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996 slow turnover when engine warm


m1dl1fe

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I have a problem starting my 996 manual when the engine is warm. I got back from a 2 week holiday and it started fine(although engine turnover was a little slow) Then a couple of days later after a few short runs the car wouldn't turn over at all. Meter said 12v on the dash. Roadside assist came out and jumped started me and tested the battery and alternator and said they were fine. I went for a bit of a drive and voltage went up to 13+ on the dash. Looking on line it seems like some people have had similar issues and it comes down to an alternator cable or maybe an earth problem. Has anyone here had this problem or heard of it please?

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Mine suffered those exact symptoms. Starts perfectly fine cold, however laboured to no crank when warm.

Like you, scoured the international forums for an answer and I ended up replacing both the starter motor and the cable from the starter to the jump point in the engine bay. To be honest, I strongly believe it was only the cable. Since you need to remove the throttle body and bits, I was not keen to remove them a second time. There is also no need to remove the alternator as mentioned in the other forums.

Good luck!

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Mine suffered those exact symptoms. Starts perfectly fine cold, however laboured to no crank when warm.

Like you, scoured the international forums for an answer and I ended up replacing both the starter motor and the cable from the starter to the jump point in the engine bay. To be honest, I strongly believe it was only the cable. Since you need to remove the throttle body and bits, I was not keen to remove them a second time. There is also no need to remove the alternator as mentioned in the other forums.

Good luck!

Thanks P-Kay - its refusing to start at all now when warm - sounds like a fairly common problem and hopefully not too expensive to fix

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It was approximately three years + when I did this and the starter was from eBay at approx $200 and the cable from one of the US suppliers at around $100, but that was before I realised the local guys (eg James at AutoHaus).

Surprisingly straight forward to work on, but if you are not mechanically inclined, then off to the independent you go :)

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In the interim to start when warm and it doesn't want to crank over give it some accelerator to help it along (only an interim suggestion though!) 

P-Kay what makes you think it was the cable and not the starter? I was always of the opinion that here we have much better weather that doesn't corrode cables as much?

Also which cable are you referring to as there are a few im assuming its 21/22?

 

Starter Cables.JPG

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Thanks guys - have it booked in at Hamiltons Friday so I'll let you know what the diagnosis is. Im now having trouble with the targa hatch not closing (not the glass sliding roof but the back window hatch - maybe connected to not having enough power. Anyway I was expecting a few teething troubles with an old car thats hardly been driven - it still makes me smile every time I look at it. Heres a pic

20160124_142553_zpste4vfq2k.jpg

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In the interim to start when warm and it doesn't want to crank over give it some accelerator to help it along (only an interim suggestion though!) 

P-Kay what makes you think it was the cable and not the starter? I was always of the opinion that here we have much better weather that doesn't corrode cables as much?

Also which cable are you referring to as there are a few im assuming its 21/22?

G'day Dan,

Yep 21/22.

To be perfectly honest, I was not sure and only wanted to pull things apart once, hence why I changed both. After a service at PCB, they mentioned they have replaced many cables as it was a common fault. Both on 996/997 - go figure?!

Mine was not corroded and I believe the cable looses the ability to transfer current through excessive heat (mine is a daily driver and at the time had travelled circa 150K)

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G'day Dan,

Yep 21/22.

To be perfectly honest, I was not sure and only wanted to pull things apart once, hence why I changed both. After a service at PCB, they mentioned they have replaced many cables as it was a common fault. Both on 996/997 - go figure?!

Mine was not corroded and I believe the cable looses the ability to transfer current through excessive heat (mine is a daily driver and at the time had travelled circa 150K)

Thanks for the reply, forgot to mention this is happening to me as well but the car starts fine when cold so im thinking this cable is the culprit.

I'm at the point where I can DIY replace the starter but the cable seems cheaper but much more labor intensive! Might poke around with my multi meter and look at the cable to see what the go is. Can you see the corrosion upon inspection whilst its in the car or does it need to be removed to check the condition?

Cheers!

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Well it turns out it was mainly a battery problem! Had the battery tested previously and was told it was ok so feel a bit of a goose. Anyway got the motor that closes the hatch cleaned and the cable crimped to reduce resistance. Back on the road now and running perfectly again. Happy days 

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Hey @dan_189, that is invaluable information.

Due to the electrical wizardry in these cars, once you leave them sit without long drives, or trickle charging, then it will drain the battery. This has happened to both myself and my brother in-law's 997. His went completely flat that he could not get the key out of the ignition!

I can only guess you have noticed that after a week you need to use the physical key versus the button? This is intentional to try and save the battery from drainage. I used my c-tek on mine, but due to the fact of my battery being tired it eventually gave up. A replacement has made the world of difference. If your battery is in an unknown state, then I would definitely start there (cheaper and easier) along with it is one less thing that could be wrong.

All the best

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My 2006 Cayman S does the same; really struggles to start once its warm.

I took it to PCM to get the AOS replaced as it was blowing a bit of smoke on start up and they diagnosed the warm start problem to that. It wasn't and the problem continues.

The overseas forums said it could be a temperature sensor on the front of the motor telling the ECU that the car is cold and thus mixing the fuel incorrectly.

Ill have to check the solutions in this thread. Thanks for the info.

Cheers, Eddie

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