‘08 Boxster when doing electrical work I have come across ground points with BROWN wires attached. Maybe someone else out there can confirm this.

The 987 radios do not have an ignition switched +12V wire going to the radio. There is a +12V constant power line in the harness (red / brown). The radio is turned on/off via CANBUS commands. BTW, since your problems include many other components which communicate over CANBUS, that seems to be the source of your problems. You need a Porsche specific diagnostic tool to analyze this.

Chuck, i agree, from my 964 experience brown is ground, i will test that wire for ground. RS, everything acts like its not powering up, lack of CANBUS comms makes sense. In a past life as a GM tech, when we had a problem like this there was no real way to diagnose which of the modules was the culprit, we would just swap new ones in until it worked again. Too expensive to do when not under warranty. I have a NT530 +, what should i look at to find my problem?? I cant get into NAV or RADIO as they dont power up, the scanner thinks theyre not equipped... What to do next ??

I like @deilenberger 's handover idea, although I've never needed to try it. Not familiar w NT530+, but I'm sure someone here can jump in. I'd expect any analyzer with a Porsche specific module and coding capabilities could initiate the handover process.

VW uses VAG-COM , not PIWIS ... it's a different software and also a different wire/line on the OBD port as I recall.

Where else could you all this help and knowledge; Porsche rocks

I'm not a morning person (often found here at 2AM attending to stuff..) so, an afternoon perhaps if you can do an afternoon. Shore traffic makes it a tedious drive on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Sunday. Friday and Saturday they're coming here, Sunday they leave (thank Dog..) So - let me look at my calendar. Wednesday is pretty much clear. Any time after noon. Thursday afternoon is clear, there is a PCA event that evening at our local dealer. It's some racer dude coming to talk about becoming and surviving being a racer. They do provide some food at these events, and it's a nice crowd. Starts around 5:30, probably over by 9PM. In case you came and wanted to hang around.. I would need to alert our club that I was bringing a guest so they have another sammich (usually sort of mini-subs.) And Friday - not much happening, but you'd want to arrive early so as to avoid the shore traffic (which actually starts Thursday). Last weekend was surprisingly quiet here, I think maybe gas prices and graduations had something to do with that. If you arrived before noon, I'll send you directions to the beach, there's a nice boardwalk there. Let me know. I can sometimes be reached text (I'm obsessive checking it since it's mostly political spam at the moment) - [phone removed]. Next week - unknown. It's my birthday week, and it's a big one so there could be plans I know nothing about. Don

The latest update: Thanks again to Don and everyone else who sent knowledge and ideas. After 10 days at the dealership, car is home again. Germany was able to tell the car that it really truly did NOT have PASM . Once that was recoded, Sport and Sport+ work again. YAY!!! No such luck with the Radio/Nav. After 9 days of trying, The dealer tech believes my PCM3 is 'internally shorted' and not working. He confirmed (what i already checked) that the fuses are good and there is 12V at the unit. Beyond that he would like to replace the $5300 PCM . Thats not going to happen, So, the next step is (A) have the PCM repaired, any ideas who does that?? or (B) replace it with an aftermarket head unit. After reading some posts about the problems and pitfalls, I dunno about replacing, I'm not a big techie, i don't even know what CarPlay or Android Audio is or what it does. Do i have to have this for NAV and Radio to work? (and how did i get italic print stuck on)?

Maybe find a used head unit?

Think of this as an opportunity - upgrade "Honey, the radio can't be fixed, maybe I should get a new one..." sort of opportunity. Becker Autosound in NJ can repair them. They aren't inexpensive from reports I've heard, but they're quite good. Dunno if Porsche has decided the .2 cars are now "classic" and deserve an upgraded headunit like they make for the .1 cars. You could check with SunCoast or some on-line dealer. OR - you can do what the rest of us have done - replaced old technology (think just how old the maps are..) with new technology for less than the cost of repair of the old tech. There are several threads (including a quite long one by me) about putting an AliExpress Android headunit in that is made to look stock, and enough people have done it successfully now that you have lots of help at hand if you run into any issues. BTW - if you're typing on a browser screen - and you've gotten stuck with some formatting you don't want, use your mouse to highlight the errant text, then hit the button on the bottom of the window - the one in GREEN: That button turns ALL formatting on the highlighted text off. The one in RED turns italics on and off..

