I'm a newbie to Planet-9 and I have been experiencing certain electrical issues with my 06 CS, in which I have owned for a couple of years now, so I figured I'd share my findings.
First off, I have undergone the typical flat battery issues and upgraded to an Optima Red Top with the Billet adapter plate and it worked OK for awhile, but still had certain days when the electronics, dash indicators, lights, radio and not to mention very delayed starts and up till now very erratic to no starts.
I inspected and cleaned the battery terminals, checked the voltage, trickle charged it and re-connected everything.....no start. I went to re-check the battery cables and the second I slightly moved the +cable I saw the trunk light illuminate, then I figured it was an erratic connection somewhere down the battery cable. Disconnected the +cable from the battery and began to fiddle with a black connector cover with a red sliding latch and managed to remove the clips surrounding it to reveal to my surprise and the cancer of any electronic circuit.....CORROSION!! I couldn't believe when I slid the terminal connector off the distribution shaft, it appears that Porsche this time around decided to come up with some sort of terminal connector with internal brushes that seem to begin to corrode away with the combination of moisture and current. What ever happened to the good-ole threaded and nut terminal ends:wall: Not a great location either, especially when its located in a very low area that is known to have water flowing through to the compartment drains. Luckily, the shaft really only had surface rust and no pitting, but still was enough to cause the poor and erratic electrical connection to power the entire car. I realized, that all this time it was really based on weather conditions and atmospheric pressures granting me ignition or becoming stranded for awhile then resuming enough power to get me going again, very frustrating!! It seems that the terminal connector is pressed into the terminal end of the cable, pretty much requiring you to press it out and replace it using special tooling or it becomes a dealer fix$$
I ended up cleaning up the shaft with my Dremel and SSWire bit and finished it off with some fine sand paper & WD40, just to clean off the surface rust. On the terminal side, I also gently hit it with some fine sandpaper & WD40, but still realized how much of the brushes were to far deteriorated. I slid the terminal connector over the shaft and realized there was way to much play in between, originally causing the erratic starts, so I slid it back off and wrapped some thin tinned copper sheet around the shaft and trimmed it off to the exact length. I re-installed the rear portion of the plastic cover then slid the terminal connector in with the copper sheet formed to the shape of the outer part of the shaft and lightly pushed it together, slightly tapping it in with a rubber mallet. It was a perfect fit and just enough movement for the battery cable to have good play and the proper movement necessary when changing out your battery. I then coated the entire terminal connector and shaft end with Corrosion Block Marine Grease then re-capped the black plastic cover and locked the red latch. I figured it is impossible to not have water flow through this portion of the compartment, so I figured coating it with grease that won't wash off would be my best bet. :cheers:
So far, she works like the day I bought her!! :dance:
By the way, Sorry, I only posted the "before" pics and not the "after" because a really nasty thunderstorm was heading my way and I was performing this repair outdoors. Also, the best way and most comfortable for me was actually sitting sideways in the frunk and twisted my body to get where I needed to be. I caught a couple of people taking my picture, I guess its not something they see everyday! :crazy:
I hope this helps anybody who has erratic electrical issues, at least its something else to check off.
First off, I have undergone the typical flat battery issues and upgraded to an Optima Red Top with the Billet adapter plate and it worked OK for awhile, but still had certain days when the electronics, dash indicators, lights, radio and not to mention very delayed starts and up till now very erratic to no starts.
I inspected and cleaned the battery terminals, checked the voltage, trickle charged it and re-connected everything.....no start. I went to re-check the battery cables and the second I slightly moved the +cable I saw the trunk light illuminate, then I figured it was an erratic connection somewhere down the battery cable. Disconnected the +cable from the battery and began to fiddle with a black connector cover with a red sliding latch and managed to remove the clips surrounding it to reveal to my surprise and the cancer of any electronic circuit.....CORROSION!! I couldn't believe when I slid the terminal connector off the distribution shaft, it appears that Porsche this time around decided to come up with some sort of terminal connector with internal brushes that seem to begin to corrode away with the combination of moisture and current. What ever happened to the good-ole threaded and nut terminal ends:wall: Not a great location either, especially when its located in a very low area that is known to have water flowing through to the compartment drains. Luckily, the shaft really only had surface rust and no pitting, but still was enough to cause the poor and erratic electrical connection to power the entire car. I realized, that all this time it was really based on weather conditions and atmospheric pressures granting me ignition or becoming stranded for awhile then resuming enough power to get me going again, very frustrating!! It seems that the terminal connector is pressed into the terminal end of the cable, pretty much requiring you to press it out and replace it using special tooling or it becomes a dealer fix$$
I ended up cleaning up the shaft with my Dremel and SSWire bit and finished it off with some fine sand paper & WD40, just to clean off the surface rust. On the terminal side, I also gently hit it with some fine sandpaper & WD40, but still realized how much of the brushes were to far deteriorated. I slid the terminal connector over the shaft and realized there was way to much play in between, originally causing the erratic starts, so I slid it back off and wrapped some thin tinned copper sheet around the shaft and trimmed it off to the exact length. I re-installed the rear portion of the plastic cover then slid the terminal connector in with the copper sheet formed to the shape of the outer part of the shaft and lightly pushed it together, slightly tapping it in with a rubber mallet. It was a perfect fit and just enough movement for the battery cable to have good play and the proper movement necessary when changing out your battery. I then coated the entire terminal connector and shaft end with Corrosion Block Marine Grease then re-capped the black plastic cover and locked the red latch. I figured it is impossible to not have water flow through this portion of the compartment, so I figured coating it with grease that won't wash off would be my best bet. :cheers:
So far, she works like the day I bought her!! :dance:
By the way, Sorry, I only posted the "before" pics and not the "after" because a really nasty thunderstorm was heading my way and I was performing this repair outdoors. Also, the best way and most comfortable for me was actually sitting sideways in the frunk and twisted my body to get where I needed to be. I caught a couple of people taking my picture, I guess its not something they see everyday! :crazy:
I hope this helps anybody who has erratic electrical issues, at least its something else to check off.
