MY997

My Turbo is no longer going to be my daily driver. My plans for driving it are as follows:

1) If the weather is nice during the week drive it to work...maybe 1 day a week
2) Take it out a minimum of every other weekend to local cars & coffee events
3) Of course take it to as many PCA and other local events as possible

So with this plan do I need to buy a dual mode battery charger and use the pulse maintaining mode during my down times? I know that if my car sits more than 72 hrs (which will happen) things shut down for the most part but based on my plan above do I take the chance of coming out and finding a dead battery?

Also is there anything else I need to do or know about in reference to my car doing a lot of sitting in the garage? Thanks

Brett

jem7v

Your battery dies after 72 hours? I had my car sit for a week and it started up just fine. The turbo is meant to be a DD not a garage queen. Sell it and get a GT3.

"02996ttx50

if you don't park it with a trickle charger prepare for it not to start when you'd like it to. i recommend the ctek 3300 for 50 bucks on ebay or anywhere. a MUST have for any turbo owner. esp if parked for extended periods.

4ocious

I was lazy and didn't connect my battery charger for over a week. When I went to start the car there wasn't enough battery left to start it. Even my portable starter/charger wouldn't start it so I called my insurance company and requested roadside assistance. They sent a guy with a larger portable starter who got it started and left. I let it warm-up for a few minutes and then to my horror I discovered he'd initially reveresed the battery polarity (European cars are opposite of US cars I think) and shorted my PCM fuse. Because I was on my way to the dealer anyway I didn't blow a fuse too and just had them replace it.

flyjets

Bret

Questions like this crack me up. If you didn't have Tampa listed as your home I would have guessed your in the NE trapped and bored in the house or hotel.

Bret I'm not picking on you but really why would you be cheap just get the CTEK from Porsche or any high end computerized do it all charger. Reeves who your near Blow them out once in a while for $110 as does Suncoast.

I have numerous P Car's and couldn't possibly drive them all the time they mostly just sit around I don't keep them all charging continuously. Typically 7 days with no charge if older battery they might crank slower. I'm using 3 different charges 2 CTEK/Porsche and 1 Schumacher.


Good Luck
Ian

MY997

I love it...you guys are awesome...the reason it is no longer going to be a DD is beacuse I am going to build it to run 1/2 mile events. As I recently did the wannaGOFAST event in Ocala and it was a blast. I know most Porsche people think a 911 should be on a track like Sebring but I did all that on Sport Bikes when I was younger and I now just like going FAST!!! If I was into tracking I would do what you say and buy a GT3 for sure...thanks

Thanks...I was thinking I need to do this.

Really? Hmmm...did not realize that. Thanks for sharing.

Ian,

See my first reply on this post...no I am not in the NE but the car could sit for periods of time. I was most likely going to buy this one http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...=2009TTRadiog1 but I plan to stop by Reeves this week to see what they think and buy it there if they have it in stock but just wanted to get input from Rennlist as I know you guys have a lot more experince than me with this. Thanks for the input.

jhbrennan

Porsche is a standard negative ground (not reversed). Maybe he hooked up his cables backwards - easy to do but anyone really looking at the battery can figure out what the positive terminal is and what the negative terminal is (battery is marked) - positive on passenger side, negative on driver side. If he did connect backwards I'm surprised there wasn't more damage.

therock88

I use this one on 3 of my Porsches and on a BMW and they work great. On sale at Northern Tool as well. You can attach the permanent wires to your battery(ies) and it quick connects and disconnects. Great price on sale and has the pulse charge and desulfater mode.

Just an option: CLICK HERE

DC

jem7v

Did the change the battery between 2010 to present and the .1 generation?

My car when it sat for over a week started up fine. My dad's 981 boxster S that sits for 2-3 weeks at a time during winter, starts up just fine every time too.

cjcam930

I suspect a weak/dying battery, or a current leak due to aftermarket accessories. The car should be able to sit a week or two no problem...

eviligloo

I have the ctek 3300 as mentioned by 02996ttx50. It's perfect. It's on amazon for $60 but you might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere. ctek product number (56-158-1).

I recommend also getting the cigarette lighter adapter for it. It's quick and easy to plug in when you're car is in the garage.

cretinx

Your battery dies after three days?

My 911 sits for weeks at a time, starts up every time.

MY997

All interesting responses and it seems like "it depends" but on what? What the car is exposed to (temperature, etc...) or maybe what condition your battery is in?

I started this thread to get input and that has worked but I know from my own experience when I had a 997.2 C4S that sat a couple of times (moving, trips, etc...) for about 6-8 days at a time and I never had trouble starting it. I remember the first time it freaked me out because the remote did not work but once I unlocked the driver door with the key, everything worked fine and the car started right up...each time...

So again based on my plan where I could be driving it twice a week, once a week or it could possibly sit for two weeks or greater (weather, traveling, etc...) I am not sure I need to do anything but maybe hook up the pulse charger when I know for sure it will sit longer than a week? I hope it never sits that long as I want to drive it everyday but I just don't want to have to expose it to the weather, traffic, etc... Thanks again and keep the input coming

Johnny DB

I currently use the CTEK 3300 and it's an awesome product. I think I will buy the 25000 as well since it can also boost a car as per the video.

Macster

You can use a battery tender or charger I guess. I prefer to keep the battery charged up the old fashioned way.

I have at times used my Turbo sparingly, sometimes just once a week for my work commute (60 miles round trip).

The car was fine, the battery was fine. Oh, let me add that I always made sure to unplug any charger cords, NAV unit and lock the car to keep the battery drain to a minimum while the car was parked and not being used.

Where an infrequently used car can experience battery issues is if the car is not driven enough when it is used. The battery runs down from sitting. Then the engine is started. The battery is down but can be recharged provided the car is driven enough to give the alternator time to recharge the battery. A quick trip to the nearby coffee shop -- with another start there when it is time to leave -- ain't going to cut it.

A 30 minute drive should be sufficient. My Turbo has a volt meter and I use it to let me know when the battery is charged up. The voltage level drops a bit after some minutes (~15 to 30) of driving which is a sign the battery's been topped up.

Also, be sure you use the A/C during this drive to let the compressor circulate refrigerant and compressor oil. This helps keep the A/C system, its seals, in good condition. A few miles/minutes from your final destination turn off the compressor and let the cabin fan run to dry the evaporator and ducts of any moisture to avoid the system developing a moldy/mildewy smell. You will still have to replace the cabin air filter every so often, maybe once a year, as this can develop a foul odor too.