Fab C

Hello everyone,

Back from a trip abroad I'm facing some emergency with my beloved 996. Been looking a bit around, but got a bit lost and every trick I found fell short... hence this post.


So, as many have posted already, my 02' 996's battery is dead (couple of months in a garage). However, a bit before that my key remote died too (I figured I'd get that fix after my trip).


When opening manually, the alarm doesn't go off (battery is just too dead even for that). But as soon as we connect cables on the door (to have access to the trunk), it goes off.

From here, no way to shut it up (leaving the key in the door / trying to turn on the contact in the car won't help) until we remove the cables.

With the alarm going off, the buttons to open the trunk are locked, so we can't jump start the car... which we need to stop the alarm !


I feel like I'm locked in a loop or something.

Did anyone have such specific issue ? or advice for our next try ?

Thanks for your help

jhbrennan

When the alarm sounds use your key in the door lock to lock and unlock the car.

DBJoe996

1) Run a cigarette lighter trickle charger for a few days.
2) Locate the emergency release cable for the trunk.

Carsly

this. the key has to be turned in the lock to disable the alarm, can't just have it sitting in the door. Same thing happened to me last year and I can verify this is the way to go.

Fab C

Thanks for the tips. I'll come back with results after we try those :-)

Rpompea

agree with others but would also would say a charged battery does wonders

Fab C

Will be next step probably. Would like to avoid buying expensive additional equipment to just perform a jumpstart.

dan_189

If it sits regularly a c-tek trickle charger is the best option. Mine does the same thing if I don't drive it for a bit. I use the same procedure: unlock in the door lock with the key, remove key use keyfob to lock then unlock and its good to go.

ZuffenZeus

How many working key fobs do you have? This is a pretty common problem... that is, arming the car and letting the battery go dead. The car goes into shut down mode (i.e. immobilizer) and is a pickle to unlock, especially if your key fobs are acting up. If you don't have a working key fob, it's going to cost you a lot of money to fix. Read this thread...

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-new-keys.html

Macster

The battery is dead. You might manage to resurrect it but it will never be as good as it was before you let the car sit.

Also, I'm not a big fan of jump starting one of these cars unless it is an emergency. There is the concern I have to asking the alternator to recharge a battery from a flat state along with supplying all the electrical power for the running of the car.

My advice would be to go get a new proper battery and replace the dead one.

Fab C

So, tried this today: doesn't work on my car. The alarm doesn't stop whatever I do with the key (in the door, in the ignition, turn both ways, multiple times...).

Next step: making a hook long enough to grab the engine emergency cable I guess.

Fab C

None. Just have 1 key, and the electronic fob wasn't working already when I parked the car for a while.

Edit: Scary thing is that the author of this post has a Japanese import Porsche in Korea... which is precisely my case too. Oops.

Fab C

Well, I'll probably need to jump start it first anyways to get the car to a garage. Sitting at the 3rd basement with a pretty narrow exit, I won't be able to get any towing truck there.

ZuffenZeus

Hey Man, not trying to add insult to injury, but I'm afraid you're screwed. IMHO, without a properly matched *working* keyfob to disarm the car, recharging your current battery or purchasing a new battery WON'T enable the car to start because it is immobilized or in "lock-down mode". Even if you were able to recharge the car's battery and unlock the car with the key via the door, it still won't start the car because it was armed before the battery went dead. You MUST electronically disarm the car to get it to start.

Therefore, if your only keyfob no longer functions, you'll need Porsche to replace the immobilizer/alarm modules and reprogram a new set of keys. I'm afraid it won't be cheap. As in the last thread I shared, the owner (Hammerthrow) spent over $3000 so far and after three months, Porsche still can't get his car fixed. Seems like they made these security systems so fool proof even they can't figure them out.

Personally, I would look into repairing your current keyfob if all possible. If I've learned anything from Porsche and people here on the 996 forum, never own a Porsche with just one keyfob, always have a backup. Hope you work out a solution. Cheers!

Fab C

Ouch

I wonder though: before my battery went dead, the key fob was already not working, and I used to disarm the alarm by just turning the contact with the key.

What would happen if we jumpstart from the engine bay & I turn the contact on ? wouldn't it do the same as before battery is dead ?