battery going flat advice please

[cococola]

Guys,
I havent used my 944 for just over 2 weeks until today and went to get it out of the garage only to find that the battery was totally flat(new battery recently).
What is the best way to avoid this problem in the future? Do I disconnect the battery every time that I may be not using the car for a period (having to reset the stereo and clock every time!)
I dont have power in my garage as the garage is not by my house so trickle charging by electric is not possible.
I could leave my alarm turned off(would rather not)
Advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Peter Empson]

If the current consumption isn't due to a fault then I think you're wise to fit a simple battery cut off to the battery, you can then disconnect it quickly with no tools required.

The other possible option might be to fit a solar powered battery charger to the outside of the garage, I haven't the foggiest if they work well here, but might be worth a shot?

Out of interest, what's the consensus about leaving the car to idle to reset itself for a few minutes after reconnecting the battery? I've never found it necessary but am sure I heard that Porsche recommended this for our cars?

 

[Tony M]

My Battery went flat on my 2007 Turbo as I haven't used it in the recent snow. The battery lives in the front luggage compartment that can only be opened electrically.

Thank goodness Porsche think of all eventualities. One must open the door with the key, open the fuse holder compartment, use the yellow pinchers provided to pull the Red 'Connector' out so you can attach a jump lead. With the negative connected to the door shut restraint., and after pressing the remote for two seconds, the lid opens as if by Magic to allow you to charge the Battery.

All that apart, if you don't use your car for a few weeks or more, then the battery will go flat due to the electrical drain of alarms, clocks and memory circuits.

One needs to have some sort of Trickle charger in place to maintain the battery at a level to power all of the circuits which draw power even when the car is idle.

After my battery went completely flat the windows, PASM, and many other warning circuits needed Re Booting to get things back to normal.

Memo to Self : Keep trickle charger on when not using Car, or use the car regulary !

 

[idwoodvale]

Mine repeatedly used to go flat if not driven for a week or so. Decided it was all sorts of different problems. Eventually settled on it being a leaking rear hatch seal allowing water to soak the boot carpet over the battery causing a short. How convoluted!

In the end I found that the interior boot light had been switched to the on position and I hadn't noticed.[][] Felt a bit of a tool!

Check the simple stuff first.

 

[tscaptain]

Hi,
You could try one of these
http://cpc.farnell.com/icp-global-technologies/se-500/charger-solar-500ma-sunsei/dp/BT04164
with one of these
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/Store/Product/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=366
and see thread here (ignore all the chit chat and other guff in there!)
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=422766&mpage=2

Probably not as good as a CTEK battery conditioner but certainly seems to keep the volts well up above 12! I don't know if the charge controller is absolutely necessary, I got it to prevent possible overcharging. I don't think one solar unit on it's own has enough welly to overcharge anyway. If you had more than one or the bigger 1.5A panel then maybe so. As the cigarette lighter socket is always live on my car I just plug it in there so don't need to faff around at the battery.

 

[Hilux]

Mine loses its charge over a period of 2-3 weeks due (I believe) primarily form the alarm as there no other power drain I could detect.

I just keep it on an Optimate battery conditioner.

 

[appletonn]

I've got a CTEK 3600 battery conditioner and it does exactly what it says on the tin - high quality and not that dear tbh, £50 or so.

Car always turns over vigorously (for a 944!) when I come to use it.

 

[J4S0N]

best to put a multimeter over the battery terminals with nothing on and check for a drain remove fuse at a time till you work out where the drain is coming from i had a drain on a coupe years ago and eventually traced it to a wire from fan which had lost some of its sheathing and was shorting on the body where it went into the chassis leg at the front good luck finding it
Jason

 

[pauljmcnulty]

While it's battery-related thread time...

Can anyone PM me a decent high-res image of the engine-bay booster terminal in a later car? I'm often asked where this is, and a picture in the faqs would help, along with me being able to e-mail it. []

 

[idwoodvale]

Can anyone tell me why some cars do and others don't lose charge? Mine has an alarm fitted like most of us here but since I eliminated the idiot factor from the equation then it seems to be fine for weeks on end.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Can anyone tell me why some cars do and others don't lose charge?

Mine goes flat after about 3 weeks of standing. It's got the factory alarm, and two after-market alarm/immobilisers. Plus a replaced stereo. I'd guess that any one of these interventions in the car's wiring could have led to a drain. Also, the wiring is 22 years old, and it's bound to be failing somewhere. I just keep a booster pack handy for when I've not been driving it enough. It also has a tyre inflator, which is helpful as the pressures drop a couple of PSI over the same time period.

 

[cococola]

Ive seen these quick release battery terminals on ebay would one of these be the answer I wonder?[8|]

 

[tscaptain]

Certainly cheaper than a solar charger! Personally I would go for a solution that conditions/charges rather than disconnecting.

 

[944Turbo]

think the 10 minute tickover thing on reconnecting the battery was only 16v cars possibly only the s2