Car is 2007 C2S Cab - Manual with 67k miles

Regular Maintenance (oil change, brake, bleeding, etc) done as well as new Sparks, WP, Belt and 3rd Radiator

Started getting slow cranks in 2015 Spring.. got worse gradually.
Lately, once the car shuts off after a drive (short or long) It will not restart unless some time passes (20-30 mins?)


After some research, the main culprit seem to be 1) battery 2) cable and/or 3) starter.
I have read numerous thread where different solutions (i.e. 1,2,or 3) solved the slow crank problem.


Called an Indy and P-dealer to get a price quote to replace the cable and the starter.


But obviously, a battery replacement is the simplest and most economical solution, so I started with that.
Purchased a EverStart Maxx H7 from Walmart based on recommendations


http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-...ttery/20531542


and Voila, all the slow crank issue disappeared.


However, I read that this solution may be a bandage.. some reported the slow crank will return after 6 months.


If it does, the culprit would most likely be the thinner cable from the alternator.. and would need to be replaced with the newer thicker cable.


And if it comes down to that, I would replace the 8-year-old starter as well (and prob replace the AOS as a preventive maintenance)


Since I don't drive my car daily, I purchased a Ctek 3300 with cigarette adaptor (once again, based on rec) to trickle charge my battery to full capacity.



I am hoping that this will prevent the 'slow-crank' six months from now.


I will update this thread as new info comes up

 

replacing battery alone is not going to help. I have the exact same problem not long ago. I replaced it with a new battery & it does the same thing. Dealer replaced the starter/alt cable with the 997.2 cable. Good as new now. common issue with the 997.1

 

Went through the same steps, replaced battery, lasted for a bit, got the Porsche trickle charger, but that only kept the battery charged, after the engine heats up problem comes back, ended up having to replace the cable and that did it, recommend you just bite the bullet and get it done!

 

I hear u guys.
Most likely will have to replace the cable later.
But will go thru the steps anyhow.
Not about the money. Just want to pinpoint the problem, if possible.

Drove to Vegas over the weekend and had the chance to put the new battery to test.
Drove long and hard. Drove short sprints.
Long drives. Short drives. Multiple starts.
Was looking at some properties so had many opportunities to crank the starter.

Started like a champ every time.

So obviously, a new and fully charged battery does provide a solution. How long it lasts remains to be seen.

Hooked the car up to the ctek when I got home, and noticed this morning that the battery was fully charged.

 

Battery didn't help me. Mechanic pulled it apart and the cable looked fine so narrowed it down to the starter. I decided to replace both since it was apart and now it turns over like a machine gun firing

 

sometimes the starter itself does fail and will have to be replaced =)


curious:
did ur slow crank get progressive worse in time?
or did u have a sudden problem starting?
Also, were u still able to jump start the car ?


Please share ur symptoms so we can better understand the issues/solutions. Thx !

 

I have had the car for a little over a year and it always cranked slow. I replaced the battery but it made no difference. I noticed that it was harder to start after the engine got warm to the point that I didn't think it would start after I stopped for gas, etc... It would barely turn over.
Because the symptoms were heat related I assumed it was the cable, but it turned out to be the starter itself. I was always able to start it so no need to jump.

 

k thx for sharing


I gotten to the point where the slow crank would not start the engine.. and few continuous attempts would drain the battery to a point of no crank at all.
I would not even turn off the car when putting the gas in. lol


Its not so easy to accept that the starter is the culprit for me since with proper juice (new battery or with jumper cable) I can start my car easily...


The only reason I am planning to change the starter (if problem persists) is because I will be in there replacing the cable anyways. It will be a preventative measure (I read that continuous slow-crank I was experiencing will damage the starter in the long run)


Its unfortunate that u changed both the cable and the starter... now we won't know for sure if it was the cable (which looked fine, I understand) or the starter itself. =)


also others have reported that replacing the battery got rid of the problem, albeit for short period.. so little surprised that a new battery didn't give u even a temporary relief.

 

i am going to try to get my aftermarket warranty to cover this

 

With a little mirror, flashlight and a little finagling, you can sometimes visually see the starter cable melted behind the alternator. You can also try and measure the Voltage at the alternator with a DMM, but make sure not to contact anything metal! haha

 

I started a thread asking this question, but no replies yet. Were all 997.1s affected by this thin alternator cable? Did it affect both manual and tiptronics?

 

Mine is an '07 manual & it melts the cable. Dealer replaced it with the 997.2 cable which is larger.

 

Does it affect all 997.1s? No.

Does it affect both manual and tips? Yes.

 

2005 997. Cable was the cause of my battery not being adequately charged while driving.. Note: I could Not see any problems with the crimp on the old cable!! Not burned or corroded etc. Therefore, you cannot visually diagnose the problem.. However, with a new cable, my slow crank / battery issues have gone away. BTW, because I was using a battery tender, I did not know that the battery was not being fully charged while driving!

 

curious to know how old the battery was at the time u replaced the cable..


and if u also changed the battery at the same time.


I can understand the battery not being charged while driving due to bad alternator cable... but that doesn't fully explain why the car actually does starts if u wait 20-30 mins (or some people think for the car to 'cool down')
Drained battery = drained battery, engine hot or cold, no?
perhaps someone can shed a technical light regarding this?


my battery was 6 years old before I changed it. and prob 4-5 years old before signs of slow crank. My car is not a daily driver.


I know its not my starter that's the problem, because it cranks strong & immediately at this time.
And I am currently not convinced my cable is the root of the problem.


my car is still constantly starting with zero issues after battery replacement and hooking up to a battery tender.