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Battery Question

Got new Battery from JAZ this morning after being jump started by RAC at 7am. Not sure the neighbours appreciated the alarm wake up call when i tried to disarm alarm :oops:
.

Really nice bunch of guys, nice cup of tea while i waited, and they had a lovely speed yellow 964 RSR in to look at....yummy.... :lol:


Migration info. Legacy thread was 51335
 
Having had months of battery problems, I have some adviuce to offer, but also some questions I still need answering.

Battery going flat - solutions:- trickle charger plugged into mains (I suggest Halfords). If you get one that plugs into your ciggy lighter, you need to get the wiring changed on the car so the cig lighter is live after you turn things off (apparently normally all circuits are shut down after switch off)- solar panel charger. I had to go for this as I park on the street. Not sure how effective it is, but its my only option. I got mine from the really nice chaps at Select Solar:
[u:KEcu7LK0Vi]

Battery going flat - why?- I use my car sparingly (2x20min journeys during the week, 2x30mins at weekend)- Even with a brand new Porsche battery (£130 thank you very much) I had major problems with it draining in winter (summer isnt as bad due to atmospheric pressure)- Even after a 1hr drive on the weekend, 5 days later its flat and setting the alarm off- 4 OPM's and 3 independents told me this isnt great, but is certainly not out of the ordinary. When I asked them what I do when I go on holiday for 2 weeks, they had no answer. Great, very helpful.- OPM diagnostic expert had my car for 5 days and cant find anything wrong with it (drain is around 0.078A, charge rate is okay apparently)

Useful things to know:- a well charged battery should read around 12.2v on the guage (or your voltmeter) when engine not running. Mine commonly reads lower than 12v after being left ofr a few days- with engine running, battery charging is indicated by guage reading in excess of 13.8v- standard operating voltage with engine running (when batt charged) is around 13.8v- If you have a tracker, you should always charge the car battery fully connected in the car, as you need to charge the tracker batt's at the same time.- when getting a batt charged by a garage, check if they have a 3-phase charger (it really sorts things out and is the best way of charging a batt, but does take up to 48 hours)- A flat battery needs at least a 2hr drive in the car to charge it, with some solid drives in the following days. Don't jump it, do a 30min drive and think you'll be fine.- read your manual and connect jump leads to engine, as specified

Tracker:- I have a Tracker installed and it is the only thing I havent had fully tested yet- tracker insist there is nothing wrong with it, but if its batt's have discharged a few times, and they are 3.5yrs old, it could be that they dont last very long and once flat they create a large drain on the car batt, or start shorting it- Tracker coming to investigate next week (£80 call out, again delighted)

Questions:- anyone else suffer this poor battery life? (assuming low levels of car usage)- anyone figured out how to put a battery disconnect switch into a 996? (difficult as it messes with the alarm)- anyone figured how to disconnect battery but lock all car doors (I dont mind the alarm being off, but cant leave it unlocked on the street!)


Migration info. Legacy thread was 52229
 
with a 993 - to lock the car and not set the battery you need to do the following.

Close drivers door, walk around car and from the pax door centrally lock the car using the rocker switch on dash, close pax door and car is locked and alarm not set.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 52235
 
Hope this helps.

I also have 2 batteries - one in the car and one on charge.

A good auto electrician will track down a discharge problem.

My replacement radio/cd system was wired incorrectly which drained the battery in about 4 days.

battery solar charger....
/images/migration/UploadedForumImages/battery%20charger%20solar(2).jpg

Battery cut off switch...
/images/migration/UploadedForumImages/battery%20switch(2).jpg

Hope this helps.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 52500
 
damn it's like battery failure season !! :?

Migration info. Legacy thread was 52525
 
Stevo,

the photo upload thing didnt work, and i am interested in the battery cutoff switch you talk about (not sure if i can fit it on a 996 though). any chance you can re-post it?

Problem on a 996 is there is a solenoid that locks the front lid, so i guess i get problems if i disconnect battery and then try and close lid, or when i come back to open lid. Think i may just get the solenoid disconnected as I havent a clue how to open a 996 lid using the cable thing (V reg, 2000).


Migration info. Legacy thread was 52533
 
i also have a battery charger/maintainer bought from halfords around £35 and a previous owner installed a battery cut off switch which kills everything and is a red key type thingy installed in the luggage compartment had no probs with the battery since buying the car

regards walt 993 c2 cab




Migration info. Legacy thread was 52755
 
Does anybody know if it is possible to charge a 996 through the lighter socket, i.e. is the lighter socket 'live' when keys out of ignition, car locked up and alarm on?

thanks


Migration info. Legacy thread was 54259
 
Previous poster said:
Quote: Originally posted by F1_Dragon on 18 April 2006

Does anybody know if it is possible to charge a 996 through the lighter socket, i.e. is the lighter socket 'live' when keys out of ignition, car locked up and alarm on?

thanks
Doesn't the one from Porsche work through the lighter socket. Mine is definately live, beacuse you can leave things charging in there when locked.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 54261
 
Cool, thanks SP, i shall invest then! I haven't looked at the Porsche charger as i need a solar powered job.

thanks


Migration info. Legacy thread was 54262
 
Standard is that it is not live. You can tell by plugging in a road angel or tom tom etc and when you turn car off, it also shuts down cig lighter and your plugged in device. You can get it re-wired easily enough (although £100 at OPM)


Migration info. Legacy thread was 54264
 
I use an AccuMate battery charger/conditioner on my 2002 facelift when the ignition is off and the car is locked and I'm sure the lighter socket has not been modified.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 54275
 
Previous poster said:
Quote: Originally posted by Joshua Galaun on 18 April 2006

Standard is that it is not live. You can tell by plugging in a road angel or tom tom etc and when you turn car off, it also shuts down cig lighter and your plugged in device. You can get it re-wired easily enough (although £100 at OPM)
Just double-checked and mine stays on even when alarmed.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 54291
 
hi all, i am new to 911uk, ive got a 996 turbo, the battery is constantly flat, the car is great but im getting fed up, ive tried trickle charging it but there is no change, any ideas guys?



Porsche 996 Turbo


Migration info. Legacy thread was 92789
 

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