came to start the car in the morning. when i got in, all lights turned on, in the dash area... lights inside were working as well. usually as i turn the key halfway i see the bat level go up to the 12ish level. it didnt this time.
as i depressed the clutch pedal and turned key all the way the car didnt start.
it made the starter clicking noise a few times..

obviosly its a battery issue...

i got some cables, boosted the car, checked the level of the batt while the car ws being boosted from another car, and it was 14v (normal).
however as i tried cranking the car, someone else reading the volmeter told me the battery dipped to 5v as i was attempting to start her.

the car just clicks but doesnt start. this is while its being boosted..
i dont know what to make of this. even if the battery is soo shot wouldnt it start from another persons battery which is healthy?

1 more piece of info. i noticed my rear fan (that cools the engine) working after i boosted the car. why would this happen. perhaps this is why i have no battery power.


any help would be appreciated.
thanks alot!

 

Not sure I understand...boosted or jumped? What type of battery and how old is it? If your battery is dead or too low the car won't start period. Apparently the battery has enough juice to run some of the accessories, but not enough to start it. I'd replace the battery...with something other than OEM.

 

wross. it was jumped. as in cables from another car running.
the battery is not oem. it clearly has enough power to run the accessories which is really wierd. just to rule out bad battery i disconnected negative to my battery and ran the jumped wire directly to negative of the car.. still nothing.

im thinking bad starter.. what are the symptoms for that?
thansk.

 

it sounds like a battery.....I am pretty sure that if you use booster cables you are suppose to attach a cable to the terminal located in the kick panel near your drivers side left foot....have a look and you'll see what I mean...

 

Did you have anything plugged into the lighter socket? My battery died because I left the Valentine 1 plugged in and didn't get to drive the car for 2 weeks. Anyway, I tried to jump it with my wife's car (left it running for 10 minutes) and didn't get anywhere. Same symptoms you describe. Cabin lights on, the dash flashes like a ride at Coney Island and the radio plays, but when I cranked it, all I got was tick, tick, tick.
Sounds like something is drawing current.
Anyway, I pulled out the battery, took it to Sears and had them charge it up. It's been fine since then.
Bottom line, if you drain the battery DEAD, then it won't start, even with a jump. You need to either buy a charger or go get it charged.

 

That's only if you're trying to pop the hood. You attach the positive lead to that post and the negative to the door jam post. That's not for jumping the battery.

 

I agree sounds like a battery, I would not jump the vehicle with another I would trickle charge the battery or load test it and if it has a dead cell replace it all together. If you are in an emergency you can get the car running by jumping at the battery and at the post in the engine bay at the same time but the alternator is not designed to charge a battery from a dead state of charge and could cause premature failure. The connections in the kick panel are for opening the front or rear deck lid when the battery is dead only and should not be used as a connection to jump the battery, you can even see on the red tab for the positive connection there is a picture that shows a vehicle with the hood open.

 

These cars are brutal to jump when they are dead. Triple A had to attach two chargers to my car to get it going when it died - one to the battery and one to the jump points on the engine. You have a dead battery. 4 years is about it for a Porsche battery....Go to Autozone. They have a matching fit replacement - about $120. Bring to the old battery along to make sure it is an exact fit...

 

yeah, you're absolutely right I'm glad I double checked.....I looked in the owners manual and it said the terminal for boosting is to the left of the oil filter clearly labeled with a " + " and the grounding point is the bolt right below the airbox......

 

ok...so you guys think its battery. not the starter...

i guess ill take the battery to sears and get it recharged just to see if it cranks...

whats the best oem replacement (non lightweight) that fits perfect?

 

If the battery is dead....recharging will not work in the long-term (at best a short-term solution). I have the Interstate MTP-93 With their maintainer. Fits perfect, more CCAs and has worked like a charm.

 

I guess the question is, what caused the battery to be dead?
How old is the battery? Did you have anything plugged into the lighter sockets? Have you installed any accessories, electronics, stereo equip lately? Is the alternator going? How long did the car sit since the last time you drove it?
If the battery is relatively fresh (a year or 2 old), my guess is that something was drawing current for it to drain that low (below the point that a jump would help).
Also, FYI, once a battery has deep cycled like that, it tends to shorten its life expectancy.

Good luck.

 

well i have the oem battery right now (used for 2 years... and then put aside) its being charged at autozone.
the battery that died is an optima battery that is somewhat lightweight...
i have a good soundsystem wired to it.. aside for that i dont know what caused it to die.. these have been the first cold days of the season.. i tried cranking it when it was probably high 40's which really isnt that cold...

i noticed as i was jumping the car, the fuel pump in the back was making noise, and the fan was working too. when i stopped charging/jumping the battery it stopped...

aside for that i have no idea why battery is dead. reason why im charging oem battery right now is since if i have to buy a battery i rather do it online since autozone has wierd batteries ive never heard of and sears has only diehard... ill just test the oem charged battery to rule out starter issues (which i hope are not the case...).

with regards to alternator it was changed out last year since it gave out and left me stranded.. so that shouldnt be the issue.. and if it was the car would crank but die out shortly thereafter.

 

The problem with the jumper cables is this.........your battery is soo low that you are demanding more current (ampreage) from the other vehicle and at this point those cheesy jumper caples are not capable of pulling enough current through them. They look heavy duty but cut away the isulation and you will see what I mean. You want a pair of jumper cables that will work every time on any application????? Make a pair out of true 4 gauge power wire and you will never be stranded again....period. As for a battery choice you should consider an Optima Yellow Top especially with an audio system.

 

turbo electro you make alot of sense. the cables were very flimsy...and felt damn hot after my attempts to jump the car.

anyway purchased a die hard battery from sears.. 52lbs vs my 30ish lb optima, but who cares i dont want to get stranded no more.
car started right up with no issues. im happy i didnt get it towed since i thought it was a "starter issue".
thanks for the help guys.