Menu toggle

Can't wake my 987.1

cobnut

New member
Hi folks, I know this is a reasonably common problem, but none of the solutions I've read online seem to work.

My 987.1 has been sat outside for about 14 days without starting. This morning I went to start her and the keyfob does nothing - not even opening the boot/front. Unlocked manually (which seemed to only half work as the door didn't shut properly), put the key in straight away and the only lights I get are the airbag warning. No turnover, nothing. I'm pretty sure it's not a flat battery, I've never had any signs of problems there before and the last run before parking was a decent one ~50+ miles.

I did have her go to sleep once before but I can't remember how I woke her. From memory I just sat there fiddling for about 10 minutes and suddenly she came to life. I didn't have time to do that this morning (we took the missus' VW Up! instead, shudder) so I'll be doing some fiddling in the morning.


Any specific advice welcome. I understand there's supposed to be a sequence of key turning, etc. but I did try this several times with no joy.

Jon
 
Hi,
I put the key in the door, unlock, remove key, dont open the door, use the key to blip the immobiliser on. It should reset, then u blip it again to open.
Usually works on my 986.
Good Luck

 
Flat battery for sure. When the car goes to sleep I recall unlocking and then locking with the key then unlocking with the remote

Worst case when you get power to might find things like heated seats etc don’t work and have to be recoded by OPC. Hope not!
 
Thanks Sue, no dice I'm afraid, and now not only are there no signs of life at all on the dash, the key is also stuck in the ignition. Looking more like a dead battery...

So, first I've got to get the bonnet open...

J
 
If the cigar lighter is normally always live, you could charge through there. The cigar lighter is always live on my 986 but I do not know about 987.1.
 
Jon,
Key stuck in the ignition usually means flat battery.
You need to open the fuse box cover in the drivers side footwell and pull out the fitting to allow connection of jump lead or battery charger (positive).
Negative (earth) connected to body work (I use static part of door latch on B-post).
Car will then respond to allow access to front compartment, removal of key from ignition etc.
Hope this helps.
Alastair
 
Why not get the AA out to get the bonnet open then you can replace the battery.
You.might want to think about a Trickle charger on the new battery.
Hope you get it sorted.[:D]
 
alastairp said:
Jon,
Key stuck in the ignition usually means flat battery.
You need to open the fuse box cover in the drivers side footwell and pull out the fitting to allow connection of jump lead or battery charger (positive).
Negative (earth) connected to body work (I use static part of door latch on B-post).
Car will then respond to allow access to front compartment, removal of key from ignition etc.
Hope this helps.
Alastair


as above I had the same issue after forgetting to set my trickle charger ..long story .... my key was also stuck in lock there is a tool in the fuse board compartment where you slot in to the side of the ignition ..it show this in the manual ..once I extracted the key ..did the above procedure as Alastair said ...i used a set of jump leads from neighbor's car to connect to the post in fuse board ,pressed the open trunk on the key fob ...not the open on the sill that does not work .you then should be able to get to battery ,mine came to life after 36hrs fully charged 13.7 You will get all sorts of lights and pasm showing drive it about 50 yds all disappeared .hope you get it sorted .
 
Hi all, thanks for the comments and kind hopes! Key out of the lock, I used the small "door" on the barrel and a poking device to release it - a useful thing to know! Tried the battery charger on the fusebox process but it didn't work. However, I'm not certain my battery charger is actually working (it's probably been 10 years since I used it!) and there are no lights/indicators to give any clues. Multimeter across the clips showed no volts, but I'm not sure if that's because it's not detecting a high enough load to kick in.

Out of interest, does a standard battery charger usually work on the fusebox? Some these days are too smart for their own good and won't deliver power unless they can detect an appropriate load.

The whole situation is complicated by the car being parked on a busy road (with the drivers' door in traffic, of course) and it p*ssing with rain. Going to try the battery charger again, if that doesn't work I might steal the battery from my missus' VW Up! to open the bonnet, then see if the charger works on the battery itself. If all else fails I will have to call the breakdown service (glad I opted for home start), but since I've nowhere I need to be (or am allowed to be!) right now there's no harm in learning how to fix it myself for now.

Thanks again all.

J
 
instead of taking the battery out of the UP why not use a set of jump leads to feed the power to the emergency locator tab in the fuse board and use the door post as earth .glad the key came out ignition one less issue .re the battery charger on the fuse board mine did not work .

 
I'd love to use the jump leads, but there's nowhere to safely get the Up! next to the Porsche. She's parked on the roadside in a row of cars nose-to-tail, none of which have moved in the last two weeks 'cos of lockdown and the road is too narrow/busy to park alongside.

J
 
Jon,

If you’re not keen either on removing the Up! battery to get it within reach of the Porsche’s emergency connector mentioned above or getting a breakdown call-out you could always invest in a battery booster - which would always come in handy when the same thing happens again! [;)]


Jeff
 
Hi Jeff, yeah, we were considering going out to look for one, but it's not really an "essential" right now, plus I'm not actually sure what'd be a good one to get (any advice welcome!).

