JFP in PA

I already have the battery tender plus from amazon

http://www.amazon.co...ery tender plus

Any advantage of the CTEK over battery tender? One drawback (potentially) of the battery tender is that it requires charging using the alligator clips directly to battery. Does the CTEK get around this?

The Ctek has multiple advantages; first, and perhaps most important, all Ctek units have a desulfation step as part of their charge profiles. Sulfating is one of the principal reasons why a battery dies prematurely, running this step every time the Ctek cycles is critical to lengthening the battery's life. No Battery Tenders ever made have this desulfation step in their systems. And, yes, Ctek does have the correct lighter socket adaptor to utilize Porsche's ability to charge through the lighter. Ctek also has a variety of other adaptors, including ones that permanently attach to the battery if you want to go that way. Ctek also makes Porsche’s branded maintainer, but I would not buy one from them as they are way over priced and exactly the same as Ctek’s 3300 model, which you can buy online much cheaper from Amazon and others.

Thanks. Noticed on the Yellow Dog site the extended cables. While I know there isn't much extra length in either cable are the extended cables necessary ? Mounting plates appear to place the battery fully to the drivers side so am thinking the negative cable will work as is. Is the extended positive cable needed to reach the repositioned battery ?

At some point, the accountants at Porsche noticed that they were "giving away" an extra couple of inches of the + battery cable, and ordered them shortened immediately, making the switch to an Optima require a longer (about 2-3 inches) cable. Yours is probably one of them. You can get the longer cable from either Yellow Dog, or your local parts store, they are a stocking item.

I bought my 2007 C4S as a CPO from a dealer a year and a half ago. My battery died this weekend (had used it for about 2 weeks and didn't think to use my battery tender plus) but when I tried to replace it found this aftermarket battery charger attached to my car's battery. Dealer didn't mention this to me when I bought it at ~16,000 miles (now has ~32,000). Just for fun I tried plugging it in to a wall outlet but the red charging light didn't turn on.

Having this piece of hardware there made unscrewing the secure housing/mount a bit tricky but I swapped the old for a new battery and the car is back to full function. Didn't re-install the charger.

Question: anyone have any experience with this Solar 1.5 amp battery charger? Would it be worth trying to install again or is it junk since the light didn't turn on anyway when I tested it? Notably, the red + cable was attached ot the battery but the black was secured to the vehicle (i.e. grounded), not the - charge.

Shouldn't the dealer have found this and mentioned it to me?

This is a cheaply made charger from Clore Automotive in Kansas. Sold on Amazon, not particularly good, but cheap. I'd trash it an get a Ctek.

Most of the late model Porsches use the Red Top 34R (the R means the terminals are reversed, which is the configuration Porsche uses). Depending upon your exact model, you may also need a mounting kit which many make themselves or purchase (around $40) from aftermarket suppliers such as Yellow Dog Motorsports. We have installed many 34R's over the years, and it is a clean, long lived, and completely corrosion free set up.

None of the information you just posted suggests that the system cannot be burped the traditional way. The coolant fill tank/expansion tank is the highest point of the coolant system. Under pressure air goes up, in the 996 it will end up in the coolant fill tank/expansion tank. The pressure created by the cooling system bleeds the cooling system of air.

Basic physics is generally impossible to change.

Unfortuantely, Lorem is correct; there are other "high points" in the cooling system, such as the oil cooler, that are traps for air. Even with multiple manual "burpings", it is not unusual to find air trapped in system, which does not dislodge under pressure. Vacuum filling totally eliminates any trapped air, and any chance for hot spots to form and potentially cause damage.

1. Does this car qualify to claim under warranty even this car is 2006?

No, the factory warranty was for four years, you are well beyond that, plus you are the second owner; so unless Porsche is willing to do it under "good will", I think you are out of luck.

2. Would this fall under manufacturer defect?

No, what you describe is not a common type if failure.

3. Where should I complain to?

I would politely approach the dealer you bought it from in a non threatening manner. If they are not willing to meet you half way, I think you are just out of luck on this one...........

XS batteries are over priced ($260+) AGM technology batteries that trade off higher voltage (16V) for lower cranking amps and a small weight savings. They are designed for racing applications. As your charging system is geared towards around 14V, the system is not going to be happy long term.

If you want to save some weight, and run a fully sealed AGM designed battery that is fully compatible with your charging system and street use, look at an Optima battery. You will probably also save some $ on the purchase price as well………….

If Amsoil is so great, ask him why it does not have any ACEA ratings............

You can test it while it is connected to the alternator but disconnected at the battery, but it may be a bit of a pain to get at it while it remains connected (also depends somewhat on what the ends of the multi meter test cables look like).

We have installed many of these, never had one cause a problem.

You need to first correctly test the cable. What you need to do is disconnect both ends of the cable and check it for resistance over its lenght, if you find any, replace the cable.

