Desperate for advice please!

[Markm88]

Hi everyone, seasons greetings to all. I’m just looking for some advice about my 2007 boxster. About a week ago the roof stopped working but I’ve had no time to investigate and assumed was just a fuse. I parked it outside one night in the pouring rain and the alarm kept going off...
Woke up to a dead battery which jumpnstarted ok but then all the electrics go ballistic. Now I can’t even get it to jumpstart any ideas?

Thanks in advance

A very sad Mark

[gwsinc]

First thing to do is install a new battery IMO. It was probably shutting down non-essential systems such as the roof as a preservation measure.

[DRH986]

It's also worth checking for water ingress. Push both seats forward and get your hand under the carpets at the back. If the drains for the roof clamshell area get blocked (very common), water will overflow into the cabin and this area will be damp. If I recall correctly, there is a control unit (central locking and/or alarm?) under the passenger seat and is prone to water damage and resultant electrical problems.

[Paynewright]

When my 996 was laid up whilst I swapped all the shocks and a load of other stuff the battery drained and did loads of weird stuff before fully charged incl setting the alarm off.

Ian

[996TT02]

Car alarm will go off if there is a rapid voltage drop, such as battery disconnection without the appropriate precautions. It appears your battery failed suddenly. The roof issue may or may not be related, for all I know the fault may have drained the battery, or maybe not. Almost certainly new battery time, then take it from there, but be sure to check everything out in case there is a reason other than age for the "old" battery issue.

[Markm88]

DRH986 you were spot on carpet is absolutley drenched behind the seats! I’m gonna change the battery then drive it to a garage and see about getting it unblocked.

Thanks so much for all that replied v helpful! Have a great Christmas all!

[speedyman]

I bought a metre of the strechy wire used to hold up net curtains to clear the drain pipes, works a treat to keep them clear.

[kev.RS]

I think one of the main control units is under the passenger seat which is a very clever place to put it in a convertible.
Once you have fished it out you could try taking it apart and drying it out but by the sound of it it may have burnt out but worth a try

[Markm88]

HI EVERYONE, hope you had a good Xmas, thanks for walking me through this. Just need one last bit of help if anyone has any ideas...I’m trying to get the PCU from under the passenger seat but figure I need to take the passenger seat out first and to do that I need to open the passenger door which is locked and won’t open...and I can’t open it manually? I’m probably being a dummy here. I just called up for a quote and got quoted 3k if the computer is fried so naturally I poured a large gin and decided to have a bash myself,..

[Pope]

The passenger door will be deadlocked - as you surmised, you'll not unlock it without a functioning battery - locking isn't dealt with by the underseat ECU's on a 987.

You can lift the seat without power and or opening the door - assuming you have a manually adjustable seat; if they are electrically adjustable you'll need a jump pack or fresh battery but by then you could open the door........

Remove the front rail/fixing covers to expose the two securing bolts, run the seat all the way forward and remove the two rear securing bolts, run the seat all the way back and then remove the front securing bolts. Release the backrest and tilt it forwards, then lift the base up at the front - prop the base up with a bar/length of 2x2? (?) and you will see the ECU under the seat.

On 986, the cheapest way to get back on the road - assuming no major wiring damage: You can find a DME/ALARM/KEY bundle on Ebay and anyone with a PIWIS tester can then code the bundle on (you'll have to resign yourself to a car with dual identity but as long as you retain BOTH VIN's in your records it won't matter really).......

On a 987 the ECU affected is the Rear-end electronics control unit and or the Park-Assist - usually the car still runs though; likely the battery has run flat with uncontrolled activation of systems. Unclip the roof catch - if the roof can be moved back 'manually' the REE CU has mashed the roof mech too. The rear spoiler tends to automatically deploy too - generally doesn't sustain damage helpfully!! REE CU will need coding before full system functionality but can be replaced cheaply before paying for coding. Issues arise if wiring / pins are damaged by corrosion when you disconnect the plugs.

Edited by Pope on Thursday 27th December 20:04

Edited by Pope on Thursday 27th December 20:58

[Markm88]

Can’t thank you enough for this Pope! If you’re ever around in North London there’s a free beer waiting for you.

Il keep you posted- need to order one of those 6sided hexagon socket wrench things first...

Thanks again for your advice, greatly appreciated.