J
 
Sorry I can’t help with the choice of booster Jon, but as usual Google is your friend or you could ask the wider Membership via a new post. I wouldn’t think you’d need to spend a lot of money to do the job, and it’s a useful piece of kit to keep in the car(s).

Jeff
 
Yay, she lives! I went out on Friday and picked up a Noco boost charge/starter. It wasn't cheap but it seemed to be the make with the best reviews, etc. On Saturday morning I tried hooking it up to the fusebox, no dice. Even with the "override" button pushed it didn't seem to want to deliver any volts. So, last option, I took the battery out of the VW Up! (which was a pain), carried it across to the Porsche and hooked it up via jump leads. Ta da! It worked! So the bonnet was now open. Put the VW battery back before the missus noticed, hooked up the Noco booster and on first attempt, nothing. Had to use the override button again and as soon as this was pressed I heard her come to life with a variety of whirrs and clicks. Back in the seat, turned the key, started first time. Took her out for a drive and after 30 miles stopped for fuel (popping the bonnet before switching off the engine!) and she restarted as easily and quickly as she ever has.

So, key learning points:

#1 - The fusebox method does work, but only if you've got a "dumb" 12V supply with reasonable amps coming out of it. I don't know how many amps are reasonable but it seems the easiest option is a donor car battery (which is also what the manual recommends, of course). Make sure the red connector in the fusebox is fully extended - I'm not sure mine was on the first couple of tries. I suspect the Noco booster was far too smart to help here, so bear that in mind. It also seemed (for my 987.1) to only work from the key, i.e. the switch on the door sill didn't work, I had to use the remote.

#2 - If the key gets stuck in the ignition there's a little plastic insert that can be pried free in the key surround at about 2 'o' clock. It comes out fairly easily with a small screwdriver (then instantly falls onto the floor and under the seat). Inside there's a small hole you can push a pokey thing into to release the key. It takes a bit of pushing and you have to turn the key at the same time, but again, it does work.

#3 - Don't leave your Porsche unstarted for two weeks! The ideal solution would be to have a trickle charger but that's impossible for me given that she's parked on the road (or, as is right now actually across the road). For me the ideal would be one of those solar trickle chargers but I tried one a few months ago and it didn't work. I don't know if it was just sh*t or if the cigarette lighter socket in the Porsche won't allow that sort of input.

I have to say I'm dead impressed with the Noco. The idea that this thing, which I can hold easily in one hand, is able to spin up a 3.2l engine practically at the same speed it does from the onboard battery is absurd. Apparently, it can cope with engines up to 6 litres and is able to deliver 1500A (albeit I imagine for only a short time). It charged from near flat when bought to full in just 6 hours on a mobile phone USB charger and after starting the Porsche seemed to have dropped very little charge - it was full again after only 20 minutes charging. Apparently, it'll hold its charge for up to a year, so useful bit of kit to carry around, not only for yourself but for anyone else that's stranded, it's a lot easier than the normal battery to battery palaver.

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement here, I doubt I'd have done it without that.

Jon
 
Just to say, these types of thread are so very useful and great you have detailed and summarised the outcome, we can all gain from this, thank you!
I dread every time I come to churn my 987.2 over after any time more than 8 days, or when the plip fob fails to open the door, heart sinking time.
Having read this thread make you more prepared!
 

Posts made and opinions expressed are those of the individual forum members

Use of the Forum is subject to the Terms and Conditions

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the Club, who shall have no liability in respect of them or the accuracy of the content. The Club assumes no responsibility for any effects arising from errors or omissions.

Porsche Club Great Britain gives no warranties, guarantees or assurances and makes no representations or recommendations regarding any goods or services advertised on this site. It is the responsibility of visitors to satisfy themselves that goods and/or services supplied by any advertiser are bona fide and in no instance can the Porsche Club Great Britain be held responsible.

When responding to advertisements please ensure that you satisfy yourself of any applicable call charges on numbers not prefixed by usual "landline" STD Codes. Information can be obtained from the operator or the white pages. Before giving out ANY information regarding cars, or any other items for sale, please satisfy yourself that any potential purchaser is bona fide.

Directors of the Board of Porsche Club GB, Club Office Staff, Register Secretaries and Regional Organisers are often requested by Club members to provide information on matters connected with their cars and other matters referred to in the Club Rules. Such information, advice and assistance provided by such persons is given in good faith and is based on the personal experience and knowledge of the individual concerned.

Neither Porsche Club GB, nor any of the aforementioned, shall be under any liability in respect of any such information, advice or assistance given to members. Members are advised to consult qualified specialists for information, advice and assistance on matters connected with their cars at all times.

Back
Top