981 - does 12v socket stay 'on' even if accessory turned off?

[SV_WDC]

I cannot leave my car plugged into a CTEK all the time. But, when I need to unplug from the mains socket I tend to just unplug from the mains & leave it plugged into the 12v lighter socket near the armrest.

Does the socket stay 'live' at all? I cannot think that it is drawing any power but have had a couple instances now where the car says 'low power, drive for an extended period' and wondering if it's because it's had something plugged into the 12v socket, even though not hooked up to the mains.

For reference, battery was replaced 12 months ago & coded to the car via a reputable specialist. Car is a 981 CGTS

 

[Motorhead]

Hi,

I’m not sure if this helps but there seem to be mixed experiences on various forums here on whether or not the power socket remains live, especially when a battery conditioner is connected. It would appear that the socket remains live if an accessory is connected when the ignition is turned-off … and maybe also remains live for several minutes even if nothing is connected, allowing some time to connect and power-up the battery conditioner?

Jeff

 

[BrianJ]

Definitely mixed experiences. On my 2013 981 the socket would remain live if a CTEK was connected and charging before the car was locked, on my 2016 981 it does not. Presumably if your CTEK has been connected up and charging, disconnecting only from the mains end may just possibly leave a residual circuit from the car to the CTEK which subsequently drains the battery? Dunno, but I would try disconnecting it at the car too and see if the problem persists.

 

[SV_WDC]

Thank you both. Yeh I will try unplugging it from the armrest. This is what I used to do but assumed the socket would just turn off after a period of inactivity, and turn on again when I unlock the car (purely just to make the socket live so when I connect CTEK back to mains it worked).

I guess there might be a residual charge that's draining the socket. When I turned the ignition on today and got the low battery warning there was a subsequent warning 'Low battery. 12v socket off,' so think that may well be the case.

Weird there are different experiences between different cars of the same generation, Brian. Thanks for sharing

 

[SV_WDC]

Just to say that I charged the car up via CTEK on 18th, drove the car on 19th. Since then it has remained parked up in my garage (handbrake off).

Unfortunately it has no hard wired connection so CTEK charging is sporadic. Was disappointed to go outside just now and have the same 'low power, drive for an extended period' message. The battery was replaced for OEM Banner last Feb! Although I make sure the car gets used every couple of weeks, it not being able to sit for a week without booking hooked up to CTEK is ridiculous.

Is there anything else I can check for? Ideally without having to take to an OPC or Specialist

 

[Motorhead]

Hi,

The battery should hold-up well for a couple of weeks at least if it’s holding a decent state of charge. Was the CTEK actually indicating at or near a maximum charge when you last used it?

Batteries can fail at any time, even relatively new ones, so it would be worth getting it checked-out by a battery supplier, usually FOC. Other than that you’d have to suspect an earth leakage current somewhere in the system, bonnet, boot and glove compartment lamps being the usual suspects, but if it’s something else you’re down to pulling fuses to try to track down the source of the leak. Note that trackers often can cause current-drain problems.

Jeff

 

[Scrounger]

I run my CTEK through the wheel arch and through a gap there into the battery bay. Then attach to the battery + and earthing post on the wiper arm rather than the 12v socket.

Dan

 

[SV_WDC]

Hi,

The battery should hold-up well for a couple of weeks at least if it’s holding a decent state of charge. Was the CTEK actually indicating at or near a maximum charge when you last used it?

Batteries can fail at any time, even relatively new ones, so it would be worth getting it checked-out by a battery supplier, usually FOC. Other than that you’d have to suspect an earth leakage current somewhere in the system, bonnet, boot and glove compartment lamps being the usual suspects, but if it’s something else you’re down to pulling fuses to try to track down the source of the leak. Note that trackers often can cause current-drain problems.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff. My old 987.2 Cayman could go a couple weeks without charge fine.

Regarding battery supplier, do you mean a Porsche specialist or Banner, the battery manufacturer?

Lastly, in terms of isolating the 'earth leakage' is there an easy way to do this myself (for bonnet, boot, glove compartment)?

EDIT: When connected to CTEK I let it get to the '7' stage which is float. It usually gets here pretty quickly - about 4-5 hours after putting it on charge

 

[Motorhead]

Hi,

From what you say it sounds as though the battery’s okay, but you never know. If you talk to Kwik Fit, Halfords or any battery retailer they should offer a battery condition check which will indicate if it has a dodgy cell.

To check the bonnet, boot and glove compartment lights just use your phone to take a video when each is shut to confirm that the lights are extinguished.

Jeff