I'm new to my 928 and to this forum. If I should be posting trouble questions elsewhere, somebody please let me know.

I have a 93 GTS. It's in beautiful condition and has driven flawlessly since the new year. The first sign of trouble was that there is no juice to the cig lighter. I've checked the fuse which is good and had the car running while checking it. Mark at 928 Intl. suggested that I pull the ashtray to check the wiring. All looks good. However, after putting the tray back I noticed that there is a red light flashing on the stereo that wasn't before. It flashes at all times even with the ignition off and key removed.

That was yesterday while the car was running fine. Today however, 26 hours later the car is DEAD!!! The starter pushed the engine over a couple of times, very sluggish and quits. Nowhere near starting the car. I'm guessing that something is going on to drain power and the flashing light on the stereo is an indicator of this and that is drained the battery.

Questions...
Possible case?
Could the battery just go dead over night from age?
Could it be the starter?
Something else entirely?
What's up with the lighter?
Where do you start?

Thanks for any help!

 

The good new is that it you can either charge or replace the battery and the car should start.

Once you get a good battery in the car you can begin troubleshooting the electrical system. Is the flashing light part of the stereo or just near it? Could it be something related to a security system? Can you post a pic?

 

retter1126,

Consider if there was any other work or futzing with the car going on before the loss of power to the cig lighter. You might have disturbed something (e.g. a ground point) that could be causing this.

 

Welcome, Faulty grounds are a major issue on 928's. Good luck and please post some pictures when you have a chance. Mac

 

Thanks for the reply Fabio. Yes, the light is on the stereo itself. It's a Porsche stereo but not the original I'm told. I'll take a pic here in a bit and post it.

 

Oh yeah, I'd start by confirming, with a multi-meter, that you have power at the fuseboard on the lighter circuit. Let us know.

 

Thanks everyone for the tips. Electrical is out of my realm, I'll have to leave it to someone who knows. And the suggested grounding issue sounds likely.

How do I attach an image by the way?

 

No juice to the cig lighter, meaning? Fuse 33 should be rated at 25 amps.

Its quite possible that your battery did go dead overnight because of a power draw even with the ignition off. If you are familiar with the use of a Digital Volt Meter we can investigate further after you have the battery fully charged.

 

also try your meter on the battery itself how much does it read?
if you got 12v then go to the port under the hood and check it there
anything there?
then try jumping the car does she run then?
if she does check the voltage under the hood again if there is none then you
may have a blown voltage regulator and your car ran until the battery died.
best bet is , just as fabio said, that your battery had kicked the bucket.

 

I like the best bet and a dead battery. I'll start there. However, I'm my way for a meter.

Outside of the trouble the car is awesome! I'm undeterred by the trouble and find the whole experience a hoot! I'll check back and post my results.

 

Welcome.

Please read the New Visitor...FAQ topic posted at the top of this forum.

I'm sure the gang here will get you up and running again soon.

 

First thing, charge that battery up and get it load-tested at a place that has the proper equipment. If you leave the battery discharged for any length of time(more than a few hours) you will kill it -- even if it's new. Once you have a known good, fully charged battery in place you will have to find out what is draining it. Most likely you disturbed something while you were working with it and there is now a partial short.

Get a multimeter that has a 10 Amp range and an inline fuse holder that you can put a 10 amp fuse in -- then we can step you through.

Here are some threads I found by searching the 928 forum for threads with "drain" in the title(there are many more, also try searching "dead battery", etc.)

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/249882-serious-battery-drain-problem-need-advice.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/265763-current-drain-who-wants-to-take-a-guess-solved-it-was-the-cooling-flap-circuit.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/288063-battery-drain.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/301982-help-current-drain.html

 

Thanks for the welcome Randy. I'm finding the 928 community to be as special as the cars. I'll check the FAQ link.
Ryan

 

This is great stuff Dave. I have a friend who is a mechanic that can help me start looking tomorrow. I'll read up on the posts as well.

As for the stereo...should there be a flashing red light on it while the ignition is off? Here is a pic...Like I said earlier, it's Porsche brand but not original.

 

That is not the original head unit, as you indicate.

Do you have the manual for it?

What colour is your GTS? Looks like you have the Classic Grey interior, same as mine.