Ghost944

my 944 has been sitting unstarted for about a week and i go to start it today and all that happens is the relay clicks but the starter does not go. does this mean my battery is too low? the dash lights up and all that and my battery guage is at empty. is it normal for the battery to die this quickly? btw i have been turning on accessories for this week, just to raise and lower the headlights and such.

The DareDevil

If the car is alone for a week the battery shouldn't die unless there is a parasitic load in car's electrical system or the battery is old.

Take out the battery and charge it completely before re-installing it in the car. Charging a dead battery by running the car puts undue stress on the alternator.

Ghost944

i have it hooked up to a smart battery charger while in the car, is it necessary to take it out?

The DareDevil

No it's not necessary to take it out. Just let it charge completely.

If you were switching the headlights on and off, I would say it's normal that the battery is dead.

Vjgtrybno1

You could check the drain at the battery with no extra accessories on. Search the threads as i can't remember what an unoaded 944 should draw - it's small though.

KuHL 951

I don't know how many times I've had starting problems solved just by cleaning the battery terminals really well. I have a Chevy Van that seems to go dead every month, clean the terminals and away you go. It's worth a look. The bellhousing ground lug is always a good one to clean also if you are in humid weather.

Ghost944

bellhousing around lug?

KuHL 951

Follow the battery negative cable to it's point of ground; there should be a bolted lug pretty much on the top of bellhousing between the engine and firewall. They get corroded and cause all sorts of electrical gremlins.

Techno Duck

If the battery is good and still dies after about a week.. with the car off test the voltage at the battery. Start pulling fuses one by one to see where you get any kind of voltage drop. This will allow you to isolate where your electrical drain is coming from.

Tom M'Guinn

The best way to test it is with a multimeter. It's a 1 minute test. Disconnect the negative terminal and put one of the multimeter leads on the neg battery post and the other lead on the neg cable. Then set the multimeter to read the amp draw. My car draws about 19mA when sitting, but you can get away with 50-75mA. If you have a big draw, then the battery/charging system are probably ok. You can isolate where the draw is coming from by removing fuses one at a time with the multimeter attached. The circuit(s) creating the draw will reveal themselves when you pull it/their fuse. If you have a normal (under 50mA or so) then your battery/charging system should be tested.

kwdrus

Also check the wire that goes to the stater itself and the alternator wire. Both of these are also prone to heat damage and corrosion. Although it's unlikely either of these or the engine ground wire would cause your problem. If you are seeing low voltage even before you attempt to start the car, you have a current draw somewhere.

KuHL 951

Since he hasn't given any actual voltage values then dirty connections anywhere in the starting charging/circuit will do exactly that. Lower draw equipment will often work with a high resistance contact (dirty terminals) but will not provide a low enough current path for a starter drawing over 40-60 amps. Have you ever charged a battery that acted dead by just connecting onto the terminal clamps and not the lugs? If the connection is corroded it won't even take a charge just like the alternator will be working but not charging the battery. Disconnect the battery clamps and charge directly on the posts and it takes a full charge. I've seen a full 2V drop between the clamp and the post and that's without a load on it. I'm not arguing but cleaning battery terminals is one of the simple things I always do first if a car won't start; many times it solves a multitude of other problems. It takes all of 5 minutes time with a $2 tool but many people just ignore doing it. Checking the dark current or static drain is the next test I'd do. All these tests are easy and cost nothing but it beats throwing parts at a problem that might not be faulty such as batteries and alternators.

Ghost944

well i charged it up and it ran fine, just lettin you know. i will still go and clean up the stuff you suggested, to avoid future problems

944Fest (aka Dan P)

Try parking the car, open the drivers door and see if the windows still power up and down. (does you interior light work properly with both doors?) If the door jamb switch sticks, it thinks you are still sitting in the car and leaves the power window circut activated. That will kill the battery over a couple of days.

bearone

my windows go up/down with the key out of the ignition, doors open or closed and i don't have any battery problems.

if you have an alarm system or the radio is always powered, not when the key is on, it'll pull the battery down.

87951