Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

I got a 996 with a dead battery! Anybody know which fuse box terminal I should exite in order to release the engine and bonnet lids?

When you remove the panel it is obvious what you need to pull out. It is either red or yellow from memory with contact strips either side of it.

I connected the live clamp from a trickle charger to the terminal and earth clamped on the door hinge the bonnet popped straight away.

Hi Sean, thanks for your input, I have removed the fuse and relay cover but there is nothing obvious as to what has to be removed, connected to, or otherwise. All I have is an indication of fuse assignments. On the 2002 Boxer the connection pole is obvious as indicated in the Drivers manual. There is no such reference in the 1998 996 C2 Drivers manual. I understand the need to 'power up the relevant circuit, but I need to know where to 'power up' in the fuse assignments or otherwise.

Here you go, found this:-

try thisFixed this a couple of days ago...

To avoid someone else getting confused, this is the story:

- My car is a 1999 model.
- Seems that the electric release for the front boot got introduced after this date.
- On my car, there is a manual cable operated lever pull next to the drivers seat. However, there IS an electric operated catch/lock that prevents you pulling up the lever if it's in the locked position. This lock is normally engaged with the middle console button, or with the central locking
- Hooking up an external battery or charger via the cigarette lighter did NOT let me unlock the catch (button didn't do a thing, even though I was getting some power into the car.) Maybe if I'd left the charger in place I could have got enough juice into the battery to operate it. I don't know, I got bored with this route.
-Also on the early model there is NO charge/power point in the fuse box to hook up power to. This explains why the manual didn't have the info on the subject.
- I couldn't open the engine bay to access the rear charge point as also has a lock that was engaged.
- I could NOT see a cable in the wheel arch to pull. Perhaps this is hidden behind the internal cowling. I didn't take it off to search, so don't know...

Dale was the man with the answer..
- I took out the 3 small plastic grommits in the lever housing
- Loosened the allen screws with a 5m key (took a bit of back and forth with the seat to get access)
- Pulled off the lever housing
- and could then manually operate the pull without the lock interfering

I've now got a new battery, a battery trickle charger/conditioner, and all is happy in the world again.

Thanks to everyone that chipped in with a suggestion
cheers

Another option to Sean's fix was pointed out to me a couple of months ago by a guy who used to straighten bent Porsches.

It involves partially removing the wheel arch liner from the front nearside arch. You need to get access to the arch area in front of the wheel. Shine a torch in and you should see a loop of steel wire. This loop is attached to the bonnet release, so just pull it and the catch will release.

This wire definitely exists on my 1998 C2 as I had the arch liners out and bumper off to replace my aircon condensers.

Hope you can get the problem sorted.

Thanks for the info guys, will work through your recomendations and adivse progress accordingly.

Thanks guys, job done. Taking the soft option I decided to work at Dales suggestion to Sean and removed the lever housing. With access to the mechanism it was an easy operation to slide the catch locking plate out of the levers, then it was just a case of pulling the levers to 'pop' the lids. A word of caution to anyone else taking this route, only uunscrew the lever housing screws a few turns and lift the housing vertically. Unscrewing the lever housing screws all the way out could drop them into the sill!

Just purchased a new battery and transferred the 'Optimate' from the Fireblade until I can get a new trickle charger, that should keep her happy until the winters over? Many thanks to all for the input and assistance.

Pleased to read you have got it sorted

I'm sure all of this flat battery and boot release stuff is pretty common knowledge now, but it's just happened to me. My car is a 996 C4S 2003MY. I applied power to the emergency 'pull out' power tab in the fuse box as described above. I assumed the key would need to be in the ignition and tried using the boot release fitted on the cars sill. The boot wouldn't release, but the alarm was entertaining the neighbours. After much time and frustration, Paul French came to the rescue on Twitter. He suggested using the key fob button. This silenced the alarm and popped the boot. In my elation i opened the boot fully and darted back to the drivers door to stow the jump leads. As i looked down there was an almighty bang. The gas struts failed to hold the boot open and the damn lid slammed shut again! It frightened the c**p out of me!
I've ordered a new battery and i'll be ordering some new struts too. Oh, and a solar top up trickle charger - there's no power near my garage.
It probably tells me all i need to know about battery failure in the hand book, but that was safely tucked away in the boot

The fob button saved me tonight - thanks! Flat battery due to leaving dash cam running for a week.... Now on charge overnight with the doors open - can't close the doors as not enough battery to lower the windows...

When you evacuate the board it is clear what you have to haul out. It is either red or yellow from memory with contact strips either side of it. I associated the live clip from a stream charger to the terminal and earth braced on the entryway pivot the cap popped straight away.