Phil G.

That's why I'm wearing my pull-ups this morning to Holbert's!

gota911

Phil, your threapist is going to be pissed off that Holbert's is getting some of "his" money!

How does the battery area in the car look? Can you tell if there has been any damage?

Phil G.

Can't see that there was leakage into the compartment itself - but I did flush it out with water when I discovered the problem. Wayne's kind enough to help me out this AM - we'll get the car to Holbert for a battery and cleaning! I'll post on how it all goes. We're due for a snow/ice storm tomorrow and Saturday, so good thing this will be taken care of today.

PS: I have no plans to tell my therapist about Holbert getting his $$$. Besides, he's in Aruba.

PPS: Another lesson learned: I'm going to drive and enjoy this damn car if it kills me! This little episode has shown me that these cars are meant to be driven, not to sit. Will I drive it in the snow? No, but when the weather improves, it's going to be driven!

wrljet

If the battery did freeze and split because it was very discharged, the electrolyte will not have been as corrosive. Still, as you know, a good flush with baking soda solution is a must.

gota911

That (your commitment to drive it more) is the best news I have heard in a while.

Oh BTW, you can rest assured knowing that I will help remind you to drive it. But I am sure you already knew that!

Whenever you become less than assiduous in driving the car, I will simply ask you if the words "leaking battery" ring a bell! No really, you don't have to thank me! I'm MORE than happy to do it!

gofor28off

Now it's my turn with the dumb post.
I did not realize these OEM batteries were not maintenance free. Upon checking the manual it says the levels should be checked regularly.
The manual says the chambers should be topped up with distilled water to the level indicator. Upon looking at the battery I do not see an indicator. Can anyone help? Thanks,

Wellardmac

Well, Time, I had a wonderful lunch with Phil and he is truly repentant. He has promised to not only drive his car beyond the end of the driveway, but he might even make it to the end of his street!

I was glad to see that Holberts got the car flushed out and a new battery installed.... and thankfully no damage done.

Nothing worse than uncontrolled leakage. The C4S needs some Depend diapers.

BTW, the S4 looks awesome - the photos don't do it justice.

Phil G.

I can't thank Wayne enough for his help and moral support today! For those of you who know him, you know what I mean when I say he's an absolutely terrific guy who loves his family, work, and cars - in that order. Well, maybe cars before work

We were able to jump start the car - it was reluctant to turn over at first, but repeated attempts did the trick. The OEM battery had an apparently sulphurated cell, which sort of causes internal destruction - good news was the battery compartment was not flooded with electrolyte. Bad news was it wasn't covered under warrantee, because Porsche knows there are nuts like me out there who don't drive their cars!! Holbert's has lots of crazy customers like me, and knew to flush all areas with baking soda and water. So, I'm a changed man! Life is short, and I'm going to be out there driving it!! After the winter, of course -- this will be step one of my twelve step recovery.

Again, all my thanks to Wayne for his time, help, and patience today. I truly appreciate it!

Wellardmac

You're welcome. Any time. It was good to spend some time with you.

So, I'm curious, what was the reason for it not being covered under warranty? Bill mentioned the mileage, was he saying that low mileage voids the warranty?

Wellardmac

Another thought - is this sulphurated cell (never heard of it, I'll have to look it up) unique to the OEM batteries and would an aftermarket battery do better on low mileage cars?

wrljet

Sulphation happens when a battery is left discharged, or slowly over time during the normal life of the battery. A lead sulphate builds up in the plates, which causes two problems. The chemical elements in that compound are no longer involved in the reaction(s) that generate the electrical energy, and the build-up of this compound on the plates causes them to buckle and distort, possible shorting them out causing a completely dead cell.

If you've seen an older long dead battery, in a car, or inside a computer UPS, with a swollen case. This is the cause of that.

Bill

Wellardmac

Oh! I see. I thought they were referring to something in the design of the battery. I misunderstood. Thanks for the clarification.

What surprises me is that the case cracked and leaked, rather than it just failing to hold a charge. The amazing thing is that Phil's battery was in immaculate shape - like the rest of his car - ask me about the cleanliness of his wheel wells I'm amazed that it failed so quickly.

wrljet

The external condition and cleanliness has nothing to do with what's going on inside where it count.

At this point I've offer two explanations for a cracked case.
Freezing (which I have seen in person in a very dead battery), and sulfation
causing swelling. So it is possible. Without seeing the battery (and the car)
in person it's hard to guess what really happened.

It you take a brand new car and put it in a wonderful climate controlled warehouse, wait N months, and the battery will be dead, have low specific gravity and higher freezing point, and be sulfated.

In my experience, the 996 has a bit higher than usual Key-off drain, which helps the batteries go dead quicker.

(I admit, I haven't read this entire thread carefully, so I don't know what was the case with your battery minder/trickle charger)

Bill

Phil G.

Here's the quote from Porsche N.A. on "Determining Warrantable Battery Situations":

For Porsche vehicles stored for prolonged periods of time, storage conditions defined as follows:
1. Stored in excess of 4 weeks without being driven;
2. Battery maintainer not utilized during this time;
3. Vehicle in question only driven occasionally for short distances over a prolonged period of time wihtout an occasional drive at highway speeds (ie. less than 15 miles/24km per day with no highway driving.

If the above 3 points apply to the vehicle in question, then the charging system of the vehicle cannot properly maintain the charge of the battery and sulfation could set in.

Porsche guidelines on what constitutes reasonable mileage are at least 15 miles/24 km per day or 6,000 miles/9,600 km per rolling 12 months.

Note: Batteries damaged due to storage ie. (sulfated batttery) are not covered under warrantee.

Note that this last point doesn't take into account the age of the battery at failure, although I was told the new battery has a full 24 month warrantee - and is prorated after that. That statement seems in conflict with the above.

So, I think they have me here - although when I reviewed the situation with Isringhausen today (where the car was purchased), they say they would have honored the warrantee. But, that's easy for them to say knowing the car's in Pennsylvania!

I also didn't get my PCA discount, so maybe I can get a few bucks back. Anyway, the car runs great and (obviously) starts right up - with even more rapid cranking than when the car was new to me. Dealer says that when in for routine maintenance, they routinely check the electrolyte level. In answer to a previous post, the level should be at the base of where the cell cap is (around 1" below the top of the battery).

Wellardmac

ouch! now I understand. I guess we both fall into the Porsche Low Mileage Club if 6K is their 12 month minimum.