justinsrx7

Hi Guys

I just purchased a '78 911 which was converted in 1989 to an '89 "turbo-look" cabriolet with an '86 engine that has 42k miles on it. It is in amazing shape, but there are a number of small niggly things that I need to sort out. the first being the headlights. Keep in mind that the car came with no owners manual so I am doing a lot of guessing.

I am going to assume that my light switch and column lever are probably the same from '78 to '89. My steering column lever has three positions. Push it towards the dash and I assume that is the brights, the middle position is the dims, and by pulling it close to me, is the spring loaded setting to flash the brights.

What I am finding is when I put my turn signal on, the brights come on. Upon further investigation, I realized that if i just jiggle the lever, that two makes the brights come on. Sounds to me like a bad contact or loose connection. I am very handy, but this is my first Porsche and I'm not sure where to look, so any advice on that would be great.

Also, I have fog lights, but have no clue how to turn them on. They may even be burned out, but i can't tell cause i don't know where the switch is.

Finally, this is really embarassing, but I can't find the oil dip stick.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Amber Gramps

You are not alone

Amber Gramps

first off pop the handle inside the drivers side door jam. it will open the rear deck lid (sorry I have too) the motor is in the back. the oil dip stick is on your right if you are facing the same direction as the car. it is under the larg round yellow cap up under the fender well behind the filter. unscrew the yellow cap and it is in there. by the way my name is douglas and I am new too.

after you find the dipstick, warm the car up and let it idle check the oil with the car running.

your headlight switch will need to be swapped out for a new one. you can find it at www.automotion.com or www.pelicanparts.com they are sponsors of the site. you will want to find the search feature above and use it for some of the simple thing you can do that you don't want to ask about. check your oil, and introduce yourself. we are all friends here. Canada is well represented here. good luck with the new baby

justinsrx7

Thanks for the info Douglas. By the way, my name is Justin.

Amber Gramps

after I posted I went back and say I said "left" not "right" and I was sure you were gonna see it before I could fix it. How is the car doing. What did you get? it's one tub, another body kit, and another power plant? could be fun. I hope she was a total loss befor all the surgery and somebody didn't take a perfectly good Porsche and do all that to it. Ah, it's OK if they did cause I bet she looks good now. P.S. don't drop the dipstick in the resevour.

HarryD

Enjoy your ride.

First, get a few books: Order a '78 owners manual, a Bentley Repair Manual, and 101 Projects for Your 911 from one of the Porsche parts suppliers (I like Pelican Parts for mail order - www.pelicanparts.com ).

Second, your Headlights: You have the operation of your hi/lo beam flasher correct. A common problem for these flashers is that ALL of hte headlamp curent goes throuigh this switch and over time it overheats and fials as you are seeing. You can order a replacement switch and change it out or you can attempt to repair the switch your self. This thread at the Pelican Parts BBS will explain the procedure: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=248149 .

Third, checking oil: Checking the oil level in a 0911 is not like any other car. It has a dry sump system and you need to check the oil in level in the sump. You will find the oil filler cap on the right hand side of the engine compartment. When you remove the cap, you will see a dipstick in there (there is an internal sleeve inthere to keep it from falling in.

IMcarthur posted this at Pelican:


Most of us like the level to be no higher than halfway to the max mark.
Check this thread for some info on oil selection - http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=367300 . I know it is long but well worth reading).

If you are contemplating an oil change, do a search here or at Pelican for some tips and advice. The engine holds about 10-12 quarts and the first oil change can be quite exciting.

Welcome to the ownership of one the best sports car ever made. enjoy the ride.

scottb

It's not the headlight switch that needs replacing...it's the high-beam switch on the steering column. It's an easy repair.

Also, in order not to "fry" the new switch, you should install the Marcus Sucro headlight relay kit. Do a search here and on the Pelican board and you'll find lots of information on both the relay kit and the switch repair.

Good luck!

madmmac

Probably no need to replace...just needs a little tweaking. I did this fix 2 years ago and have had zero problems since.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showt...adlight+switch

And Welcome!!

Edgy01

Here's what has happened to that car. someone put in either a H-4 or H-1 headlight assembly and failed to put a relay into the circuit. As a result, all the voltage needed to power your lights goes through the stalk. This is bad, over time. It's an easy fix to replace the headlight stalk. Using a small screwdriver on either side (9 and 3) of the steering wheel between it and the dash are two screws. Remove them to gain access to the switch on the left. Take it out,--about two screws will do it. Then fish out the wiring harness. Replace with the right part number. Now deal with the cause of it all. You need a relay in there to keep this from being a repeat event every 60,000 miles. Get with a competent electrical shop if this is a little foreign to you. They can fix you up quickly!

Amber Gramps

Harry that is a fantastic post. the only thing we are missing is the fog light switch. It's over above the radio and should have a green headlight on it. Good luck and tell us more....

jimq

Dont feel bad. I looked all over my 996TT trying to find a dipstick only to find out they dont even have one. Its read electronicaly on the dash
It is my 4th 911 !

justinsrx7

Well, to answer your question, the car was not a total loss at all, so yes, they performed this surgery to a perfectly good car. Pretty common in the late 80's actually. So the car started out as a 1978 Targa in white. Now, she is a black "Turbo-Look" cabriolet. The car is in amazingly good condition. The compression test showed 3 cylinders at the exact same compression and the other 3 within 2 lbs. The carpets look new and aside from the typical top dash warp, the interior is mint. It was repainted last year and has a brand new cabriolet top. Here are some pics.

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HarryD

Careful on removing the clamshell cover for the steering column. Your newer car may have it held in place with only two screws but my '73 has the two screws you mention on the side PLUS four under the steering wheel and horn contact ring. I needed to remove my steering wheel and horn contact ring to remove the clamshell.

Also, you should seriously consider the need to install some headlight relays to protect the switch. Marus Sucro (here at Rennlist) and Daniel Stern (www.danielsternlighting.com) offer kits. A search here or at Pelican will reveal numerous threads on how to install relays.

Regards,

justinsrx7

Thanks so much Harry. What a thorough and useful post you provided. I have already looked up the link you sent me on the light fix and am going to do that tonight. The guy in that post seems to have removed the steering wheel, but I am hoping I can do it with out removing it. I am also looking forward to seeing how much oil I have :-).

HarryD

Nice looking car!!!