How to get to a flat battery

[Steve24]

Recently I was unfortunate enough to allow my Boxster S 986 (2000) battery to run completely flat. Usually there has been enough juice left in the battery to activate the solenoid which locks out the bonnet and boot catches but this time this solenoid remained locked preventing access to the battery to re-charge it. A trawl through various internet sites suggested a number of options:
a) charge the battery via the cigar lighter (didn't work - these early model 986s lighters are switched with the ignition)
b) Apply 12V supply to the little red pull-out contact in the fuse box (there wasn't one on my model year!)
c) Use a slim screwdriver to release the solenoid plate. This worked eventually once I tried to flick the plate in the opposite direction to the original post on Renntech (perhaps a LHD vs RHD issue?)

Anyway, since it cost me 3h and £20 to find out what didn't work I thought I'd re-post the revised (UK?) process for the benefit of anyone else facing this problem on an early 986.

1. Both trunk levers are cable operated. When the alarm is set, a solenoid latches the two trunk levers. If the battery dies while the alarm is set, it is necessary to open the door with the key. Opening the door with the key does not unlatch the trunk levers since there is no power to operate the solenoid.
2. To learn how to unlatch the trunk levers, examine under the front trunk lever by looking through the slot between the two trunk levers with a flashlight. Look for the tab on the underside of the front trunk lever. Directly below the tab is a small U shaped cutout. When the lever is pulled up, the tab drops into the small U shaped cutout. When the alarm is set, a small white plate slides over the small U shaped cutout from the outside of the car towards the centre of the car . This prevents you from pulling up the lever because the tab cannot pivot down into the small U shaped cutout.
3. To unlatch the front trunk lever, use a very thin shaft straight slot screwdriver (I used an Xcelite R3323 which has a very thin 3"shaft). Slide the screwdriver between the two trunk levers and insert it between the solenoid plate and inside rear edge of the U shaped cutout and slide the plate toward the outside of the car and pull up on the front trunk lever.

Hope it helps

 

[MillerIanF]

ORIGINAL: Steve24

Recently I was unfortunate enough to allow my Boxster S 986 (2000) battery to run completely flat. Usually there has been enough juice left in the battery to activate the solenoid which locks out the bonnet and boot catches but this time this solenoid remained locked preventing access to the battery to re-charge it. A trawl through various internet sites suggested a number of options:
a) charge the battery via the cigar lighter (didn't work - these early model 986s lighters are switched with the ignition)
b) Apply 12V supply to the little red pull-out contact in the fuse box (there wasn't one on my model year!)
c) Use a slim screwdriver to release the solenoid plate. This worked eventually once I tried to flick the plate in the opposite direction to the original post on Renntech (perhaps a LHD vs RHD issue?)

Anyway, since it cost me 3h and £20 to find out what didn't work I thought I'd re-post the revised (UK?) process for the benefit of anyone else facing this problem on an early 986.

1. Both trunk levers are cable operated. When the alarm is set, a solenoid latches the two trunk levers. If the battery dies while the alarm is set, it is necessary to open the door with the key. Opening the door with the key does not unlatch the trunk levers since there is no power to operate the solenoid.
2. To learn how to unlatch the trunk levers, examine under the front trunk lever by looking through the slot between the two trunk levers with a flashlight. Look for the tab on the underside of the front trunk lever. Directly below the tab is a small U shaped cutout. When the lever is pulled up, the tab drops into the small U shaped cutout. When the alarm is set, a small white plate slides over the small U shaped cutout from the outside of the car towards the centre of the car . This prevents you from pulling up the lever because the tab cannot pivot down into the small U shaped cutout.
3. To unlatch the front trunk lever, use a very thin shaft straight slot screwdriver (I used an Xcelite R3323 which has a very thin 3"shaft). Slide the screwdriver between the two trunk levers and insert it between the solenoid plate and inside rear edge of the U shaped cutout and slide the plate toward the outside of the car and pull up on the front trunk lever.

