2006 PORSCHE BOXSTER Owners Manual

Practical Tips, Emergency Service
249
Battery
Warning!
Risk of short circuit and fire.
fObserve all warning notes on the battery.
fDisconnect the battery during all work on the
electrical system.
fDo not lay tools or other metal objects on the
battery as they could cause a short circuit
across the battery terminal.
Hydrogen gas generated by the battery
could cause an explosion, resulting in severe
personal injuries.
fDo not expose the battery to an open flame,
electrical spark or a lit cigarette.
fDo not wipe battery with a dry cloth.
Risk of severe personal injury and damage to
the fabric, metal or paint.
fWear eye protection.
fDo not allow battery acid to come in contact
with your skin, eyes, fabric or painted surfac-
es. fIf you get electrolyte, which is an acid, in your
eyes or on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and call a doc-
tor.
fSpilled electrolyte must be rinsed off at once
with a solution of baking soda and water to
neutralize the acid.
Battery posts, terminals and related acces-
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and reproductive harm.
fAlways protect your skin by washing thorough-
ly with soap and water.
Risk of explosion as a result of static charge.
fDo not wipe the battery with a dry cloth.
fEliminate potential electrostatic charge by
touching the vehicle before touching the bat-
tery.

250
Practical Tips, Emergency Service
Charge stateA well-charged battery prevents starting problems
and has a longer useful life.
Traffic density, speed limits, requirements
regarding noise, exhaust gas and fuel consump-
tion reduce the engine speed and, hence, the
generator output.
However, the large number of electrical loads has
markedly increased the demand for electrical
power.
In order to avoid unintended battery
discharge
fSwitch off unnecessary electrical loads in city
traffic, on short trips and in queues.
fAlways withdraw the ignition key when leaving
the vehicle.
fAvoid frequent operation of the convertible top
and operation of the Porsche Communication
Management system when the engine is not
running.
Battery carefKeep battery surface clean and dry.
fEnsure that cell plugs and terminal clamps are
firmly secured.
Checking acid level
The acid level should be more frequently checked
by a qualified specialist workshop during the
summer months and in predominantly warm
countries.
Charging the battery
Your Porsche partner will be pleased to advise you
about a suitable charger.
1. Always observe the instructions of the charger
manufacturer.
Depending on the type of charger, the battery
may have to be disconnected. Extremely
important: disconnect the negative cable first,
and then the positive cable – danger of short
circuit!
Reconnection must be carried out in reverse
order.
2. Before charging, cold batteries must be
warmed up indoors.
3. Frozen batteries must not be charged. They
must be replaced with a new battery.
4. When charging, ensure adequate ventilation. 5. Connect charger to the battery.
Only plug into the mains and switch the
charger on when it has been correctly
connected up.
Warning!
Hydrogen gas generated by the battery
could cause an explosion, resulting in severe
personal injuries.
fCharge battery in a well ventilated area.
fNever charge a frozen battery. It may explode
because of gas trapped in the ice. Allow a fro-
zen battery to thaw out first.
fIf you get electrolyte, which is an acid, in your
eyes or on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and call a doc-tor.

Practical Tips, Emergency Service
251
Winter drivingThe capacity and ability of the battery to store
power decreases at low outside temperatures.
Moreover, the battery is more heavily loaded in the
winter months, e.g. by the heated rear window,
the more frequent use of additional lights, the
blower and the windshield wipers, etc.
fHave the battery checked before winter
begins.
Keep the battery well charged to prevent it from
freezing.
A discharged battery can freeze even at
23°F/-5 °
C, but a fully charged one only freezes at
-40°F/-40 °C.
Laying up the vehicleIf the vehicle stands for long periods in the garage
or workshop, the doors and lids should be closed.
fPlease observe the chapter “EMERGENCY
UNLOCKING OF THE FRONT LUGGAGE
COMPARTMENT LID” on Page 248.
fWithdraw the ignition key and, if necessary,
disconnect the battery.
When the battery is disconnected, the
alarm system ceases to function!
Even if you put your vehicle out of operation, the
battery still discharges.
fThe battery must be charged, i.e. connected
to a charger, approximately every 6 weeks in
order to preserve functioning.
Always observe the instructions of the charger
manufacturer.
fStore a battery that has been removed in a
dark, cool place, but not subject to frost.
Replacing the batteryThe battery is subject to normal wear: its service
life depends heavily on the care you give it,
climatic conditions and the conditions of use
(distances, loads).
It is not possible to use the details on the battery
case to determine a comparable battery that
meets all the specific requirements of Porsche.
fUse only a battery that meets the specific
requirements of your vehicle as a replacement.
We recommend that you use an Orignal
Porsche battery.
fPlease observe the disposal instructions for
batteries!

