how do i open bonnet with dead battery?
- Thread starter Guest
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1. Keep the key in your ashtray....[
]
2. Under the fuse cover (where the spoiler switch is in the drivers footwell) is a piece of paper with instructions on what to do.
Basically, use jump cables to connect neg to the door catch striker on the drivers door aperture, and the positive to the special terminal that pulls out from the fuse box.
]2. Under the fuse cover (where the spoiler switch is in the drivers footwell) is a piece of paper with instructions on what to do.
Basically, use jump cables to connect neg to the door catch striker on the drivers door aperture, and the positive to the special terminal that pulls out from the fuse box.
Steve Murley
New member
Mark,
We seem to have a flat battery on my wife's Boxster this morning,
We have also had a problem with not being able to open the front bonnet in the last week or so, I have checked all the fuses and they seem to be OK. Not sure if the problems are related as I was assuming the bonnet problem was mechanical.
Anyway back to the battery problem, I have searched battery problems and you mentioned in this thread Proline started, attaching a jumper cable to a terminal in the fuse box to open the bonnet, I have the fuse instructions with me at work and there is no mention of the terminal to connect to, the car is a 99 model, should this have the terminal. Unfortunatly the car is at home and I am at work so can't do anything.
Any suggestions.
We seem to have a flat battery on my wife's Boxster this morning,
We have also had a problem with not being able to open the front bonnet in the last week or so, I have checked all the fuses and they seem to be OK. Not sure if the problems are related as I was assuming the bonnet problem was mechanical.
Anyway back to the battery problem, I have searched battery problems and you mentioned in this thread Proline started, attaching a jumper cable to a terminal in the fuse box to open the bonnet, I have the fuse instructions with me at work and there is no mention of the terminal to connect to, the car is a 99 model, should this have the terminal. Unfortunatly the car is at home and I am at work so can't do anything.
Any suggestions.
Steve Murley
New member
Bump """
Sorry Steve - missed your 1st post...
If you don't have the terminal in the fuse box there is another way described here:
http://www.986faq.com/7-0/default.asp#009
7.9 Accessing the Battery when it is Dead
The Boxster has a minor difficulty. If you have the alarm and the battery goes dead, you cannot open the front trunk to get to the battery to jump start it. There have been three techniques discussed for entering the front trunk when this problem manifests itself.
Note. Disconnecting the battery will not silence the alarm on UK cars! It has it's own battery backup. - Mark
If you don't have the terminal in the fuse box there is another way described here:
http://www.986faq.com/7-0/default.asp#009
7.9 Accessing the Battery when it is Dead
The Boxster has a minor difficulty. If you have the alarm and the battery goes dead, you cannot open the front trunk to get to the battery to jump start it. There have been three techniques discussed for entering the front trunk when this problem manifests itself.
- There is a Porsche Technical Bulletin describing one way that works for entering the car. See Front and Rear Hood Release Inoperative [grp5 1-96 5510 1-21-97]. A description of what one owner did to construct the device mentioned in the bulletin is shown at http://grr.xoc.net/boxster/articles/dooropener.asp
.
- It may work that a cigarette lighter to cigarette lighter jumper cable will power the car enough to open the car. This has not been confirmed to work, though. Make sure that you carry the jumper cables in the passenger section of the car, otherwise you won't be able to get them when they are needed!
- Inside the top of the driver's front wheel well, just aft of the spring coil mount, is a little rectangular corner in the black plastic shroud that lines the inside of the wheel well. Reach under this, and you will feel a "wire" about 1/8" in diameter. Too thick for an electrical wire (and not in a harness anyway).
Now tug this cable gently out from behind the shroud and get a good grip on a loop of it. Now pull hard away from the headlight once, and prepare to hear the music of the alarm as the front hood pops open. Grab a 10mm wrench and take off one of the battery cables to silence this thing until you can get your key in the ignition and disarm the thing.
Disconnect the alarm horn, re-connect something with power to the battery leads, and unlock your car.
Note. Disconnecting the battery will not silence the alarm on UK cars! It has it's own battery backup. - Mark
Timbo2
New member
Hi, I just happened to be looking through a parts list downloaded from this forum, and under 'cover' (bonnet) it showed an 'emergency cable' connected to the bonnet release for 04 models, don't know if they are actually fitted.
Timbo
https://techinfo.porsche.com/techinfo/html/en/catalogue_content.htm
Timbo
https://techinfo.porsche.com/techinfo/html/en/catalogue_content.htm
Yes they are - on all models. See point 3 in my post above.
Steve Murley
New member
Mark, Timbo2
Thanks for the information, very helpfull.
I tried to find the emergency cable last night, I loosened the front end part of the inner liner to look for the cable but no sign of it, your info tells me it at the rear end of the liner, so I will try there.
The car was on a sloping drive so I didn't want to risk jacking it up, I have dragged it onto the road now so I will be able to take the wheel off.
I'll also try the electrical method in the bulletin, but not sure how you connect a jumper to both sides of C3 fuse as its embedded in the panel.
