987 Cayman Shenanigans
Discussion
When I picked up my 987.2 from a body shop the other day, the instruments were beaming all sorts of wrong info at me--
1) Fuel gauge stated that the tank was empty when it was actually one-quarter full. When I filled it up to half, the gauge showed the correct amount.
2) Clock was showing the wrong time. When I looked at it shortly after leaving the shop, it said 12:10, so it may have set itself back to 12:00 overnight.
3) Display warns me that service is due in 3 weeks, but it's actually 10 months off.
4) Average consumption and average speed were displayed as "--", i.e. the car had forgotten what they are. It's now displaying them again, but based on the few miles I've done since leaving the shop.
It sounds like the car lost its memory. I'm thinking and hoping it may be fixed by replacing the aging battery. But would a new battery fix the memory loss, if any?
The local Porsche indie will check for error codes in a couple of days, but they sound weirdly disengaged, like they were doing me a favor by even looking at the car for 10 minutes.
I'm hoping the PH enthusiasts will have a more vigorous approach to the issue. Does it sound like anything you're familiar with?
1) Fuel gauge stated that the tank was empty when it was actually one-quarter full. When I filled it up to half, the gauge showed the correct amount.
2) Clock was showing the wrong time. When I looked at it shortly after leaving the shop, it said 12:10, so it may have set itself back to 12:00 overnight.
3) Display warns me that service is due in 3 weeks, but it's actually 10 months off.
4) Average consumption and average speed were displayed as "--", i.e. the car had forgotten what they are. It's now displaying them again, but based on the few miles I've done since leaving the shop.
It sounds like the car lost its memory. I'm thinking and hoping it may be fixed by replacing the aging battery. But would a new battery fix the memory loss, if any?
The local Porsche indie will check for error codes in a couple of days, but they sound weirdly disengaged, like they were doing me a favor by even looking at the car for 10 minutes.
I'm hoping the PH enthusiasts will have a more vigorous approach to the issue. Does it sound like anything you're familiar with?
They were doing some very minor paintwork on the front bumper, without disassembling any parts. Would they disconnect the battery for that?
Maybe they left the stereo on for too long or did some other silly thing that drained the battery overnight. They have a stellar reputation, though. In the 1970s they were the coachbuilders for Monteverdi cars.
Maybe they left the stereo on for too long or did some other silly thing that drained the battery overnight. They have a stellar reputation, though. In the 1970s they were the coachbuilders for Monteverdi cars.
I changed my battery last year (987.2 S) OPC supplied and they informed me its just a simple replace as it doesn't have stop start and didn't need recoding, the only dash light that stayed on was the traction control which cleared as soon as I drove it.
Much more simple cars than the newer stuff...thank Christ.
Much more simple cars than the newer stuff...thank Christ.
I'm back from the Porsche indie. There was much shrugging of shoulders and no plan of action.
Service warning, malfunctioning clock and fuel gauge: "They all do that, Sir. Electronics, you know?"
He's adamant that it isn't the battery. Looked at it, said it was "fine." Uhm, okay.
Then again, apart from the service warning everything is now back to normal. So he may well be right with just being pragmatic about it for the time being.
Service warning, malfunctioning clock and fuel gauge: "They all do that, Sir. Electronics, you know?"
He's adamant that it isn't the battery. Looked at it, said it was "fine." Uhm, okay.
Then again, apart from the service warning everything is now back to normal. So he may well be right with just being pragmatic about it for the time being.
Fink-Nottle said:
I'm back from the Porsche indie. There was much shrugging of shoulders and no plan of action.
Service warning, malfunctioning clock and fuel gauge: "They all do that, Sir. Electronics, you know?"
He's adamant that it isn't the battery. Looked at it, said it was "fine." Uhm, okay.
Then again, apart from the service warning everything is now back to normal. So he may well be right with just being pragmatic about it for the time being.
Once the service light is turned off the rest really sounds like a voltage drop. Mine did that a couple of times where it told me everything was unavailable and loads of other stuff. After the battery had a charge it was all good. Probably did that 3-4 times in my 5 years of owning one Service warning, malfunctioning clock and fuel gauge: "They all do that, Sir. Electronics, you know?"
He's adamant that it isn't the battery. Looked at it, said it was "fine." Uhm, okay.
Then again, apart from the service warning everything is now back to normal. So he may well be right with just being pragmatic about it for the time being.
In the interest of closure, here's the denouement.
I talked to my regular gold-standard Porsche indie, and he suspected exactly what some of you had diagnosed. Low voltage problem due to battery near-death from old age and/or accidental tampering at the bodyshop.
They checked the battery and the error codes, and yep, that's what it was. The service warning seems to have been a mad coincidence. The warning was correct because the service was actually due, contrary to what I remembered.
So: new battery, service, new spark plugs, and the car goes better than ever.
I talked to my regular gold-standard Porsche indie, and he suspected exactly what some of you had diagnosed. Low voltage problem due to battery near-death from old age and/or accidental tampering at the bodyshop.
They checked the battery and the error codes, and yep, that's what it was. The service warning seems to have been a mad coincidence. The warning was correct because the service was actually due, contrary to what I remembered.
So: new battery, service, new spark plugs, and the car goes better than ever.
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