GRMHNTR

FAL no longer working. Is this related to low battery? Any other ideas before I take it to the dealer?
2017 Targa 4S with 30K mi.

Bxstr

How old is your battery? That is a good place to start. Not sure if the 991 FAL works similar to the 997, but this video was just released this week about it.

asellus

Doesn't FAL use the PDCC pump, which is belt driven?

Bxstr

It may on a 991 car. I know nothing about the 991 FAL but figured I'd post that video just in case. Although having looked through 991 brochures, I didn't see mention of FAL requiring PDCC, so I wonder how it would work if you had a car without PDCC but with FAL.

asellus

You'd be equipped with the pump, I'd imagine.

There's definitely an electric pump whine sound happening when actuating FAL so I could be way off base here. I was under the impression that FAL used the PDCC pump + reservoir. For some reason I'm remembering that lifting/lowering the front axle is part of the bleed process for the reservoir.

mangu

I have a 2018 Targa GTS, no PDCC, about a year ago (around 27K miles) while prepping for a brake job, I noticed oil/liquid on the outside of rubber boot on driver side strut. Dealer said the FAL hydraulic was leaking and they replaced system on that driver side strut.

After picking up post-repair, the very next day, (probably the third time I used FAL) prior to going over a speed bump, I got a couple of errors in the MFD gauge and the FAL could not be lowered. I parked, shut the car off, and let it sit for a few minutes,.then went back and it lowered as usual.

Didn't press FAL until I was at the dealership parking lot, same thing happened: the shrieking would sound a lot faster than usual, then the system says that it is raised. Turns out the driver side (replaced a few days earlier) was not raising and ended up being a "quick connect coupling had came undone" according to the dealer. Not sure if it was a connection to some kind of relay/sensor, but it probably was not connected properly upon replacement, and my driving miss daisy still caused it to come loose.

Hope this helps. @GRMHNTR , when you say FAL isn't working, is it not going up?, Not coming back down?, Does it sound like its operating normally?

Hopefully its just something minor (especially if you are out of warranty).

GRMHNTR

A few months ago I got the cannot lower FAL which corrected after turning off the engine and restarting. What I meant about failure is when the switch is pushed no light and no action. Tried again after engine off for an hour and same nonresponse. Today I checked the battery charge before startup which was at 12 V dropping the 11.9 (lights off but PCM on). Started the engine and battery charged at 14V. Now the FAL worked as expected. I think the battery is original equipment (build date 6/16) but cannot find a date on the battery. Based on mangu's experience I am reluctant to have the dealer to start replacing parts.
Under CPO until June and Fidelity plat until 2026

tx-911

The system (on the 991.2 at least) is electro-hydraulic, very much like the steering system, I known this cause I have FAL but no PDCC, and I don't have a belt driven PDCC pump in the engine compartment. But that's all I know, sorry I can't add any advise to the OP's issue, but subbing as I'm out of warranty and want to keep an eye on this.

stout

Fwiw, I went to start my 991.2 Carrera after it sat too long and got a "battery protection mode was engaged" message (or something to that effect). Trying to start the car revealed a battery too weak to turn the engine over, but fortunately strong enough to get into the frunk to charge the battery with a CTEK. Once charged, everything recovered and worked as normal with no error messages—except the FAL button, which did nothing when I pressed it. No red light. No error message or response of any kind in the instrument cluster. Just a dead button, or so it seemed. Pressing it on the freeway brought the usual "Reduce speed to activate front axle lift" message in the instrument cluster.

Took it to my dealer and it was a simple reset—there was an error code present, most likely related to the low battery.

bellamyt85

This is exactly what I am experiencing with my 991.2 GTS.
Battery went dead due to me leaving my fobs in the glovebox by accident. Charged the battery up after buying a CTEK and now thr FAL button does not work, just the warning when it is pushed over 25mph to reduce speed.
Does anyone know if this error can be reset through a scanner that can be purchased off amazon rather than paying dealer prices?

asellus

The standard scanners (icarsoft, carista, foxconn or whatever) should be able to reset the codes.

Anecdotally, I've removed the battery during maintenance and when I plugged it back in my FAL worked fine. Maybe try unplugging it for 15 minutes.

GRMHNTR

Getting my 2017 Targa ready to sell and had to jump start after car sitting no longer than usual. What was unusual was the response when I tried to start - head lights flashed on and off with cranking and multiple errors (RSA not available, FAL fault, others that flashed too fast to recognize) and the spoiler lifted! Was able to open the frunk and jump started from my other car. Once started everything cleared except the FAL fault and no function of the FAL button. Went for a l.5 hr drive and still have the error message and dead button. Went to Autozone and had a battery load test done which came back green. Dealer can see me in 2 weeks but I really need to get this car up for sale before the new one arrives. Should I replace the battery even though the load test is OK?
Thanks

stout

Every time my battery has died of been disconnected, FAL fails. The failure mode is as follows, at least in my 2018 Carrera coupe:

• FAL button on center console does nothing—neither engaging the system nor illuminating when pressed, as if the button is no longer functional
• Driving the car at freeway speeds and hitting the button results in a message on the gauge screen that says "slow down to use nose lift" (or words to that effect)

The fix is always the same, too, and inexpensive and quick: Clear the FAL or low battery error code on PIWIS.

A master tech at my Porsche dealer didn't believe me last time, but became a believer when it worked again—though I had to hit the FAL button twice. What I'd love to know is if one of the aftermarket readers can clear that code, as it would be nice to be able to clear it on my own if need be. Definitely a glitch/bug.

GRMHNTR

Took the above advice from astellas and disconnected the battery for 15 min. The code cleared and FAL works again. Turned off and on again raised and lowered then drove repeated and all is well again. Thanks astellas.