05 Boxster won't start even when jumped from good battery
Asked by Kaladesh Sep 22, 2016 at 02:44 PM about the 2005 Porsche Boxster Base
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My 2005 Boxster has a very weak, defective battery that I need to replace,
but today when I tried jumping it from my other car (M-B CLK 320 with
good battery), it wouldn't start. Just made a repetitive clicking noise. I
checked and reseated the jumper cables several times, but same results.
I'm pretty sure the Boxster is in good condition other than the battery, since
I was able to drive it with no problems a few weeks ago after charging the
battery up fully using an electric charger (12V 6A for about 6-7 hours).
What can I do to get the car started if a jump from a good strong battery
won't do it?
5 Answers
Pull the dead battery. Buy a good replacement, and your problem is solved.
You mentioned charging the battery. How old is the battery? Typically a good battery will last about 5 years and a gel cell Optima battery maybe will last 10 years if correctly maintained. I have a Porsche Boxster S and I've found that if I let the car sit for 3-4 weeks without running the car the battery is dead due to internal computers that continue to run. Charge the existing battery and ALSO use jumper cables to try and start the car. The clicking noise you hear is the starter solenoid trying to work and not receiving enough power. As "Stephen" commented it is most likely time for a new battery. Don't be cheap, get a good battery....after all it is a Porsche!
Thanks to everyone for the input. I ended up replacing the battery with a brand new one, and that did the trick. I will definitely be driving the Boxster more frequently from now on to prevent this battery from dying prematurely! Does anyone have a recommendation for a quality maintenance/trickle charger?
Sears makes a good one for about $20 on sale. Battery Tender brand is about twice as much, but does exactly the same thing as the Sears model. Make sure your battery is fully charged before using any of these "trickle" or "maintainer" devices.
I am having a similar issue with my 2006 Boxster S It appears to have power, all internal lights and accessories will turn on. I am unable to jumpstart the vehicle...tried with 2 different vehicles. The battery is only a couple years old and I have had it on a pretty good battery tender while in storage...which tells me it is charged. I will try replacing the battery, but it is odd that all accessories come on, just get a click when I try to start.
