Author | Discussion |
pridemoor
15 posts
8 months | Saturday 30th January 
Hi All,
Before I start describing my woes, yes I am a noob... please feel free to berate me!
I've been storing my 911 3.2 (1987) in my garage for some months now due to the weather. Initially I didn't have it hooked up to a charger and so the alarm/immobiliser starting howling like a madman when the charge was getting low. I got a trickle charger, hooked it up and everything seemed to be fine.
However fast forward a few months to today and I've just gone into the garage to fire her up for the first time in 2010. Except she seems to have died on me (
All the electrics appear to work correctly (the raido comes on, the fans work etc) and the immobiliser seems to unimmobilise itself when I insert it into the slot and pull it out (it makes the usual beeps), but when I try and turn her over all I get is the howl of the alarm and absolutely nothing else. The battery "appears" to be fully charged so I'm not 100% what's the matter here.
From looking at it, it might well be the immobiliser or the alarm which isn't functioning correctly (and thus why the engine won't even attempt to turn over) but everything else seems to work okay when I turn the key. My remote central locking doesn't appear to work anymore either but I'm not sure if that's just not the battery in the fob.
Does anyone have any clues or ideas I can try? I guess the first one is to get a new battery but maybe there's something else I can try? Or indeed, can anyone identify this as a more serious issue? The handbook mentions horros such as destroying diodes when charging the battery whilst on the car
Any help and advice is appreciated! Maybe I was naive to think it would start first time after a good few months of being garaged, but the battery was on trickle charge (and is now fully charged) and it was covered and garaged in the correct way.
Cheers
Tim
|
LeoSayer
3423 posts
81 months | Saturday 30th January
Almost certainly the battery is dead, especially if it has been discharged a few times already. It probably has the amps to do everything except turn the starter motor.
|
Orangecurry
3850 posts
43 months | Saturday 30th January
+1
Is it a 096-size battery in the 3.2? If so get a calcium from Halfords - 4-year no-quibble-exchange warranty is hard to beat, and sounds like you'll need another new one before four winters are gone.
|
911perv
794 posts
18 months | Saturday 30th January
100% battery fooked
|
Emeye
1928 posts
60 months | Saturday 30th January
Does you Porsche have a factory immobiliser along with an after market one?
My 1995 BMW 525 Touring is currently dead after being stood for a while. I know it's a different car, but my problem appears to be the factory immobiliser won't let the car start, even though the after market one does appear to be OK. The symptoms are similar to yours.
Though it might be worth a shot mentioning it.
Let us know how you get on.
Cheers.
|
mudy
201 posts
9 months | Saturday 30th January
it's always the immobiliser
|
pridemoor
15 posts
8 months | Saturday 30th January
Thanks for the help so far guys... seems a trip to halfords is in order tomorrow!
I believe the immobiliser is the factory standard one and not an after-market job, but after reading some other posts elsewhere I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't something wrong with it.
I'll start with the battery and go from there, although the battery itself is not an old one. I guess I let it run down too far the first time and now it's not got the sufficient oomph to do anything half decent!
Cheers
Tim
| Advertisement
|
stuttgartmetal
4704 posts
53 months | Saturday 30th January
Fully electrically drain and trickle charge.
Top up e-lyte.
|
drmark
664 posts
23 months | Saturday 30th January
mudy said:
it's always the immobiliser 10 times more likely to be the battery IMO.
|
Emeye
1928 posts
60 months | Saturday 30th January
drmark said:
mudy said:
it's always the immobiliser 10 times more likely to be the battery IMO. If it was the battery would a jump start off another car work, or does a faulty battery prevent that? Just thinking the OP could try a set of jump leads and another car before buying a new battery?
|
melv
4026 posts
102 months | Saturday 30th January
Battery.......
|
Rocco1
454 posts
20 months | Saturday 30th January
99% battery at fault. Good luck
|
911Thrasher
678 posts
36 months | Sunday 31st January
Ah ah ah! This again is why everybody should run them all year round. Dude, these cars were built to be driven in all weather! Winters doesn't matter to them. They are german made, not italian dancers! It'll teach you a lesson 
|
GreigM
2556 posts
86 months | Sunday 31st January
Try to get a jump starter or jump it from another car - even if your battery is dead it will still start.....if it behaves the same way its the immobiliser....