252
Practical Tips, Emergency Service
Putting vehicle into operationAfter the battery is connected or after an exhaus-
tively discharged battery is charged, the multi-
functional PSM light lights up on the instrument
panel and a message appears on the on-board
computer to indicate a fault.
This fault can be remedied with a few simple
steps:
1. Start the engine.
2. With the vehicle stationary, perform a few
steering movements to the left and right and
then drive a short distance in a straight line
until the multifunctinal PSM light goes out and
the message on the on-board computer
disappears.
3. If the warnings do not disappear, then:
Drive carefully to the nearest qualified
specialist workshop.
Have the fault remedied.
4. After the warnings disappear, stop the vehicle
in a suitable place.
5. Perform adaptation of the power windows:
Please observe the chapter “STORING END
POSITION OF THE WINDOWS” on Page 29.Ignition key/ignition lock
fDo not insert the ignition key into the ignition
lock if the vehicle battery is discharged.
The ignition key can no longer be removed.
The key cannot be removed until the vehicle elec-
trical system is supplied with power again.
fPlease observe the chapter “EMERGENCY UN-
LOCKING OF THE FRONT LUGGAGE COMPART-
MENT LID” on Page 248.
6. Please observe the chapter “JUMP LEAD
STARTING” on Page 256.

Practical Tips, Emergency Service
253
Removing the batteryThe battery is located in the luggage compart-
ment under a black plastic lid.
1. Switch off engine and all electrical loads.
2. Open turn-locks A.
Remove plastic lid.
Warning!
Risk of damage to generator and electronic
control units.
fDo not disconnect battery while the engine is
running.
Risk of caustic burns from escaping acid.
fDo not tilt the battery when removing it.
3. Pull off vent hose C.
4. Important: disconnect the negative lead first,
and then the positive lead – danger of short
circuit!
5. Unscrew fastening screw B.
6. Remove battery.

254
Practical Tips, Emergency Service
Installing the battery1. Insert battery and push it all the way to the
stop.
2. Tighten fastening screw B.
3. Important: connect the positive cable first and
then the negative cable – risk of short circuit!
4. Push on vent hose C.
5. Fit plastic lid.
Lock turn-locks A.

Practical Tips, Emergency Service
255
Replacing the remote-control batteryThe battery should be changed when the range of
the radio remote control becomes smaller or
when the light-emitting diode no longer flashes
when the remote control is operated.1. Using your finger nail or a small screwdriver,
carefully lift off the cover of the key grip (ar-
row).
2. Replace battery (observe polarity).
Replacement battery – Lithium CR 2032,
3volts
3. Replace cover and press together firmly.
Please observe the disposal instructions for
batteries.

256
Practical Tips, Emergency Service
Jump lead startingfPlease observe the chapter “EMERGENCY
UNLOCKING OF THE FRONT LUGGAGE
COMPARTMENT LID” on Page 248.
fPlease observe the chapter “BATTERY” on
Page 249.
If the battery is flat, the battery of another vehicle
can be used to start the car with the aid of jump
leads.
Both batteries must be 12 volt types. The
capacity (Ampere hours, Ah) of the donor battery
must not be substantially less than that of the
discharged battery.
The discharged battery must be correctly
connected to the vehicle’s electrical system.
Warning!
Risk of damage and injury due to short
circuit.
fUse only standard jump leads with sufficient
cross section and completely insulated
clamps.
Follow the jump lead manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
fRoute the jump leads so that they cannot be
caught by moving parts in the engine compart-
ment.
The vehicles must not be in contact, otherwise
current might flow as soon as the positive
terminals are connected.
fCarefully ensure that conductive jewellery
(rings, chains, watch straps) do not come into
contact with live parts of the vehicle.
Danger of caustic burns.
fDo not lean over the battery.
Danger of gas explosion.
fKeep sources of ignition, e.g. naked flame,
burning cigarettes or sparks due to cable
contact, away from the battery.
fBefore connecting jump leads, it is essential to thaw out a frozen battery.
Connecting jump leadsAlways observe the sequence below:
1. Connect the red positive lead to the positive
terminal of the discharged battery first, then
connect it to the positive terminal of the donor
battery.
2. First connect the black negative cable to the
negative terminal of the donor battery, then
connect it to a suitable grounding point on the
vehicle with the discharged battery.
This grounding point must lie as far as possible
from the battery.
For example, a solid metal part or the engine
block are suitable grounding points.
If no suitable grounding points are to be found
on either vehicle, the negative cable must
carefully be connected directly to the negative
terminal of the battery.
If a suitable grounding point is to be found only
on the donor vehicle, the negative cable must
first be connected to the terminal of the
discharged battery, then to the grounding point
of the donor vehicle.