Porsche-O-Phile

I drove the 944 today (first time in about a week, seeing as my ($&%(!!! windshield wiper shaft STILL hasn't showed up at the dealership and this is the first day we've had with no chance of rain. Anyway, it started right up this morning, no problem. Drove to work as normal. I got out this evening and went to start it and. . . nothing. I mean NOTHING. No lights, no ignition, nothin'. I got a wrench out of my tool kit and tried touching it briefly to the + and - terminals of the battery to see if I got a spark - nothin'. OK fine. Battery was dead.

I remove it and walk three blocks to a Sears auto center and ask if they'll test it for me. The guy does and a little while later tells me that the battery is gonzo and won't hold a charge. OK fine. New battery time. It kind of bugs me since the battery was less than 6 months old. Granted it was a cheap-**** Pep Boys job, but it was still only a 6-month-old cheap **** Pep Boys job. Shouldn't just "up and die" like that. Anyway I head back to the car $110 poorer with a nice new Die Hard in hand, plop it in and hook up the + & - terminals. As soon as I do, the cooling fan roars to life. Ah HA! My suspicion is that the cooling sensor that triggers the electric fan is shot, which made the cooling fan run nonstop until the battery croaked. When I got home a little while ago I shut the car off and listened for about 5 minutes - the fan was still running continuously, so I just yanked the - lead off the battery until I can get a new sensor. Figures. Maybe that old battery isn't bad after all. Either way, I have a warranty on it so I'll go back to Pep Boys tomorrow and try to exchange it or get money back. I guess if they only do an exchange then I can put it in the 924 for my friend. Still $120 I'd have rather not spent, but whatever. I'm just depressed 'cause that's the first time the 944 has ever stranded me.

Just thought I'd share. Anything else I should check? Where's the sensor I'm going to need to replace anyway? Is it the one on the radiator?

RobbyK

Better that then having the alternator go out 20 miles from home, then having it go out for a 2nd time(faulty replacement) 2 miles from home and having to have total strangers give u a hitch home. Best of luck to you.

Yabo

Isn't there a fan relay that sometimes dies causing the fans to continue to be on? Do a search on fans staying running or something, there has been a lot posted on it.

josephsc

After you do your diagnostic and if you suspect that it's the thermostat in the radiator, you can have the used one from my car -- I recently went to a low-temp t-stat so the old one is just sitting around.

F18Rep

"I remove it and walk three blocks to a..."

I'm impressed! I'd be huffin just to get the thing out of the garage...;]

<Pats comment deleted.>

golf97

i have found that porches tend to me biased against porche drivers. i've never seen a porsche die on a ferarri driver... dangit.

Dmitry S.

Coolant temp switch in the radiator, don't break the plastic.