Hope it helps

That's useful info. Replacing the battery in most modern cars can interfere with the electronics and it seems very hard not to set off the alarm in a 986 which still sounds when the battery is disconnected.. I found a Bluepoint device that plugs into the OBD socket, which is always live, and maintains the electronics while the battery is changed. While I do not think a 2000 986 is OBD compliant it does have an OBD type socket, at least my 2000 986 does. I have never had to try the device in my 986 but have used it in my 987 and various other OBD compliant cars. I think if it fits the socket it should work.

 

[kitchens]

This may help in the future .
http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=20000&ar=3

Just to give you the heads up available from Thursday 15th January even if you have one at this price great for a spare .
Brian

 

[Lancerlot]

Not sure it's such a good idea to post this in an open forum. [8|]
Regards,
Clive

 

[Steve24]

@ Kitchens: Nice price - but the charger wasn't the problem - it was getting to the battery in order to charge it!! []

@ Lancerlot: I thought this was a private, members-only forum? Plus they have to get the door open to get to the catches and by the time they've slashed your hood up to get access, stealing your luggage from the front boot is the least of your worries!

 

[MillerIanF]

ORIGINAL: Steve24

@ Kitchens: Nice price - but the charger wasn't the problem - it was getting to the battery in order to charge it!! []

@ Lancerlot: I thought this was a private, members-only forum? Plus they have to get the door open to get to the catches and by the time they've slashed your hood up to get access, stealing your luggage from the front boot is the least of your worries!

Remember if you do disconnect the battery, to replace it, the alarm may go off, unless you have another power source. There is another battery somewhere in the car, it may have expired in a 2000 car. I remember the first battery change in mine, despite following instructions the alarm went off when the battery was disconnected. this was very noisy in a garage.

 

[Lancerlot]

ORIGINAL: Steve24

@ Lancerlot: I thought this was a private, members-only forum? Plus they have to get the door open to get to the catches and by the time they've slashed your hood up to get access, stealing your luggage from the front boot is the least of your worries!

It's an open forum. Some Registers do have a "Members Only" section, but Boxster Reg is not one of them. It's just something to bear in mind, that's all. If there's suddenly a rash of Boxster battery pilferages, we'll know who to blame! []
Regards,
Clive.

 

[BartyB]

ORIGINAL: MillerIanF

Remember if you do disconnect the battery, to replace it, the alarm may go off, unless you have another power source. There is another battery somewhere in the car, it may have expired in a 2000 car. I remember the first battery change in mine, despite following instructions the alarm went off when the battery was disconnected. this was very noisy in a garage.

Ian, Put your key in the ignition, turn it on so that all the lights are on (but don't start it), then disconnect the battery whilst it is still switched on. The alarm siren will not sound if you do this. If you disconnect without switching the ignition on, the security alarm will sound, as it will if the battery voltage drops to below 10.5V.

As this alarm is powered from its own separate back-up battery it will continue to sound for up to 20 minutes. If you're working under the hood with this going off, unless you're already deaf, you probably soon will be.

 

[MillerIanF]

ORIGINAL: BartyB

ORIGINAL: MillerIanF

Remember if you do disconnect the battery, to replace it, the alarm may go off, unless you have another power source. There is another battery somewhere in the car, it may have expired in a 2000 car. I remember the first battery change in mine, despite following instructions the alarm went off when the battery was disconnected. this was very noisy in a garage.

Ian, Put your key in the ignition, turn it on so that all the lights are on (but don't start it), then disconnect the battery whilst it is still switched on. The alarm siren will not sound if you do this. If you disconnect without switching the ignition on, the security alarm will sound, as it will if the battery voltage drops to below 10.5V.

As this alarm is powered from its own separate back-up battery it will continue to sound for up to 20 minutes. If you're working under the hood with this going off, unless you're already deaf, you probably soon will be.

Thanks, unfortunately at the time, for some reason, this did not work for me and I was nearly deafened. That's why I bought the gismo that plugs into the OBD socket which I now use when needed on my other cars.