New Alternator not charging New Battery, Low Voltage
#31
for those that have replaced the starter wire, can you confirm what part number it is? is it #13 or #14 from this parts fiche?
http://dcauto.gotdns.com/illustration/index/203964288
http://dcauto.gotdns.com/illustration/index/203964288
#32
Just to add my UK experiences to this thread, my 997 Carrera S (late 2004) also started suffering from slow starting just over two years ago, then in January 2010 the battery gave up.
The AA - who I have breakdown repair cover with - diagnosed a failed battery, they started the car and I took it to the nearest OPC. The battery was replaced, and the good old AA covered the Porsche replacement cost, around £200.
While the OPC replaced the battery they ran some diagnostics and told me that they thought the alternator / battery cable needed replacing, but quoted me £1,200 including around six hours of labour. Understandably I declined and soldiered on with the occasional battery charge.
I also experienced other issues including 'raised brake light failure' messages, and you could see the rear central brake light working and then failing multiple times. I also got regular PSM and PASM failures, and PSM diagnostic messages on startup etc.
This winter starting the car has been getting harder so I found my nearest independent, Northway Porsche in Berkshire, who told me they knew of the problem having worked on a couple of 997s with the same issue.
They did the work, and charged me £400 - about a third of the OPC cost. The car started a bit better than before, but the battery died on me a few weeks ago. Cue the AA, another 'replace battery' diagnosis - despite the alternator now delivering 14.6V to the battery - and another trip to Porsche for a replacement.
My guess is that the second battery was hosed, probably because for a year or so it could never get charged properly due to the faulty cabling, and fixing the cabling problem must have finally killed it.
Now, the car is transformed, all the PSM, PASM, raised brake light messages have gone, and the starter motor turns over effortlessly quickly, so I'm finally very happy!
The AA - who I have breakdown repair cover with - diagnosed a failed battery, they started the car and I took it to the nearest OPC. The battery was replaced, and the good old AA covered the Porsche replacement cost, around £200.
While the OPC replaced the battery they ran some diagnostics and told me that they thought the alternator / battery cable needed replacing, but quoted me £1,200 including around six hours of labour. Understandably I declined and soldiered on with the occasional battery charge.
I also experienced other issues including 'raised brake light failure' messages, and you could see the rear central brake light working and then failing multiple times. I also got regular PSM and PASM failures, and PSM diagnostic messages on startup etc.
This winter starting the car has been getting harder so I found my nearest independent, Northway Porsche in Berkshire, who told me they knew of the problem having worked on a couple of 997s with the same issue.
They did the work, and charged me £400 - about a third of the OPC cost. The car started a bit better than before, but the battery died on me a few weeks ago. Cue the AA, another 'replace battery' diagnosis - despite the alternator now delivering 14.6V to the battery - and another trip to Porsche for a replacement.
My guess is that the second battery was hosed, probably because for a year or so it could never get charged properly due to the faulty cabling, and fixing the cabling problem must have finally killed it.
Now, the car is transformed, all the PSM, PASM, raised brake light messages have gone, and the starter motor turns over effortlessly quickly, so I'm finally very happy!
#33
Drifting
Glad to hear you got it resolved. Too bad it didn't show up until after expiration of the warranty. Being a known defect, you'd think Porsche would cover this even outside warranty period.
Happy driving.
Happy driving.
#34
Cruisin'
Just curious if anyone was able to find out if there was a recall on the starter harness. I have a 2008 997 and just got a call from the dealer telling me the harness was bad ... it would be $1k to replace. Apparently they have to drop the whole engine out to do the work. Thing is that I can't see how a cable/harness would "go bad" ... as long as it didn't break somewhere. They said it could have corrosion in the cable itself ... but aren't cables supposed to be sealed water tight? If corrosion was on the ends couldn't it be cleaned? Hopefully I'll have the success some here have and get the dealer to cover it. Thanks for the additional info in the thread.
#35
Drifting
The concept of a corroded cable, these days, that hasn't been subjected to unusual conditions like submersion or salt water or certain gasses, seems silly. This isn't the iron age.. cable technology has vastly advanced from the late 1800's. If just driving around in normal weather has corroded the cable then there's a design flaw or manufacturing flaw in the cable - the wrong materials used or the wrong assembly. To know for sure, we need to know what happened to the cable though.
#36
Instructor
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Houston, Texas
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pv355,
Sorry for the delay in response, but I have been so busy, I just took my car in last week(Friday) just a few days before the warranty was up. They tested the cable and confirmed it was dropping voltage enough to warrant a replacement. I have an appointment at North Houston to get it fixed tomorrow and they are giving me a loaner even though I did not buy there(excellent service so far).