Our car definitely doesn't have a pull-out terminal in the fusebox to connect a jumper lead to, must be a later Boxster thing.
Thanks again.
Thanks for the information, very helpfull.
I tried to find the emergency cable last night, I loosened the front end part of the inner liner to look for the cable but no sign of it, your info tells me it at the rear end of the liner, so I will try there.
The car was on a sloping drive so I didn't want to risk jacking it up, I have dragged it onto the road now so I will be able to take the wheel off.
I'll also try the electrical method in the bulletin, but not sure how you connect a jumper to both sides of C3 fuse as its embedded in the panel.
Our car definitely doesn't have a pull-out terminal in the fusebox to connect a jumper lead to, must be a later Boxster thing.
Thanks again.
Black80XSA
New member
Steve - if you don't find the cable in the drivers wheelarch are, try the passenger side - its not unknown for them to get routed both ways !
Steve Murley
New member
Cheers Black80XSA,
I have also read that sometimes it can be on the passenger side as well,, looking at the pictures in the link Timbo2
posted it shows it on the driver side and that does tie in with how the lever operates once you have popped the bonnet to unlatch it. we'll have to see.
I have also read that sometimes it can be on the passenger side as well,, looking at the pictures in the link Timbo2
posted it shows it on the driver side and that does tie in with how the lever operates once you have popped the bonnet to unlatch it. we'll have to see.
Oh dear - why exactly was an electrically powered release mechanism an "improvement"?
Give me a nicely engineered pull handle and a mechanical cable any time. (now worried mine will break tonight - only back up on a 993 is to take off the PU and drill a hole!)
Give me a nicely engineered pull handle and a mechanical cable any time. (now worried mine will break tonight - only back up on a 993 is to take off the PU and drill a hole!)
It should be at the front of the liner - I don't know why the text above says different...
(Yes I know I posted it - but I didn't write it[])
There is a little cut out at the front of the liner for some pipes - the release is taped to the side of the front boot (on the outside []) just behind these pipes.
(Yes I know I posted it - but I didn't write it[
])There is a little cut out at the front of the liner for some pipes - the release is taped to the side of the front boot (on the outside [
]) just behind these pipes.
That's where mine is, but my guess is that early cars may have the release cable in the passenger wing, and later cars (with the electric release) have it on the driver's side. Just a guess.
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/fb.asp?m=367971
Steve Murley
New member
Thanks guys for the suggestions.
Haven't had time to take the wheel off yet,
I stopped off at Silverstone Porsche this afternoon on my way past, I asked if they could show me where the cable was,
1st mechanic took me to the passenger side of a newer 986 (with electric buttons, no levers)and said its inside the inner liner between the inner wing and headlight,
2nd mechanic said it can also be on the drivers side in the same position, WTF !!!.
I won't get time to take the wheel off until Friday or Saturday now.
I have thought of another solution ...
Haven't had time to take the wheel off yet,
I stopped off at Silverstone Porsche this afternoon on my way past, I asked if they could show me where the cable was,
1st mechanic took me to the passenger side of a newer 986 (with electric buttons, no levers)and said its inside the inner liner between the inner wing and headlight,
2nd mechanic said it can also be on the drivers side in the same position, WTF !!!.
I won't get time to take the wheel off until Friday or Saturday now.
I have thought of another solution ...
Black80XSA
New member
Ok Steve, here is another option for you (Mark - you might want to make this a sticky or a tech article ? ). Pictures courtesy of toolpants !
Cars after MY01 had electric release buttons for the boot lids in the drivers door sill, prior to this they were mechanical levers which lock with the central locking - if your battery ran flat with the car locked these will still be locked.
With the electric releases came a battery jumper/terminal point in the fuse box (drivers footwell) - connect a second battery to this and an earth point to pop the boots. There should be instructions on the fuse panel cover in the driver's footwell.
Older cars have the manual levels in the drivers door sill to release the boot lids. If you look between the two levers you can see a small metal lug and a u shaped cut out - you can use the flat 1/8" screwdriver to move the lug to release the levers. As below...
There are two pictures and a drawing as the pictures are not very clear. Picture 1 looks forward into the gap between the levers. The second picture is an enlargement of the gap. The drawing hopefully shows what you see when you are looking into the gap.
Looking forward into the gap you will see a metal plate that has a U-shaped cutout. You will see that a part of the handle sits in this cutout. The locking mechanism is a plate that rotates underneath the U-shaped cutouts thus preventing the handle from moving.
To unlock the lever you rotate the plate out from underneath the U-shaped cutouts. It is easiest to do this under the trunk release lever. You reach in with a thin screwdriver or an awl and push the plate from right to left. This unlocks both levers.
It is hard to do because you cannot see what you are doing or where the locking cam is.
Get a strong light and a small thin blade screwdriver. The screwdriver must be at the angle in my pic since that is where the cam is.
The cam is horizontal and rotates side to side. I forget which direction you rotate the cam to unlock the levers - it is either left or right. Stick the screwdriver in so that the tip is on the cam then try to rotate the cam. You can only move the cam a little bit at a time. Take the screwdriver out once in a while and see if the lever pulls up. If that does not work then try the other directiion. This is the levers removed from the door sill. Yellow lines are to the locking cam that you need to rotate out of position if that is the problem.
