Problematic Porsche 986

[oliverwenman]

Hi all,
I've got a little trouble with my Boxster at the moment and would love some help!
It's a 2004 2.7 manual. Last week the battery warning light lit up on the dash, and it begun to struggle for power. The lights intermittently dim and the radio and fans struggle. It's been a little strange for some time with the dash and headlights dimming, only slightly when stuck in traffic. I've changed the battery and it's still not fixed. I'm now thinking alternator, but on checking the power when the car is at 2000rpm its running between 13.5 and 14 volts... Isn't this normal? Before spending a small fortune on an alternator I just want to be sure I'm not missing anything!?! Hope someone can help.

Let me know if this question would be better placed on another part of the forum!

Thanks in advance!

Ollie

[Trev450]

I doubt this is the problem but check your passenger side footwell for water ingress. If it is damp then it's possible your ECU which lives under the seat is compromised.

[ro55a]

13.5- 14 on 2k ? Should be approx 14.5volts so slight undercharge there. My alternator went last week, was putting out 18.5v!! It killed the battery, the alternator itself and all of the halogens x4 in the headlights.....which was nice. Changed the lot myself, you get access to the alternator through the inspection panel behind the front seats. Get the car over to a porsche specialist and they will tell you whether it's an alternator or if lucky just the regulator.

[oliverwen]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the quick response!
I've just checked the footwell again, and it's dry as a bone, that was my first though when it started having problems... My last car was a Smart Roadster, which was a leaky as a sieve! It rained in on the SAM unit and fried everything. Thankfuly haven't got that problem with this one.

It's looking more and more like the alternator, it is leaving the battery charged though...

[oliverwen]

Ro55a, sorry any ideas what the symptoms are of a dud regulator? I struggled to find much on the Internet, but might be me being simple!...

P.S. sorry to hear about yours... That can't have been cheap to sort! It's nice to do the work yourself though.

[ro55a]

oliverwen said:

Ro55a, sorry any ideas what the symptoms are of a dud regulator? I struggled to find much on the Internet, but might be me being simple!...

P.S. sorry to hear about yours... That can't have been cheap to sort! It's nice to do the work yourself though.

Cheap as chips mate, x4 bulbs £24, new battery from motor factors £89 and a tested used alternator from Jasmine porsche parts posted for £89.99. Just a snip over £200! So not quite chips money but still no labour costs. Ps the reason I went used was because I knew it would fit and didn't want to try my luck with a pattern part. A new Bosch unit....well that would have been a few quid.

As far as the regulator? What's it putting out under 2k?

[g7jhp]

oliverwenman said:

Hi all,
I've got a little trouble with my Boxster at the moment and would love some help!
It's a 2004 2.7 manual. Last week the battery warning light lit up on the dash, and it begun to struggle for power. The lights intermittently dim and the radio and fans struggle. It's been a little strange for some time with the dash and headlights dimming, only slightly when stuck in traffic. I've changed the battery and it's still not fixed. I'm now thinking alternator, but on checking the power when the car is at 2000rpm its running between 13.5 and 14 volts... Isn't this normal? Before spending a small fortune on an alternator I just want to be sure I'm not missing anything!?! Hope someone can help.

Let me know if this question would be better placed on another part of the forum!

Thanks in advance!

Ollie

Sounds like the alternator. I had the same symptoms, your new battery will just run down get it checked asap as it will just die on you.

[ro55a]

In the meantime locate that front bonnet pull cord hidden in your front bumper to get to your battery, you'll be so glad you found it before the alarm starts going off at 3 am on a Monday morning!!

[Ricky1970]

Hi I need some advice I have a porche boxter 2.7 986 52 plate I got a warning battery generator I checked the volts on the battery it's kicking out 17 volts when it should be about 14 do you guys think it's the alternator thanks

[Huskyman]

Ricky1970 said:

Hi I need some advice I have a porche boxter 2.7 986 52 plate I got a warning battery generator I checked the volts on the battery it's kicking out 17 volts when it should be about 14 do you guys think it's the alternator thanks

Sounds like the alternator to me, the regulator has failed. Either replace the regulator or the Alternator complete, you can damage the car’s electrical systems if you carry on using it