Highway T

Hi,
it's been a while since I posted and I see there are a few changes.

For those that followed my story I imported my U.S. 1987 944S into the UK and I am finally close to having the lighting converted to UK spec so that I can get it on the road.

The final thing that is holding me up is that I need to move a wire from J14 on the back of the central electric (a.k.a. fuse box) to position J11. The plastic plug is sectional and I have that apart but I cannot get the weird spade connector out of the plastic block.

Anyone managed this before? How did you do it?

I am on dial up so have to go but will give you the full skinny when I finally get broadband (yeah British Telecom ).

Cheers,

Chris

P.S. I did search the archive but without luck.

Chris_924s

Hey Chris- No Tweeks this year huh.. We'll miss you!

If it's a spade plug it should pull out from the crimped with a needle nose pliers, or if it was crimped on then heated (possible bad connection, or OEM- I havent looked at this particular connector..)it may have fused itself in. I have has some success pulling the lug out from the front and clipping the wire and adding a fusable link where the new splice is.

Q?- Aren't 944's cheaper in the UK? I know yours is a beautiful example :drool: of a 944, but how much is the conversion BACK to european standards costing you?

Best of luck mate! - Chris.

Highway T

Hi Chris,
thanks for the thought and yes I am afraid there will be no Tweaks for me this year. The silver lining was that today I visited the famous Prescott hill climb (run by the Bugatti Owners Club) and watched everything from a 356 to ex-F1 cars throw themselves up a hill at crazy speeds in the wet.

Conversion of the car is costing me very little. I got some lights for free off a friend and the rest has cost me $100 max in parts. My biggest problem has been time and lack of a home but they are now soughting themselves out.

Shipping of the car was not cheap but this wasn't a financial decision - everything else in our lives changed with the move and the 944 has at least been unchanged. There are lots of 944's here but I know mine has been well cared for and has had all the important work done.

Back to the topic - the plastic connector blocks on the back of the central electric hold the female part. I think they are held in the plastic block by spines and there is probably a tool to press in the spines so the connector can be pulled out of the block - but I don't have it. I was hoping someone would have a better way then mine - pushing things in to try and dislodge it.

Everything else is done - I just need to move this damned electrical connection.

Bye for now,

Chris

SoCal Driver

Can't you just move the wire even if you have to cut it and crimp on another connector?

What circuit is this?

Sam Lin

The tool is available from SnapOn, I believe it's the GM Metri-Pack tool or something, has a thin tube you can slide over the pin to depress the locking tabs.

Sam

SoCal Driver

Flat connectors. Not the round ones you find in the electric mirrors.

Highway T

The circuits are for the fog lights. On U.S. cars the front fogs are flashed on when you flash the main beam which is not required (or possibly legal) in the UK - this is connection J14.
UK cars must have a rear fog light but all the wiring is deleted from the harness. The power for the rear fogs comes from J11 but in a US car the connector is empty.

I thought to move the surplus front fog wire from J14 to J11 and move the other end from the front fog light switch to my newly purchased rear fog light switch.

I would crimp onto another wire but Porsche does not only miss out the switches and bulbs for options not used but also misses out all the wiring - hence there is nothing to crimp onto. I checked and a standard femal spade connector will not fit into the plasric block.

No choice but to keep at it.

Cheers,

Chris

MartinT

Not to hijack the thread Chris, but I thought I'd ask this since you're in the middle of taking this all apart.

What lights are meant to be on with switch position. I am asking this because me 87 N/A (US Spec) does some strange things.

Headlight switch on main - Headlights on & Fogs on (passenger side one seems dimmer) - front side markers off

Then I switch the fog light switch on - The passenger side marker comes on.

I'm confused...and now it looks like my headlight switch is on the way out.l Switch the headlights on but the dash lights don't light, until you tweak it a little, then everything is fine.

Sorry for the hijack

Martin

SoCal Driver

Interesting. My 83 has the wires to the rear for the euro fog tail light. Haven't traced them down in the front.

My fogs only flash when the head lights are off.

Think your fogs go through a relay just as mine do. Did you consider that in your rewire?

Highway T

Well it's done now. For future reference the connectors are held in the plastic blocks by a single metal spline. I made up a tool (a filed down piece of bicycle spoke) and pushed it in the top from the open end to disconnect it. I suspected it was something like that but until you see it you're pokeing blindly in the dark.

I am happy to report that everythings works as I thought it would - fogs on only with headlights and rear fog light only on with front.

Martin - your funky lights sound like classic earthing problem. The current goes in all kinds of odd places when the earth is bad. You should probably talk to IceShark on this one.

Socal - my wiring is now an exact copy of the UK wiring diagram so it should be good.

The car goes for it's MOT (ministry of transport) test on the 15th so wish me luck!

Cheers and thanks for the input,

Chris

MartinT

Chris,

Thanks. I'll take a look, I know I'm in need of a battery negative cable, I am currently using one my mechanic put together. The clamp on the other was corroded and the bolt was bent.



Martin