Hi.

My Cayenne fell victim to the flooding through sunroof drains problem. It was in a bad, limping condition. I put it in the garage and called Porsche Toulouse for an appointment, and was told there's a 6-month wait. 6 months! Well, I found a slot in Perpignan and now I have a transporter booked, but I found that the car is dead. It's as though it has no battery, though I can test the charge and it's OK. That is the only sign of life; no lights, no ignition, no electricity anywhere except at the terminals under the bonnet.
It's not funny, as it was stuck in park, but that's an easy fix, then I found that the key is stuck in the lock, and I cannot turn the wheel. I need to get the wheel turning. All else is secondary. Unless I can turn the wheel I can't tow the inert lump out of my courtyard to where the transporter can reach, I cannot get it repaired, ever.

I would be OK to look at the wet wires myself, but it sounds a bit sadder than most similar cases and I hope that the transporter can get to me this week.

So, does anyone know of a way to get the steering lock unlocked quickly? If I have to remove the wheel I would do that, but fastest is best for me, please.

 

If the wires are wet then power won't make its way from the battery through the system to the ignition lock... so... maybe, just a (probably bad) idea here, jump some power straight to the ignition from the battery using a patch cable?

 

You can start off by lifting the seat and checking the fuses at the battery box. There is a pyro fuse that should only open during an accident, but water intrusion could have taken it out.

Plan B: Wheel dollies with rotating caster wheels placed under the front tires. Ask the tow company if they have them on their truck, or buy a set from any big box automotive store. They're cheap.

Plan C (last resort): Disconnect the steering column from under the car. Remove a shield held in by two bolts to reveal the coupling and then remove the bolt from the coupling. Push the steering shaft up and out of the coupling and the wheels should now be free to move into the straight ahead position by hand.

 

The shield is held in place by 2 10mm bolts and the steering by an E13 I think. Hopefully that bolt head would be be accessible. GL.

 

I would start by pulling up the carpet in the driver's footwell and drying out the wiring bundle. Once it's dry, I'd start looking for corroded wires and bad connections. I was surprised to find that my '05 came from the factory with several connections twisted together and secured with electrical tape. You might find an easy fix that will at least get you moving again. I fixed my footwell wiring and cleared my drains a few years ago and the truck has been fine since.

 

Hi all you chaps,
Thank you all for your suggestions and help.
I guess that my best option is realistically to do the drying and problem-seeking process. I did look at simply removing the steering lock module, but that's almost as much hassle, and it may just add to my repair costs. There is a pretty good youtube video on how to do this though.
I had a play yesterday and used my jump leads to put power to various areas and I am pretty confident that I can at least get the thing to the state where I can push it, at least.

By the way Shawn Stanford. I like your sig. I used to own a 928s in Abu Dhabi. It was a lovely thing. The drive to Jumeira Beach in Dubai took about 1:40 in my Cherokee, and about 1:10 in the Porsche. It just sat happily at way over the speed limit wafting me along in air-conditioned comfort.

Thank you all again.

 

lift the carpeting, remove the seats remove the insulation padding, vacuum the water out and then lock a dehimidifier in the car to dry it out