997 Home Link not working

[aboyandhisdog]

Howdy Pokes...my first repair post!

I replaced my battery last week and now I am unable to reprogram the Home Link. Not only do my garage doors not work, I mean that I can't even get the small LED up by the buttons to flash. I have gone through all of the steps to clear previous codes and no way I can get that LED to flash. I have 1 fixed code door and 2 roaming type doors and none of them will program. It is as if the Home Link buttons are just not getting power. I have tested all of the fuses in the fuse panel and they all test good. As a side note...I can't figure out which circuit Home Link is even on as there is no mention of it in the fuse guide.

The button lights come on with the headlights, but I realize that is a different power source completely. I have to believe it is something in the ECU that can be checked but not really sure. I only have a Foxwell scan tool and an Icarsoft scan tool. I have not dived into this yet and not really sure even what system to explore. Has anybody had anything like this happen before???

Any input much appreciated!

[Tom]

Howdy Pokes...my first repair post!

I replaced my battery last week and now I am unable to reprogram the Home Link. Not only do my garage doors not work, I mean that I can't even get the small LED up by the buttons to flash. I have gone through all of the steps to clear previous codes and no way I can get that LED to flash. I have 1 fixed code door and 2 roaming type doors and none of them will program. It is as if the Home Link buttons are just not getting power. I have tested all of the fuses in the fuse panel and they all test good. As a side note...I can't figure out which circuit Home Link is even on as there is no mention of it in the fuse guide.

The button lights come on with the headlights, but I realize that is a different power source completely. I have to believe it is something in the ECU that can be checked but not really sure. I only have a Foxwell scan tool and an Icarsoft scan tool. I have not dived into this yet and not really sure even what system to explore. Has anybody had anything like this happen before???

Any input much appreciated!

There is something called a "Vehicle Handover" in the system, which you may need after disconnecting the battery. I don't know for sure they had it in 2006, but I think so. On some cars you need the dealer to do it with the PIWIS system (a proprietary system tool), but on most Porsche's you can do it through your dash by choosing Info>Option>Set PCM System>Reset>Vehicle Handover

That might not be exactly right for your car, so you may have to play with it and/or look it up in your owners manual. You are looking for Vehicle Handover somewhere in the system somewhere. Below is a video showing the process on a Macan. If that wakes up the Homelink system, you'd then need to program it from scratch for your doors....

[aboyandhisdog]

Thanks, Tom. I'm quite certain I don't have 'vehicle handover', but you now have me thinking that I need to spend some time with the PCM sub-menus. All of those buttons have to be good for something, right? Weird thing is that with the battery disconnect, I only lost the Home Link. The trip miles and radio presets were all still there. As I understand it, the only thing in the 997 that is affected by a battery disconnect is the one-touch window operations, and that is an easy fix.

[Tom]

Thanks, Tom. I'm quite certain I don't have 'vehicle handover', but you now have me thinking that I need to spend some time with the PCM sub-menus. All of those buttons have to be good for something, right? Weird thing is that with the battery disconnect, I only lost the Home Link. The trip miles and radio presets were all still there. As I understand it, the only thing in the 997 that is affected by a battery disconnect is the one-touch window operations, and that is an easy fix.

Do your seat heaters work? That and homelink sometimes go out together on the 997.2 after battery changes, requiring the handover thing I believe. I'm fairly sure the 997.2 had Vehicle Handover, but not so sure about the .1 Why do you think you don't have it? Not saying you're wrong, but it's the kind of thing most owners have no reason to ever notice...

[aboyandhisdog]

I'm one of those rare guys who actually reads the owner's manual and never have I see the words "vehicle handover" or anything like it and it appears nowhere in the index or anywhere in the ridiculously thick PCM manual. Also never seen it in the PCM sub-menus. That said, there may still be some "fatory resets" in some of those sub-menus that I need to explore.

As to the seat heaters, I have to head out right now and will check them out. Will report back...

[aboyandhisdog]

Okay, we might be honing in on this. My seat heaters are NOT working. Checked my fuse chart and no mention is made of the seat heaters so I can only guess that they are not serviced by a fuse??? Any way to learn what circuit the Home Link and seat heaters are on? Checked my manuals again and there is no mention of the seat heating feature anywhere in the index or the manuals that I can find. Stumped at this point...

[Tom]

Okay, we might be honing in on this. My seat heaters are NOT working. Checked my fuse chart and no mention is made of the seat heaters so I can only guess that they are not serviced by a fuse??? Any way to learn what circuit the Home Link and seat heaters are on? Checked my manuals again and there is no mention of the seat heating feature anywhere in the index or the manuals that I can find. Stumped at this point...

Yeah, sounds like you need to do the Vehicle Handover. I wouldn't put much stock in not finding it in the manual. If you haven't tried to find it using the key sequence and/or video above, nothing to lose. I did not have it on my 991, but it seemed to be on the menu tree in the 997.2. I know the PCM was changed between models, so you might need a PIWIS system or go to the dealer to do the Vehicle Handover, but that (and not a fuse) is very likely the issue. If you google, you'll see lots of people complaining about no seat heaters after changing the battery for this reason. In this video, it shows how to do the Vehicle Handover with a PIWIS system, and the guy specifically mentions the seat heater and homelink not working after the battery was changed, and then working after the Vehicle Handover....

[aboyandhisdog]

That is very interesting, Tom, thank you! I wonder how this guy got a hold of a PIWIS? I thought they were proprietary. I suppose a Durametrics tool might help and I know a mechanic who has one. My Foxwell was a no go. But I did discover I could enable daytime driving lights and make my side markers into turn signals, so the day wasn't a complete bust! Progress one small step at a time!

[Tom]

That is very interesting, Tom, thank you! I wonder how this guy got a hold of a PIWIS? I thought they were proprietary. I suppose a Durametrics tool might help and I know a mechanic who has one. My Foxwell was a no go. But I did discover I could enable daytime driving lights and make my side markers into turn signals, so the day wasn't a complete bust! Progress one small step at a time!

Looks like he has this unit from China. I assume it's a knock-off, but I don't know anything about it really.

https://www.autonumen.com/goods-5017-Po ... gLSx_D_BwE

There is a relatively cheap tool folks here have used to reset service lights and so forth, called the iCarSoft POR V2.0 (also a poorly documents Chinese unit). It's possible that unit has the Vehicle Handover function in it. Tagging @toddinmd, @Bill in Bama and @Stigs cousin -- they all have the iCarSoft, so maybe one of them can check and/or know if it does that. I'm sure a dealer could do it in short order too, assuming you have on nearby willing to do it....

Edit: glossed right over your friend having a Durametrics tool -- definitely worth a shot...

[aboyandhisdog]

Lol...don't get me started on my dealer! Yes, Fort Collins has a long time Porsche dealer and they are a good bunch. Stopped in there on Wed. and they are over 6 weeks out for appointments. I feel this is a ridiculously long wait for dealer service on a Porsche, VW or Audi. I don't know how they stay in business with that kind of service. Are the dealers this bad in California? Who would buy a car from a dealer who is unable to service it?