Engine "ticks" on start without cranking....then runs?
 

My car stands for long periods of time without movement, now that I got a battery loader it stands even longer (before I made sure to drive it every 3rd week to keep the battery loaded, now it's 4 weeks up between outings).
After I have bought battery loader (CTEK MXS 5.0 connected through between-seats sig outlet) I have noticed the following behavior:

1. I disconnect the loader, sit in the car, put the key in, turn it half way to prime the gas pump and get the electrics going (lights off, radio off, aircon off);
2. I turn the key fully - the engine does not fire, it does not even crank, I just hear "tick" and that's all;
3. I turn the key back and try again, again just "tick";
4. After 5-6 tries with the "tick" the engine finally fires (with a bit of dry chain noise for 2-3 seconds, eeewh);
5. I drive the car around, get some fresh gas (I do not turn off the engine at that point, the gas station is close to home and I get 100 RON there);
6. I drive some more, I go somewhere, after one hour or so I return - the engine fires on the first try;
7. I park up and in 4+ weeks the procedure repeats itself.

Is there something wrong with my car? The battery seems to be OK and the car starts after being driven, so why does it tick(le) my nerves on the first start after a longer period of inaction? Is there something I should do (except for driving it more often, of course)?

Cheers, everyone!

P.S. 2007 manual with 100'000km on the clock. battery was changed a year or so ago.

sounds like the solenoid on the starter motor .........replace or reco starter :thumbup:

Could be clutch safety switch going bad, will be intermittent first and gets worse.

clean the battery connections
check battery voltage before trying to start the car, should be a solid 12v or more
does battery require water?
does voltage drop low enough to report that the pasm system or other system is disabled?

For me it was a missing bolt on the trigger wire on the starter, but that will NOT be your problem. Basically you have 4 major areas to look at:

1. Clutch Switch - you can easily jumper this and remove that from the equation
2. Power - battery and cables to the starter, though this is a more of an issue with cars other than the 997 tt
3. Starter/Solenoid - bit of a pain to get to, but not bad for a DYI wrencher. As far as Porsche's go, it is an easy job
4. Ignition Switch - also a bit of a pain, but doable. I followed some writeups about leaving the key in the switch and allowing it to lock in place to use as a handle to push/pull the switch in/out

There may be other things that I do not know about factoring in here, but at least these can be done so they are ruled out.

In terms of cost/PITA - 3 & 4 are about even if you get a rebuilt starter with a core charge.

Like i said the first thing you should do is jumper the clutch switch to rule that out. You can also check the battery. The cabling is a bit more work since it is threaded throughout the length of the vehicle.

Fortunately both the switch and starter are not expensive (relative to other Porsche parts) if you know where to look.

Ed

I would make another suggestion that is NOT related to your electrical system. Put some Stabil 360 in your gas tank if you drive it that infrequently. It has done wonders for me as I go through the same issue of not being to drive the car for weeks on end.

^ Curious, if it was the clutch switch, wouldn't he get a message stating to "Depress Clutch" when attempting to start it?

I think thats what I get when I dont push in the clutch when attempting to crank it.. Electrically it would be the same as a failed switch, no?

I think it's a bad battery. When the battery is drained, it will tick and will be unable to crank the motor. The car starting ok after having been driven around for an hour just means the battery has recharged. But, the battery is sufficiently damaged that it's not able to hold a full charge.

Re-reading the post I am leaning to the battery also, however I am having trouble understanding how the battery can not have enough power after unhooking the tender, then after repeated tries it has enough amps to turn the starter over.

Have you ever unhooked the tender and waited a few minutes, then tried?

Has the symptom ever been a series of clicking noises rather than just one?

Does the tender show any trouble on it's display?

Have you had the battery checked?

Ed

I had exactly this same issue when I bought my car last August. First thing was to replace the battery and that did not resolve it. Read all these threads and for 2007 and 2008 there is inadequate wiring on the starter side apparently but that did not apply to my 2009 (may apply to your car). Replaced my starter (relatively inexpensive fix since only cost $299 for the Bosch starter and put it in myself) and it fixed the issue. The starter I removed was covered in dust and grime.

Symptoms for my car were (and this happened the moment it came off the shipper's truck) clicking but not starting (clicking is the solenoid engaging - that is my understanding) on turning the key 4 or 5 times before I got 'normal' starting. Things seemed to get worse after the new battery, not better (sometimes it would take 10-15 attempts before it would start) and this was even though I kept it on a battery tender. Car starts first time every time now.