This morning my car wouldn't start. It's a 1999 996 C2 Cab (stock). Here're the symtoms:

* The battery appears to be OK.

When I put the key in and turn it on, all electrical systems come on. My softtop contols work (I can put the top up and down). I even put on the head lights for a little bit. They're bright and strong.

The voltage indicator is at 12 volts.

* But, the engine will not turn over if I turn the key to try to start it.

There's no sound. No clicking, no pathetic sound of an engine with too little power trying to turn over. Nothing.

* I have the clutch fully engaged

I've owned the car for three years so I do know how to start it :-)

* I talked to my service rep (who I don't thing really knows much)

He thought that even though the battery may appear to be good, that perhaps one of it's cells is bad and it can't generate enough amps to start the engine.

I went ahead and attached jumper cables to the battery of my other car and had the same results. Nothing happened when I turned the key.

* I tried my spare key just for kicks. Same result.

* The car just got back from its 45,000 servicing

I drove it to work and then to home after I picked it up. It seemed fine.
The only thing unusual about the service was that my coolant resevoir was cracked and had to be replaced. I don't see how replacing that could interfere with the ignition though.

Have you ever tried to start your car and not had the clutch fully engaged? That's what this seems like. But I am pressing the clutch down. Perhaps that mechanism (must just be some mechanical switch?) is broken.

I hoping someone here might have some ideas as to what's wrong. I really don't want to have to tow it to the dealer. I want to get it started :-(

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larry

 

two "rotating code" keys "near" the ignition lock??

 

It is probably an electrical gremlin and you're going to have to have the dealer or someone with a PST2 look at it to determine what the problem is.

I've seen two cases where similar symptoms occurred. One was a failed crank sensor. The other was a bad ignition switch. I think in the case of the ignition switch, the engine would turn over but wouldn't catch when you released the key. In the case of the the bad crankshaft sensor, the engine wouldn't turn over at all.

Karl

 

if you are mechanicly inclined id say try shorting the starter solonoid and see if the engine turns over, if not you probly have a bad starter

 

I had a very similiar (almost exact) problem a few weeks ago right after getting my 911 C2 Cab -- Had to have it flat bed towed to service.

Turns out my alarm system controller failed and disabled the ability to start and they had to replace the entire system (at no cost to me under warranty).

Has started fine ever since.

Rio

 

you get your car back from service... and its even more interesting when it happens to completely independent people.

I'm starting to think that some of these mechanics outthere are incompetent and while performing routine maintenance, they manage to fudge things up and then just blame it on the age of the vehicle.... such BS!

 

Routine (read REPETITIVE, very, & BORING) maintenance is almost never done by a mechanic, waste of skill and money from the dealer's viewpoint. Usually done by some "gofer" just slightly above McD "flipper" qualifications.

It seems to me that failure of the crank sensor would prevent it from starting but not prevent the starter circuit from at least turning it over a few times.

 

I wanted to thank everyone for their responses. I had the car towed to a local shop. It turned out to be a bad ignition switch. $170 later and I'm back in business. I count myself lucky for any Porsche repairs that come in under $500 :-)

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larry