Ya know - looking at it - it's not 100% certain it IS a connector. Your initial impression was it was a sensor..

I believe there is a temperature sensor for the electrical box (would have to run up my ICarScan - but I seem to recall seeing where temperature was readable..) - wonder if this might be it. In that case - it might just snap into the hole - and there may be nothing behind the hole.

A dental mirror is really handy for this kind of thing (looking at stuff where you can't get a line of sight..)

Can you take a closeup of the whatchamacallit? What might be the "working" end if it is a sensor?

 

I guess so as well. I will be home in couple of hours. I will use the dental mirror to capture some pictures and post them here.... I am certain there is nothing in the hole the sensor aka connector connects to.

 

I wiggled the plastic without taking the distributor off... there is nothing inside where this connector go... I don't have this box circled in red in my car...


This picture is under power distributor removal in the workshop manual...

 

Off topic but how are you getting the battery programmed afterwards? I'm currently working with a Indy and my p dealer on getting my battery replaced and both stated the gateway control module has to be coded after replacing the battery.

 

I'm not. I tried 3 different Porsche programming modules - none could successfully code the battery to the Gateway. So - I asked the local Porsche dealer's service manager. He said "What for? We don't.." Not certain that was the last word - I called another dealer who I've used in the past - and asked their service manager (who I was friendly with) - he went in the back to talk to the mechanic's, who told him they don't do that.

I've been monitoring the charge on the battery - by putting a line up on the multi-instrument display for Voltage. It's charging just fine. And I suspect coding the Gateway would have no effect since there is another little catch Porsche threw at the system.

I noticed charge voltage of around 13.5-13.7V when driving around. I then pushed the sport button and the voltage immediately went up 1V - to 14.5-14.7V. Thinking this was just RPM related I went back to "normal" (economy?) mode - voltage dropped. Shifted down 2 gears to get the RPM back up - the voltage did not come up.

So I tried the reverse. Put it into Sport mode - 14.5V. Shifted up into 8th gear - it remained 14.5V at around 1,800RPM.

Thinking about it - I figured out what Porsche was doing. They were pushing the corporate fuel economy numbers by backing off charging voltage (and current and load on the engine) when in "normal" mode, since that's where the MPG is tested.

Fuel economy numbers are not tested in "Sport" mode - so they allow the alternator to put out a full charge, not caring about the effect on MPG.

So - given all that - any adjustments to the charge parameters made by registering a new battery will be nebulous compared to the other dicking around with charge parameters Porsche did for "Corporate Average Fuel Economy" (AKA CAFE) standards. Bad CAFE numbers cost them money in gas-guzzler taxes.

Basically - you can forgeddaboutit.. Both of the people telling you it needs coding are lying to you. They want your money. For doing absolutely nothing.

BTW - the gateway DOES register when you install a new battery - all by itself. I can read the date I installed one using ICarScan (which reads a lot of things Durametric doesn't.)

Like I said in the other thread - I'm not rich enough to let someone rob me of $800 for something that should cost around $50 (labor to install the battery.) - nor will I let them charge me $300-400 for a battery that can be bought at multiple sources every day of the week for $200.

 

Sounds like you know and have more tools/devices than I do. My previous SA that is now the service manager at another dealer is working with my current SA to get everything covered if possible. He got wind of what happened and is trying to pull some strings if it is at possible.

If it doesn't work out I'll try to swap the battery myself and not program anything as you stated and see if any errors pop up. My precious SA ran the part number for Porsche battery and said the same battery branded by VW is a third of the cost...

 

The same battery is available at Batterys+ and lots of other places - around $200. It's not a rare battery - Mercedes uses it in a few models.

 

Don,
Here are some pictures. I am not sure if I am missing something. I have never removed the power distributor in the past.. there is nothing inside the hole for the connector to plug in..
I am having hard time believing this is normal....

 

That looks REALLY odd. The blobs look like blobs of solder. They certainly don't look like anything a manufacturer would do. There is one possibility I can think of.

Lots of cars now use an explosive link to disconnect the battery power from the vehicle if the airbags are triggered. See the blue wire disappearing under that section? Wonder if that is the trigger wire. Most of the ones I've seen are on the clamp that connects the positive lead to the battery. They are a once-used-replace sort of thing. This almost looks like that's what this is - and it blew at some time - and someone soldered it back together. If the explosive part lived in the piece you're obviously missing - that might explain why it's not there.

As you noted - this certainly doesn't seem normal.

I'll have to look at the wiring diagrams in more detail tomorrow.

 

I agree with your assessment. Yes, the car was in an accident and the driver's airgbag got triggered. I guess I need to get a new distribution box. It was in the shop for few days.. not sure if they did the soldering.
This is how it should look like... got this pic off of one of ebay listings

 

It looks like something a body shop might have done.. and yeah, guess you need a new one (at least the explosive link..) Obviously someone was in there since the rest of the part isn't there anymore (the plastic surrounding it and the plastic covering.

 

Tracked it down - "pyrotechnic battery" - which is the explosive disconnect.

If you go to the wiring diagrams - look for "Supplemental Restraints"

"Fig 2: Supplemental Restraints Circuit (2 of 3)" - upper left corner. Wire colors are the same and it's located in the "Main Fuse Box" - which is this distribution center.

The wires go off to the next diagram as number 13 and number 14.

Go to the next diagram:
"Fig 3: Supplemental Restraints Circuit (3 of 3)"

And take a look where wires 13 & 14 hook up to the air-bag controller:
Terminals 74 & 75 "Pryrotechnical Batt" + and -

Makes one wonder what else was bodged by the body shop. Since the drivers side airbag went off - I'd be suspicious of the seat-belt tensioner - that's also explosive (ie - pyrotechnical) - and one-time use. If that wasn't replaced in an accident the seat belt won't automatically tighten up, which is a bad thing.

 

If you look at the repair instructions, under "Restraints" - and go down to "Front Three-Point Belt" - you'll see a writeup on R&R of the pre-tensioner, and warnings about it.. mostly to keep it from firing while R&R'ing it.

I would NOT suggest trying to test it using a voltmeter. That would apply voltage to the pyrotechnic charge and possibly could fire it off if it is OK. If you have the work order for the repairs that were done, I'd be looking at the parts list of replaced parts. If you don't see a rather healthy charge for the seat belt assembly I'd be very suspicious of it.

As far as I know - there is no way for the airbag control unit to test if it's been fired or not - same problem - the test would tend to fire it off (continuity or resistance test.) So probably no SRS fault codes would show even if it's been discharged.

 

Don,
Thank you for all the invaluable information. The driver's side belt tensioner is not working in my car and I have already ordered the replacement. The shop where the car was getting repaired is closed and I had to bring the car home to finish the repairs. The shop owner has disappeared right after that and we have filed a police complaint.

 

No problem. I love puzzles..

With workmanship like that - not a surprise the shop closed down. Funny thing about auto-body shops.. some are great at body work and paint and totally ignorant about everything else that needs fixing after an accident. With all the supplemental restraints in cars now that can be a rather long list, and just as costly as the body damage costs.

If you made an insurance claim on the accident - most companies will consider including these sort of expenses in the repair - so it might be worth contacting them. It would probably end up being a supplemental claim for "undisclosed/additional damages" (things found only after the repair was started..)