I wish you hadn't shown me that.. I was told by the AliExpress guy some months ago that a new one was in the works, addressing some of the issues we had to solve on the one I have. This looks like the new one, especially since it isn't as deep (most of mine is empty space, all the electronics is on the front and rear panels - empty space between them..) And this has a better button/knob layout, and looks like it comes with 2 power cables rather than one with 2 connectors (one of which I cut off just to eliminate the clutter and space it took up.) This looks (1) cheaper (2) better (3) probably easier to install. Make sure you check - you don't have Bose - if you have Bose you need the fiber box (extra). I await hearing about your experience with it. If it's a positive experience I haven't spent any fun money on the Boxster since.. Tuesday. Don

BTW - here is the original: https://ebay.io/m/sP2KVc

Becker Autosound in NJ has ads in Pano every month. I got a unit from China that was supposed to work in my 2016 Spyder but didn't. They refused to allow me to return it for a refund. I will buy anything from Alibaba again, they may own the US company and be the biggest in the world but they are dead to me. I went Crutchfield and they're site will recommend auto shops in your area that can do the job. Ocala Audio here in FL replaced everything in my Spyder - gave backup camera, apple car play , internet, radar detector, etc. none which my car had.

Thx Augie for responding. I know Becker, Eastern, and several other NJ radio repair places. None of them would even look at my PCM for repair. A few shops recommended their own favorite aftermarket head units but the costs were crazy. I have bought the latest Android replacement head that should be almost plug and play. It was EBay and very reasonable. As soon as i can catch up with house projects i'll post my install and program results. My fingers and toes are all crossed...

OK, the aftermarket headunit is in! The original PCM is out! All told, the install was painless and fast. One of the two harnesses provided was perfect, plug and play. As Don mentioned it is about 2 inches less deep, plenty of room for wires. I dont have Bose so didnt use the wiring provided for that. Setup and 'programming' took about 2 hours, the physical install was less than an hour. I am a bit picky so it did require a bit of weatherstripping to make a tight fit but all in all unless you know our cars, you would never tell its not the original. I am still learning its capabilities and features so i cant fully speak to the performance yet. Mating with my Android phone was simple as was finding my home network. Google maps is providing NAV and so far Pandora is doing music. Internet functions, phone book, calling, documents etc all work after syncing. The radio function is not the best but it was bad in my PCM also, i believe the antenna in our cars is the problem there. Of course there is no CD but i never used it anyway. The included CANBUS adapter works as far as displaying MPH on the new big screen and displaying radio info in the dash cluster. Other car functions still work, oil level, oil reset, TPMS etc. I will continue playing with the new headunit settings, functions, displays etc as time allows. So, for about $250 i'm happy again! Much better than a $5500 new PCM . The level of technology in this unit is amazing, much better than i expected, and i would recommend it. I'm looking forward to learning how to use it more fully! Thank-you again to Don and everyone else who helped me along this torturous path to recovery. My big take-away and suggestion is to never let your battery go dead. Use maintainers and replace that battery BEFORE it fails....

Wonderful to hear it went well. Not so wonderful will be explaining to SWMBO why I'm replacing a perfectly good radio.. Before I take that step - can you check it out with AndroidAuto (assuming you have an Android phone, or know someone who would let you use theirs for a bit..) In particular, my standard setup now is Waze often running full screen, with Spotify running in the background - all of this provided by AndroidAuto. See if it responds well, maybe take a screenshot or two.. TIA..

Glad to hear you got it cleared up and good info for all the P-9 members

You must hanging around with me too much That’s exactly what I do Put $3500 Ppf , tint etc on the car then trade it

LOL, i wasn't in that deep... but looking at what needed doing soon, i said 'its time'. i happened across a good deal and got an awesome trade-in value so 'time to start over'some . New car needs some maintenancing (and a good tint guy) just gotta find the time. SO loves me having a new toy, now she can bring home toys also...

Good luck with that I don’t have any experience with a 2.9