So far, people who had problems with the ignition switch were having difficulties with headlights, unable to select a/c etc. But , of course, it can be a possibility.

 

I went back and reread your posts from the first one. If I was in your shoes I probably never leave home without a voltmeter. As soon you are unable to start the car take the the voltmeter and read the battery voltage. If it is over 12 volts , YES, it can be the ignition switch. I also saw Joe mentioning about a ground wire. Especially the one on the engine to the chassis (right front side of the engine near turbo) is very important and of course the starter connection should also be checked.

 

Update, I had a bit of time today. Car was fine last time I drove it. So it was sitting parked , with a tender hooked up. Went to take it out this morning and guess what? Yup dead! No lights, wouldn't do anything when I turned it over.

So I pop the front , I Checked the ground to the battery , tight as a drum. Checked the connections to the battery ,also tight ,not moving.nothing corroded.

So I take the battery out looked around, couldn't see anything wrong . I put the battery back in tighten everything back up, it started right up!

Go figure! At this point must be something to with the front. But have no idea what it could be.

Took it out for a drive ,volt meter read just a hair bellow 14v I loaded it up with ac , lights and at idle it was a bit over 13.3 .. So that stuff seems ok.

So any ideas what it can be , are appreciated.

 

anyone?

 

Hmmmm - I give up

Somebody?

 

LOL i know right ? weird stuff....ugh

 

at this point if you have not tried another battery i would try one.

 

yup had a sapre one , that i bought before ..had swapped it for the one now thinking it was a battery issue , but it wasnt .

 

you have a tricky one. i have a tip electrical problem chasing also ... i think its electrical... how about the ground wire from the car to the engine. i was just under there last night putting the trans back together. its on the underside back pasenger side.

 

i checked the ground in the front , by the battery and the one in the back in the engine bay. they are good.

the issue has to be in the front somwhere, im nto sure if theres a bad battery cable ? or whatever else that there is in the front...

a while back it did it to me at my shop, i managed to pop the front and just moved stuff around and then i saw the lights come one and it turned right over... thats what also made me take that battery out and put it back it and bam started right up like a champ.
so the issue i think is the front .

i thought it was a fluke or whatever, but should of thought of that when posting the thread...

 

next time it wont start, check the voltage from the +batt terminal and ground to the car, not the -batt. If theres a bad or loose connection somewhere, you wont get a good reading. Try the same at the rear where the + is located (under red flap). Also, remove the batt terminals and using an extension wire, check continuity from front to rear connections. you should have very little loss between points. I didnt read the whole thread, so I dont know if you already tried this, but checking continuity has saved me on other non car projects. good luck

 

will do that next time

 

I agree with 03 996tt. I would also check voltage at the alternator to see if you are getting juice. The 997's had some issues with a bad positive cable from the battery to the alternator - you may want to search the 997tt forum for info.

 

Doesn't sound like a battery or an alternator issue to me based on what's been posted. Electrical issues are pain to diagnose. Unfortunately, when all the obvious things check out good, it's time to hit the wiring diagram and start doing continuity/voltage checks... Ignition switch seems to be a common failure on these cars. I would probably check that next myself. Good luck!

 

Try this...take both of the bulbs out of the lights in the trunk and the engine compartment and let it sit overnight. See if that helps.

I found out the light in my engine compartment was staying on the whole time and could never notice it during the day, and even at night. I was inspecting something on the rear wing and this is when I noticed it. Also, the front light will stay on until the hood is actually latched. So, there is no way of telling whether it a actually shutting off or not. The micro switches that control the lights could possibly be the culprit.

Give it a shot, it is free.