Before my extended warranty runs out I'd like to make sure the alternator cable is not one of the faulty ones.
Was there a TSB on the matter? I have searched but can't find one. If there is one, does anyone know the number? Thanks.

 

I don't believe there was a TSB for that problem. If you simply tell your SA that your car really cranks slow when warm and have them check the resistance.

Refer to the following:
http://rennsportkc.com/porsche-997-a...t-kansas-city/

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...w-voltage.html

 

Thanks AP

 

Trickle charger makes this a non issue and prolongs battery life. I would think though that if you had this problem you'd know by now.

 

It's not a battery problem but a voltage drop across the cable due to wire size and/or terminations.

 

As long as I keep battery on charger a couple days a week I do not have the problem. State of charge seems to be a factor in my experience. This is not a solution of course.

 

I always have the Battery Tender on. What's weird is that after I drive the car it takes a while for the Tender to go green. Could take hours, you'd think after a long drive a 1 year old battery would not need more charging.
If I put a voltmeter in the cig outlet while driving the car at first it registers 14+ charge but after it gets hot the charging drops to 13.3-13.6. If there's an issue I want to get it resolved before my EW runs out.

 

I had a bad cable replaced. The trickle charger helped with the cold start but not the hot start. The cable loses conductivity as it heats because it runs near the engine and transmission. So, the voltage from the battery cannot get to the starter motor to start the engine after it is hot. I got stranded at a gas station for quite a while because I couldn't get voltage to the starter. Jumping didn't help. I had to wait for the wire to cool.

So, sluggish starting after driving is the tale-tale symptom of a bad alternator/starter cable. It's not the battery as so many are talked into replacing by misinformed service advisors.

 

Precisely the problem. I replaced my cable on my recently sold 2005 997 a couple of years ago and the problem was solved. Trickle charging the battery has little, if any, effect on a faulty (high resistance wire/connection) starter/alternator cable.

Forget the 'Battery Tender' and bite the bullet and get the cable replaced w/ the latest version. If you're still under warranty or CPO PCNA should replace it at no charge.

Please . . . . . no more suggestions to charge the battery!

 

Good to know about this, going by the thread title it seems this is not an issue with 07s and up? Can anybody confirm that?

 

I've seen a detailed how to replace the cable here on 6speed.

 

I believe they beefed up the cable for 06, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Mine is an 06 C4S cab and needed the cable replacement. My dealer charged the aftermarket warranty company about $1200 for the job. I've heard of quotes as high as $1900. The part is only a couple hundred, but there's lots of labor. The wire snakes through many tight spots.

 

Excuse me. Let me be clear here. I own an 06 S and am on my second battery. From the outset of ownership my experience has been that without the trickle charge I get hot start/slow crank issue. With it I do not. Make what you like of that but you being argumentative changes nothing. I understand the nature of the problem. This has worked for me as I am reporting. Sorry if you find that a problem.

 

I've had slow crank issues as well, to the point of getting a dead battery and I've been stranded several times while parked away from home. The battery was less than a year old at the time, although it was some OEM brand the previous owner put in. I took my 911 into my dealer under CPO warranty and they replaced the alternator cable at no charge, thinking they solved the problem. My car is a 2005 C2S.

Something the dealer service rep told me was very interesting: the alternator does not always charge the battery while driving. I was told this is for performance reasons. So my Porsche 997 seems to be really hard on batteries, especially with stop-park-start again type driving around town, and the battery really wears down.

Now with a new alternator cable and also a new Interstate battery I still sense some slower cranking after a bunch of driving-parking-driving again around town. I don't notice the slower crank speeds at all if I've had the trickle charger on the night before, which tells me the battery isn't getting fully charged on some of my drives. I do like to take fast runs around some cloverleafs and really work the engine, but it's not always possible everyday. What do other people experience when doing a lot of city driving?

These experiences worry me a little bit and make me wonder if it's a good idea to even charge my smartphone and run a radar detector at the same time around town, further killing the battery if the alternator isn't charging it constantly. These electrical experiences are the only thing I don't like about my 911... not fun to get stranded and have to call for a boost. Twice.

Kelly