cayenne battery
 

So

Wifes cayenne feels like its been sluggish at first start in morning.

Feels like its pulling hard to turn over.

Bring to local independent.

He tests battery and says its at 8.6 volts.

Says good idea to put in new battery. $300

Then says, by the way its likely that starter needs replacement also. $750

Does that make sense?

Did he put a load on the battery? Voltage doesn't really tell the whole picture. Could it be an alternator or grounding/cable issue? How old is the battery?

Updated Battery / Starter / Alternator Harness
Per Porsche's technical bulletin.

Issue: Battery discharged and/or will not charge properly. Voltage drop due to alternator-starter-battery harness damage at starter terminal. This issue is often mis-diagnosed as a bad battery, bad alternator, or bad starter, and these parts are often replaced in multiple repair attempts before the harness is determined to be the cause of the issue.

Before ordering or replacing other parts, have the car professionally inspected. Check the voltage drop between the alternator and battery. Bring the car to normal operating temperature. Turn on as many power consumers as possible (AC, headlights, radio, defroster, etc.). Use the same grounding point for the following voltage measurements:
- Measure the voltage at the "B+" terminal on the alternator.
- Measure the voltage at the battery positive terminal.

If there is a voltage drop of greater than 0.5 volts between the alternator and the battery, and all of the connection points are tight, check the harness terminal at starter. It is possible that the crimps on the starter terminal where the two cables are joined together incorrectly, causing an excessive voltage drop between the alternator and the battery. This voltage drop does not allow the battery to charge properly, and as a result, the battery will continually discharge until it will no longer start the vehicle. There may be no visible damage to the harness, and more measurements may be necessary to determine which cable or part of the cable is responsible for the voltage drop.Updated Battery / Starter / Alternator Harness:Suncoast Porsche Parts & Accessories

It is most likely just the battery. I had similar indications and replaced mine myself...pretty easy task as it is under the driver's seat...but if you don't want to do it, have the independent do it. Cost me about $200 for a battery at Autozone. Worked perfect for last 3 years.

Bulletin above is not for Cayenne.

Crap! My bad:)

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Sounds like an opportunistic mechanic. Do as Fint says, grab a battery at Autozone for a few hundred and DIY it. Porsches get really sluggish when cranking with a weak battery, and they sometimes develop weird gremlins as well.

Ha

I saw that same video on you tube.

He has some sort of machine that measures the battery under load and the starter.

Under load the battery drops to the 8.6

He says that he can't get a clear read on the starter because since the battery is low it throws of the amp reading that tells if the starter is working properly.

This car has been a gem.

I think a new battery will solve it.

It is probably 5 plus years old at least.

Im thinking he is pretty straight. He let me know that the front brakes are getting close to need replacement.

The brakes ill do. Easiest brake job ever. Fronts anyway.

Don't put it off either btw. For whatever reason, Porsche batteries like to go from passably marginal to DEAD, often overnight.

Roger that.

ill have the shop do the battery since its there.

To the OP, sounds like a load to me. Mechanic sees $$. My guess is that the battery needs to be replaced and the starter is fine. But I could be wrong.

Seems like these days, they all do that, except maybe for miatas. Most of the battery failures that I've had in the past 25 years have worked great, then maybe 1 or 2 slow starts, then completely dead. I think I've had 2 miata batteries in the past 10 years or so that gave me lots and lots of warning, but I'm guessing that may be because they are AGM batteries.

Why is the battery at Autozone $200? Last time I bought a battery, the top of the line stuff is maybe $90?

I start seeing Cayenne Turbos for $20k and less. Intriguing ...

G

My guess is under $200. Most of the vented batteries are around $150.

The price of lead is sky high. All batteries are expensive right now.

What a pain in the butt.

What happens if the battery is shorted or dead?

The last two batteries that died on my daily driver were fine one minute, and so dead the next even with a jumper cable on it it would not crank the starter. My radio would not even come on. I presume there is some workaround. It probable involves removing the seat entirely.

I can confirm this from experience!

What a weird place to put the battery!

I guess it keeps the center of gravity low.

IIRC, some running electronics won't work if given less than a 9.0V supply.

Basic stuff with a voltmeter:
Test disconnected(no radio/alarm/etc parasitic draw)
Test connected.
Pull the fuel pump fuse and test while cranking.
Start and test what the alternator is pushing at idle and 2500rpm.

More than 3-5 years old and it snows there? Replace.
I just replaced my Diehard mfted in 2006.

That and there is not a free inch anywhere else to put it. The turbocharged V8 literally fills the engine compartment.

Make sure you know your radio and Nav codes before disconnecting the battery....

These little issues aside, I still want a Cayenne Turbo.

The newer Porsches all have a fiber optic network, the codes are internal to the units and modules. Only a pain if you have to replace a radio, then you have to have your dealership code the radio to the module.

Really the battery placement is nothing crazy. How many cars have their batteries out in the open? I've had multiple cars with trunk mounted batteries, under seat mounted batteries, batteries hidden under crap under the hood, etc. Easy maintenance is a thing of the past.

You think the battery placement is weird? How about putting the starter under the intake manifold and below the plastic coolant pipes. :confused:

Every car I've ever owned...except for the Audi (it's in the trunk, and easy to remove).

Holy moly. I checked and prices doubled since the last time I bought a battery in 2013. I put an oddysey into the 993 a year or so ago but that was probably not dominated by the price of Pb.

G

No kidding. I'm still perplexed how the hell you get the battery out of my new escape. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...41ebb2d15a.jpg

It's under the black box next to the firewall behind the brake booster! I guess you disassemble the intake?

So....your battery is dead, and the first step is to move the electric seat controls in order to access same said battery??? Is there a manual override to move the seat?:confused:

We've gone through a battery every two years on our Cayenne. Porsche told me it's because the car largely sits unused. But when it's starting to go weird things start happening with the security module, and the dashboard display. It starts with the security module setting itself to "honk" when armed when I normally have it turned off.

On mine the seat just unbolts in the front and folds back...

There are jumper lugs under the hood ... which opens mechanically (for now ;)

Got it back,

Feels much better at start up.

Starter working fine.

H9 size battery should you ever need one.

I said about $200...just a WAG. The Cayenne uses a lot of juice and I would want a pretty good battery if it is going to be under my seat. Also needs to be vented...an of course...it must fit. The one I used is actually 142.99 plus tax. Duralast Gold H8-DLG

900 Cold cranking Amps (1000 cranking Amps) ***. 150 Reserve minutes. Warranty consists of 3 years free replacement plus 2 years prorated.

This is only the second battery since new in my 2004...but it is a daily driver.

I've had two Boxsters with dead batteries recently. Unfortunately in their infinite wisdom, all of the newer Porsche cars starting with the later 986/996 models have an electronic trunk release. So when your battery is dead, you can't pop the trunk to replace it. Brilliant! Fortunately they have a jumper in the fuse box in the driver's side footwell, but I've had a battery so dead that it wouldn't take a charge. In which case you have to pull the driver's side wheel, pull the fender liner, and find the emergency trunk release cable.

I guess that's what we call progress?

Lesson learned, don't let the 986/996 get low on battery!