3 words of advice:

1) Stick

2) With

3) Stock (OEM plugs)

Good job on doing this maintenance. I changed the plugs in my 2006 987S at the 4 year mark (like Porsche recommends) with about 38,000 miles. Buy your plugs at Sunset Porsche for about *$106.

*wow, prices on OEM plugs have shot up! Mine were less than $75 2 years ago.

Not necessarily correct, I think there is far too much “mysticism” attached to the OEM plugs; we have used every imaginable brand or type of plug on the market, and provided you select the correct heat range and a quality type and brand, all seem to work reasonably well. One of our current favorites is the Denso Iridium’s, which seem to do an excellent job, particularly in vehicles that see more than their share of abuse.

Not really, I our world fuel pumps are a lot like light bulbs, they either work or they don't. We just watch for common factors on the vehicles we need to change them out on to see if there is any pattern to the whys and whens of how they crap out. And constant low fuel levels are a 'repeat offender".

“Contradiction in terms” department, Optima is not considered a "dry cell" (such as the Odyssey battery); the Optima is an AGM design battery with more capacity than the standard flooded cell design. The Optima is not an issue here unless it load tested poorly.............

I researched this a little while back.

The info I received stated that the pump in the tank which had low fuel would be shutoff to prevent such cavitation.

It was unclear if this was a function of the fuel level sensor noting the applicable half of the saddle tank being low or in combination with a sensor monitoring the attitude of the vehicle if it was banked to the left or right whilst offroading over a hill etc.

When the car is in motion, and the fuel level state is very low (< 1/4 tank), the fuel can slosh about rather quickly as the car corners and crests hills or simple rises in the road. At these moments, the pump goes into cavitation before the fuel level sensor even moves, and then recovers just as quickly. If it didn't the driver would notice a loss of power due to fuel starvation. But the result is the pump over-runs, gets hot, and wears internally. Eventually this repeated behavior catches up with it and it dies prematurely.

Pretty much all of them, some are worse than others, depending upon how the pump sits, the shape of the tanks, and pump locations, etc. (note the service advisor's comments in Steve's post). Running the tanks low on fuel most of the time is problematic particularly in vehicles with multiple tanks (one will always run low before the other) or strangely shaped tanks (like the four wheel drive 996 cars to get around the driveline), but also in the more normal shaped single tank cars (Boxster or 911 type). Customer's that run the car's low on fuel frequently have more pump problems than those that don't due to the pump getting too hot from lack of cooling and cavitation. And this is not just a Porsche issue, we see it on other makes as well; it is simply an unpleasant fact with "in-the-tank" fuel pumps.

The problem is that these pumps are cooled by fuel around them; run the fuel level very low all the time, the pump overheats and its life is shortened. While this is common to a lot of the newer cars, because of the way the pump sits in the Porsche, it is a bit more of an issue. And, no, I have never seen anything from Porsche about this.

Thanks so out it comes, but I do run a dry cell battery.

That could be the issue, because of their lower capacity, they are often the culprit.

Yes, I got lazzzy and do have a trickle charger which it has been on since I got back this morning and now that the car is cool I went to start it to check and it jumped up to 14V again? I was going to check voltage at the battery but multimeter digits started acting up and could not read....go figure. Maybe brushes not seating properly not driving enough etc anybody's guess at this point.

You might want to load test the battery as well, just to be on the safe side.

But that dielectric grease shown, doesn't say high-temp. Shouldn't it?

No, it is just a lubricant to get the tube inserted without damaging the orings; after that is just along for the ride........

It could be, but you should realize that all late model Porsches have a 40-60mA parasitic draw on the battery when the engine is not running; this current keeps everything from the correct time on the clock to the radio station presets going. This is why they have the car set up to plug a battery maintainer into the lighter socket. This drain is infamous for killing the battery if the car is left sitting for more than a few days.

It’s a good idea to have the alternator checked out, but if it comes back OK, could be time to invest in a good maintainer………

Porsche does not sell one (they only sell complete alternators), but as most of the components in these units are common to VW, Merc., Audi, and even some Fords, I'd suggest making some calls. I'd start with VW, as they tend to be the cheapest. You may want to also try some alternator/starter shops in your area .

Just out of curiosity, why do you feel you need a new bridge?

The computer’s internal EPA “I/M Readiness Test” mandates that the car must run through several full driving cycles (cold start, warm to full temp, drive at highway speeds, cool down to cold) before any critical emissions sensors will be ready to pass the test. This is done specifically to prevent disconnecting the battery just before going for an emissions test. How many cycles vary with manufacturer and model year, some can go over 100 or more miles.

Oh where some minds will wander................................ :eek:

Dielectric grease is what the Porsche OEM (and severely overpriced) lubricant is, it is a type of silicone lubricant which seems to allow the tubes to seat a bit easier. We have used dielectric grease we get in toothpaste-like tubes from our local NAPA supplier for years in the shop; works fine, never had any issues. A 3 Oz tube costs a couple of bucks, lasts just about forever, and has many other uses............