Slow to Crank

[Lee Quave]

After stopping and starting my 99 996 C2 a few times while running errands the car was slow to turn over. I though it must be the battery so I checked to fluid level and found that it needed 4 ½ cups. I put the battery on to charge and though this would be the end of my problem, but the same thing happened again a few days latter and this time the car wouldn’t start until I let it sit for a few minutes.

The battery is only about 8 month old. I replaced it with an OEM battery that cost me $165. :eek: According to some post I’ve read these batteries aren’t very good.

While having my clutch replaced at the Porsche dealer in Mobile, AL I asked that they check the system. They said everything checked out fine and that it could be an intermittent drain on the charging system.

Could I have overcharged the battery since some fluid leaked out on the garage floor? Since the dealer said everything checked out fine could it be that I need to install a higher amp battery given that it seems to have problems cranking only when the engine is warm?

Any pearls of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. :beer:

[Loren]

Hmm... the dealer should have been able to see the charge rate (voltage) with their PST2 or PIWIS. They should also have done a specific gravity test on each of the battery cells.

If you had other electrical problems I might suspect the ignition switch but it sure sounds like a bad battery to me.

[nick49]

It's possible your battery was not fully charged when initially put into service. This is often the case as the selling dealer just fills it with electrolite and relies on the dry surface charge to get by. A battery not fully charged will usually never get to that point and will discharge more quickly. Its useful life will also be much shorter. It's not convienent to fill the battery and have the customer pick it up hours later when it's 100% fully charged. Also it's not a good idea to have a fully charged battery sitting idley on a shelf self discharging for weeks or months until it is sold. So usually a customer gets one or the other, not a good situation either way.