Izoot,
I was never able to find the exact TSB or recall, but when I mentioned it to the service adviser, he was familiar with the issue. I did not know if it affected MY2008 "S" models, but now I know. I was very happy to get this done under warranty. Sorry to hear about your situation, but that was the real kick I needed to get to the dealer before the warranty expiration. Good luck.
Mark
Sorry for the delay in response, but I have been so busy, I just took my car in last week(Friday) just a few days before the warranty was up. They tested the cable and confirmed it was dropping voltage enough to warrant a replacement. I have an appointment at North Houston to get it fixed tomorrow and they are giving me a loaner even though I did not buy there(excellent service so far).
Izoot,
I was never able to find the exact TSB or recall, but when I mentioned it to the service adviser, he was familiar with the issue. I did not know if it affected MY2008 "S" models, but now I know. I was very happy to get this done under warranty. Sorry to hear about your situation, but that was the real kick I needed to get to the dealer before the warranty expiration. Good luck.
Mark
#37
This is what the the typical dealer will do. Some labor if not all can be comped at dealers discretion:
Check Battery and charge ($86.95 + $31.00 misc)
Check Voltage Drop charging circuit ($62.00) - Voltage drop was 1.1V
Remove and Replace Alternator ($139.59)
Remove and Replace Intake Distributor ($46.50)
Replace Battery Cable from Alt/Start ($263.50)
Some can replace without have to R&R a few of those components however. My cable was replaced after 3.5 years/21.4K miles and I'm sure there are thousands of these work orders in their system particularily OPCODE 97451999 - which is the last item. I do not have the PN. I have the first lot of 997 C2Ss built in '04.
Check Battery and charge ($86.95 + $31.00 misc)
Check Voltage Drop charging circuit ($62.00) - Voltage drop was 1.1V
Remove and Replace Alternator ($139.59)
Remove and Replace Intake Distributor ($46.50)
Replace Battery Cable from Alt/Start ($263.50)
Some can replace without have to R&R a few of those components however. My cable was replaced after 3.5 years/21.4K miles and I'm sure there are thousands of these work orders in their system particularily OPCODE 97451999 - which is the last item. I do not have the PN. I have the first lot of 997 C2Ss built in '04.
#38
Racer
If the output voltage reading on my Durametric reads @13.9V, would that mean that the alternator cable is ok? The previous owner had the alternator cable replaced. To me the car seems to me slow to crank or is that just normal. It has never failed to start yet.
#39
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for those that have replaced the starter wire, can you confirm what part number it is? is it #13 or #14 from this parts fiche?
http://dcauto.gotdns.com/illustration/index/203964288
http://dcauto.gotdns.com/illustration/index/203964288
What really kicked me in the pants was the answer to my question by the service adviser. I asked if the new cable was a "better" version of the original that would resist corrosion etc OR would I have the issue again in 3-5 years? He stated it was a "bad design" and that he assumed that it had the potential to have issues just as the original.
He also stated they should have engineered it so they could pull the new cable through - but I dont know all the work involved.
Hope this helps.
#40
Where did you measure the voltage? At the alternator (in which case that means nothing) or at the battery? if there is a significant drop in volatge between the alternator and battery (> 0.5 volts) then the cable is bad.
#41
Racer
What I was thinking of doing next was reading the Durametric values again with the car running and then taking a voltage reading at the battery with a meter. As I understand the process that should be where I would see the voltage drop, if any.
#43
Drifting
Durametric reports the voltage based on
1) where the sensor that Durametric is reporting readings of is located
2) dependant on the functioning of that sensor
1) where the sensor that Durametric is reporting readings of is located
2) dependant on the functioning of that sensor
#44
Instructor
Well im getting the same problem started few months back , changed the battery , it starts fine when cold but when the car has been driven for awhile then its slow crancking sounds bad , i called the dealer explain about the harness they told me parts and labour 800 plus tax as for my local shop 540 to put a load on see if the problem is the cable and if so 540 to replace , i guess for one that does not understand much about cars your at their mercy .
#45
Rennlist Member
Anyone know if this could effect a GT3 as well.
I am getting very similar symptoms, battery that isnt staying charged, christmas tree PSM lights at high RPM, slower starts
I am getting very similar symptoms, battery that isnt staying charged, christmas tree PSM lights at high RPM, slower starts