Unable to open engine lid - good battery

[gregking]

I started posting this message to get help before finally trying to get the release cable once more.

 

2003 996 cab, been sitting in garage for 2-3 weeks, but has good battery.

 

Went for a drive and about 5 miles out got a "check engine" light.  Pulled over to open the engine compartment and nothing.  Started/stopped engine a couple of times, raised lowered the conv top, raised/lowered the spoiler.  All working, but still can't open the rear trunk.

 

One other thing is that about this time I had tried to turn off the PSE sound and it wouldn't go quiet either. 

 

So, I thought it was some kind of electrical thing.  I've pulled/checked all of the fuses.  I had done the PSE speed mod override 10 yrs ago, so I thought I'd check to see if something has gone awry with that.  Pulled out the relay box and have checked all of the relays and nothing looks wrong.

 

I don't hear any kind of actuation when I pull the rear release button. 

 

I finally was able to get the manual cable release and got it opened, only to find this...

Immediately didn't look right since my car is a garage queen with only 25k miles and is kept pretty clean.   Ugghhh!  At least I know what to fix now. 

 

 

 

[xmac]

996 cable/wire sheathing seems to be tasty to critters. I had something eat through my knock sensor cable, but nothing a precision soldering iron can't fix.

 

If you don't have the pinout, let me know and I can snap some pics for you. The connectors are brittle so be careful when taking them apart. Probably obvious, but also make sure you plug in black to black plug and gray to gray plug when putting them back together. 

Edited November 20, 2014 by xmac

[gregking]

Thanks xmac, but I was able to identify/match the wires successfully.  I got my replacement wiring harness for the main section that was ruined (the lower one in the pic).  Oh, and I saw a big 'ol rat running out a hole yesterday, so I now know what did the damage and have plugged the hole.

 

Now I've got more problems.  I had disconnected the battery for the 5-6 days that I was waiting on the parts.  I did install the 9v battery thingy to save my radio (which appears to have worked since all stations are still set). 

 

I get messages saying Airbag Failure and Roll-Over failure and the car won't start.  Are these issues due to power loss that need a reset or is there more damage that I haven't found?  I've seen discussions on the airbag light needing to be cleared, but these don't seem to mention the "failure" message and it looks like the car is still starting in those cases.

 

Also the convertible top doesn't apper to be opening correctly.  When fully open, it leaves a gap of about 3/4" between the front edge and the back of the seat.  I thought it used to sit closer and not have this gap.  This seems to be making the metal cover at the back not want to sit down fully since it is hitting the top that is too far back.  Is there an adjustment to the top that is related to electronics?  I would have assumed this is all mechanical adjustments and wouldn't have gotten affected by my latest problems.

 

Thanks for any help that anyone can provide.

 

greg

[JFP in PA]

Thanks xmac, but I was able to identify/match the wires successfully.  I got my replacement wiring harness for the main section that was ruined (the lower one in the pic).  Oh, and I saw a big 'ol rat running out a hole yesterday, so I now know what did the damage and have plugged the hole.

 

Now I've got more problems.  I had disconnected the battery for the 5-6 days that I was waiting on the parts.  I did install the 9v battery thingy to save my radio (which appears to have worked since all stations are still set). 

 

I get messages saying Airbag Failure and Roll-Over failure and the car won't start.  Are these issues due to power loss that need a reset or is there more damage that I haven't found?  I've seen discussions on the airbag light needing to be cleared, but these don't seem to mention the "failure" message and it looks like the car is still starting in those cases.

 

Also the convertible top doesn't apper to be opening correctly.  When fully open, it leaves a gap of about 3/4" between the front edge and the back of the seat.  I thought it used to sit closer and not have this gap.  This seems to be making the metal cover at the back not want to sit down fully since it is hitting the top that is too far back.  Is there an adjustment to the top that is related to electronics?  I would have assumed this is all mechanical adjustments and wouldn't have gotten affected by my latest problems.

 

Thanks for any help that anyone can provide.

 

greg

 

I sounds like you are getting a "handover" error.  There are times when the information or data carried by the CAN (Computer Area Network) communication lines may get corrupted.  To repair this there is a Porsche procedure known as a “Vehicle Handover” because there is a good chance that this will repair your electrical/computer related problem(s).  This process utilizing the Porsche PIWIS tester basically reinitializes all the computer parameters and controller settings back to what the car had when it left the factory new.  It is not unlike rebooting your computer after a crash.  To my knowledge, only a PIWIS or Autologic system can do this reset.