mander

This morning I went to start my 09 C4S and just got a clicking noise and a lot of warnings on my dash. Then I noticed that one of the dome lights was on -OOPS. Must have turned it on by mistake when opening the garage door last night.

Call up the dealer (Woodhouse Porsche of Omaha) and he says the battery is probably drained give it a jump. I do so and nothing. I call back and he says top up the battery with water. I say, what, it doesn't have a sealed battery? Indeed it doesn't. I top it up. I then waited a few minutes and jumped it again. It started like a charm.

Got to love that old school battery - easy to jump and non-sealed. Lesson learned, thanks to Jason of Woodhouse for walking me through it.

rebattery

how low was it on water?

wwest

If the battery was so low on water that it wouldn't take a charge then you have something else, more serious, wrong.

If a single cell was low then you have a shorted cell, intermittently maybe.

If an '09 battery was overall low on water then it was/is more likely than otherwise being overcharged.

mander

It was only slightly low. Last night when I left work the car had to be jumped again. This morning it wouldn't start. I now think the water level was a red herring and I need a new battery.

Musclehedz101

Go to local Walmart and pickup Everstart Maxx 94R for $90.00 (w/ core exchange). It is EXACT OEM spec batt and perfect fit. Save the extra cash on more toyz...

Edgy01

I hope that you used distilled water.

BHMav8r

If you have kids, always check the lights. Returned from a ski trip and the kids left an interior light on in my 740i. Battery was sooo dead the locks wouldnt open with the remote.

helispud

How far did you drive it between jump starts? It takes quite a few miles to get a good charge.

mander

Drove it about 20 minutes/10miles between jumps.

mander

After getting back from a business trip dropped a new Interstate battery in it last night. Works fine now.

wwest

Check the battery terminal voltage after a long drive with the engine still running and all electricals off. I still suspect overcharging.

deijmaster

Had a similar problem with my batt on my 06 and after 5 years I just replaced it... I mean 400 bucks installed and full electric test at the dealer is totally worth it for a Pcar for the next 5 years!

rebattery

you don't need a battery, you need to charge it. 10 to 15 amps for appox, 8 hours. don't try to recharge a dead battery with the alternator!!!!!!

steph280

Had the same problem on our family van, kids keep on forgetting to turn off the dome lights. So I replaced the bulbs with LED's and problem solved. The current draw is so low you can literally leave it on for a week without worrying. Been meaning to do that with my 997 but never had the time to look up the bulb types...

Eric - Plug Guy

I had to replace the factory battery in my '09 Turbo at about 15 months. Would not crank, would not do squat - tech found a bad cell, BUT Porsche has a disclaimer about warranty on batteries - 6k miles/year (or more) or no warranty.

I bought an Interstate from the dealer, at a nice discount, for about what I'd pay at Interstate store, and they popped it in, and I bought the tech a gift card for brunch. No more worries.

I also have the Porsche battery tender for those times when I may not drive it for many days (rare).