gerrygug

I just bought a 1984 911 Carrera and am trying to work some of the bugs out. The dash lights seem bright on the bottom and dim on the top half of the gages especially the Speedometer. Also there is a little green light in the speedo that is on when the headlights are activated. Is this normal? Any help would be appreciated.

Amber Gramps

That's the high beam light. pull on the turn signal lever and it should dim the head lights and turn off the green light welcome aboard


EDIT: I'm a dork....Blue is high beams and green is running lights. It should turn on when you get to the first click and off when you pull it all the way out. I hope that was better advise than my first shot.

gerrygug

The problem is that when the light switch is all the way on in the headlight position the green parking light is illuminated and the dash lights appear to be illuminated on the lower half but very dim on the upper half of all the gages.

Peter Zimmermann

gerry: A number of problems are possible, but to fix any of them you will have to pull the gauges out of their mounting holes. It's possible that someone has put incorrect bulbs in a couple positions, but it's more likely that someone has put an illumination bulb in your parking light (green) position, and vice-versa. Disconnect the battery ground strap, pull the gauges and let them hang from their wires, and go from that point. Leave the tach in place (sometimes you have to remove the steering wheel and column cover to get it out) and use a mirror to trace those wires.

gerrygug

Thanks for the help. I really appreciate the bank of knowledge here on Rennlist. This is my first Porsche since a 1976 912E I purchased in 1980. I have always regretted selling that car and it has taken 27 years to replace it. I am sure I will have more questions as time goes on and look forward to getting to know some of you.

Gerry

theiceman

actually the green light is the sidemarker indicator light. it comes on to remind you that you actually have your marker lights on. This is normal operation of the car. If you go to full headlights the light will go out as the headlights are indicator enough.
the high beam light indicator is blue.

The instruments being dim may mean you need new bulbs. Eveb new bulbs may ot be bright enough for some but for me they are fine. If you take each insrument out of the dash the bulbs can be pried out. they are in a holder that is pressed into the back of the guage and I fine a good old swiss army knife will pry them out nicely ( the holders. ) if you do a search you may find my post on the bulb type.

good luck.

theiceman

oops beat to it .. i guess I should refresh before posting :-)

Amber Gramps

Funny thing on lights, no mater if we call then running lights or side markers(ice is correct) the main pull button is not lit, but the fog light is. I guess the thinking is that you turn on your headlights before you start moving so it doesn't need illumination, but the fog lights you may drive into the fog and need the lighted switch.

Have you turned on your blinkers with the car turned off yet? That one is still a trip.

gerrygug

Thanks, I had noticed that the main headlight control was not illuminated when the headlights were on, but the fog light switch was. Glad you pointed that out as it was going to be my next question.

Thanks,

Gerry

theiceman

I guess the headlight switch engineer and the fog light switch engineer weren't on the same page on this one :-)

old man neri

Yup, german headlight switch designs are odd. On my old VW with the keys out if you snapped the high beams on twice and held them on all the power would come on in the car.....so wierd, apparently it was designed that way for a reason, sadly it's not the same in the P car.

Peter Zimmermann

Aaah, but let's not forget, when the side markers are on, so are the rear-facing, and front-facing, "parking" lights. Those lights are not legal to "run" with in CA (without the headlights also on), hence my term "parking lights." The way that I look at is that cars had parking lights long before the invention of the side-marker, so just for the heckuva it I got out two of my driver's manuals (1970 911E and 1977 911S/Turbo), one is only a few years after the beginning of the side-marker generation, the other about ten years after. Each manual describes the little green light as the "Parking Light Indicator."