If you give up then you have to go for the emergency release cable !.
Cars after MY01 had electric release buttons for the boot lids in the drivers door sill, prior to this they were mechanical levers which lock with the central locking - if your battery ran flat with the car locked these will still be locked.
With the electric releases came a battery jumper/terminal point in the fuse box (drivers footwell) - connect a second battery to this and an earth point to pop the boots. There should be instructions on the fuse panel cover in the driver's footwell.
Older cars have the manual levels in the drivers door sill to release the boot lids. If you look between the two levers you can see a small metal lug and a u shaped cut out - you can use the flat 1/8" screwdriver to move the lug to release the levers. As below...
There are two pictures and a drawing as the pictures are not very clear. Picture 1 looks forward into the gap between the levers. The second picture is an enlargement of the gap. The drawing hopefully shows what you see when you are looking into the gap.
Looking forward into the gap you will see a metal plate that has a U-shaped cutout. You will see that a part of the handle sits in this cutout. The locking mechanism is a plate that rotates underneath the U-shaped cutouts thus preventing the handle from moving.
To unlock the lever you rotate the plate out from underneath the U-shaped cutouts. It is easiest to do this under the trunk release lever. You reach in with a thin screwdriver or an awl and push the plate from right to left. This unlocks both levers.
It is hard to do because you cannot see what you are doing or where the locking cam is.
Get a strong light and a small thin blade screwdriver. The screwdriver must be at the angle in my pic since that is where the cam is.
The cam is horizontal and rotates side to side. I forget which direction you rotate the cam to unlock the levers - it is either left or right. Stick the screwdriver in so that the tip is on the cam then try to rotate the cam. You can only move the cam a little bit at a time. Take the screwdriver out once in a while and see if the lever pulls up. If that does not work then try the other directiion. This is the levers removed from the door sill. Yellow lines are to the locking cam that you need to rotate out of position if that is the problem.
If you give up then you have to go for the emergency release cable !.
Guest
New member
When you read threads like this, you begin to wonder where Porsche got its reputation for good engineering! I always thought a basic principle was 'KISS' (keep it simple, stupid!). These days, it seems that, all too often, Porsche goes the extra mile to make things complicated. Things like boot and bonnet lids don't need expensive engineering, especially when users have to take such ridiculously complicated action to overcome problems!
I thought I'd got rid of the worst of such potential difficulties when I gave up a 928S4 for a 993, but I seem to have stumbled right back into the area with my move to a Boxster. I enjoy the car and its performance, but I've seen so many reports of problems like this one that I'm seriously wondering whether to swap out to something less complicated.
I thought I'd got rid of the worst of such potential difficulties when I gave up a 928S4 for a 993, but I seem to have stumbled right back into the area with my move to a Boxster. I enjoy the car and its performance, but I've seen so many reports of problems like this one that I'm seriously wondering whether to swap out to something less complicated.
There is a Porsche TSB shows a neat solution to this problem, by connecting an external battery to the alarm system fuse, to provide power to the alarm. This means that you can release the latch lock and open the hood.
Tool Pants
non Club member but v. knowledgable
This is interesting. In the US the front emergency release cable is always on the passenger or right side, no matter the year. Problem is the cable is not always where it should be, and may be impossible to find unless you remove the headlight. More so if the car has had body work because the shops don't know what the cable is for or where it belongs, and I have seen cables stuck in places you could not get to even with the plastic fender liner off.
On UK messages boards most say the cable is on the left or passenger side, but once in a while someone says it is on the right side. I thought it was too much beer. But maybe Richard has a clue. Maybe which side the cable is on depends on the year for a UK car, if the car has a mechanical or an electrical release. 1997-2000 is mechanical and 2001-2004 is electrical.
We had a recent Boxster tech session at an independent garage. The owner said that for cars with the mechanical levers he disconnects the solenoid that operates the cam that locks the levers in the down position when the alarm is set. He considers this feature of the alarm system a design defect. He has a point because you can't lift up the levers when the door is closed anyway. So locking the levers with a solenoid operated cam when the alarm is set is sort of senseless since the door has to be closed to set the alarm.
Anyway, if all else fails, there is always the pry bar method....
On UK messages boards most say the cable is on the left or passenger side, but once in a while someone says it is on the right side. I thought it was too much beer. But maybe Richard has a clue. Maybe which side the cable is on depends on the year for a UK car, if the car has a mechanical or an electrical release. 1997-2000 is mechanical and 2001-2004 is electrical.
We had a recent Boxster tech session at an independent garage. The owner said that for cars with the mechanical levers he disconnects the solenoid that operates the cam that locks the levers in the down position when the alarm is set. He considers this feature of the alarm system a design defect. He has a point because you can't lift up the levers when the door is closed anyway. So locking the levers with a solenoid operated cam when the alarm is set is sort of senseless since the door has to be closed to set the alarm.
Anyway, if all else fails, there is always the pry bar method....
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