If a battery is pretty much knackered a charger will often tell you its "100% charged", so don't let that fool you into thinking the battery is ok.
|
pridemoor
15 posts
8 months | Sunday 31st January
Thanks for the help guys, very much appreciated.
Nipped quickly to Halfords but didn't purchase a battery there and then. May try jump starting but it's firmly stuck in my garage so getting it near another car for my leads is going to be tricky!
I'll keep you updated but with work all week, it might have to be next weekend.
As for not driving it, yes I know it should be driven all the time, but it's my first year with my dream car so I didn't want to get it all salty! Plus, it's a minter (all original panels, no rust) so I didn't want to be the one who ruined it!
Thanks again for the help
Tim
|
stuttgartmetal
4704 posts
53 months | Sunday 31st January
Should've bought yourself a good charger and extension cable why you were there Fella.
|
pridemoor
15 posts
8 months | Sunday 7th February
So...
I borrowed a jump starter pack from my boss at work and set about starting her up this afternoon.
Semi-success... of sorts!
When turning her over, the alarm/immobiliser didn't sound, which was a start. However what wasn't a start was the engine ;o) All I got was a lot of rapid clicks followed by the central locking locking itself as soon as I stopped turning the key. I guess this means some things:
a) The jump starter kit probably wasn't too powerful (didn't have a rating or advice on the front of it as to what size car it could do)
b) It possibly isn't the immobiliser, just a buggered battery
c) I'll get a new battery and have my fingers crossed that it will work!
Had a few hairy moments with the battery too. There are two smaller leads (black and red) going to the positive terminal on the battery which sparked and sent the central locking crazy and I moved them about... not sure what they are tbh (I'm not the most technically gifted you see!)
Over the next week I plan to source a Bosch S5 battery and give it a whirl!
Cheers
Tim
|
Bill Stein
1213 posts
46 months | Sunday 7th February
pridemoor said:
So...
I borrowed a jump starter pack from my boss at work and set about starting her up this afternoon.
Semi-success... of sorts!
When turning her over, the alarm/immobiliser didn't sound, which was a start. However what wasn't a start was the engine ;o) All I got was a lot of rapid clicks followed by the central locking locking itself as soon as I stopped turning the key. I guess this means some things:
a) The jump starter kit probably wasn't too powerful (didn't have a rating or advice on the front of it as to what size car it could do)
b) It possibly isn't the immobiliser, just a buggered battery
c) I'll get a new battery and have my fingers crossed that it will work!
Had a few hairy moments with the battery too. There are two smaller leads (black and red) going to the positive terminal on the battery which sparked and sent the central locking crazy and I moved them about... not sure what they are tbh (I'm not the most technically gifted you see!)
Over the next week I plan to source a Bosch S5 battery and give it a whirl!
Cheers
Tim Good move with the S5 Bosch. When you disconnect take the neg (black) off first then the Poss (red) make sure they dont touch the terminals when your pulling the battery out. Put the new battery In and connect the possitive (red) first then the neg (black). If you do It the wrong way round your going to get sparks etc etc. Good luck. Oh and buy an Accumate trickle charger. You can leave the battery on the car and connect It up when not In use. The wire can come out of the bonnet and to a power source. Just keep the unit under the bonnet and make sure the cable Is suitable for outdoor use. Simples!;)
|
BertBert
3407 posts
48 months | Sunday 7th February
pridemoor said:
Had a few hairy moments with the battery too. There are two smaller leads (black and red) going to the positive terminal on the battery which sparked and sent the central locking crazy and I moved them about... not sure what they are tbh (I'm not the most technically gifted you see!) So did they spark etc when you moved them? Meaning they are loose? If so, you might want to attend to them before your PnJ goes up in flames. You may consider some professional help if you are a technical buffoon (in the nicest possible way of course)! Bert
|
graemel
3270 posts
54 months | Sunday 7th February
Agree with Bert. If you are not technically gifted (I'm not brilliant) seek independent advice mate. You don't want to make a very expensive mistake.
|
