Chris Lockhart

Hello all. Recently I have had a tail light malfunction signal come up on my dash every time I turn on my head lights. It originally started with it coming on after starting the car, whether or not I turned on the lights, but has dropped off to only when I turn the lights on. The tail lights are working properly, so I figured maybe I had some water in the light connectors or something. (started immediately after washing the car) I removed the tail light assemblies, cleaned the contacts on all bulbs, checked for any burned out bulbs, generally cleaned everything including connectors, and re-installed the bulbs with some fresh di-electric grease. Lights still work perfect, but I'm still getting the failure indication. Any ideas on what to check next????? TIA, for any all help/advice/ideas.

SharkSkin

Check all side-markers, front parking lights and rear license plate lights. They can all cause that warning.

Andrew Schauer

Even if all your bulbs are working, ie NOT burned out, the bulb check unit will sometimes trigger the warning light if each Left/Right pair of bulbs don't match exactly. Different brands of bulbs have different internal resistances, so you might try replacing each pair of bulbs with a new matched pair. Fairly inexpensive fix, and it has solved my problem for almost a year.

Andrew Schauer
1980 5-speed

Chris Lockhart

Thanks guys. I'll give her a good check out.

Chris Lockhart

Sharkskin, you were right. It was the left rear side marker out. I didn't catch it when I was looking everything over, because I was just looking at the tail lights. Thanks for clearing up my tunnel vision!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SharkSkin

Glad it was simple. I don't think there's an easier bulb to change on these cars... The dome light is simpler but having to pull the fuse to change it kind of offsets that.

danny951

I've never heard of a tailight indicator, that's awesome! I'm sort of crusing the threads and this one caught my eye. One more thing to make me appreciate the details and overengineering of Porsche... did the 968 or 911 have this feature too? (I've only had a 951)

SteveM928

As far as details like that are concerned, are you aware of the air conditioned glove compartment?

Big Dave

Yep, my little tailight gremlin eluded me for a lonnnng time. Then I realized my license plate lights were both out. Duh.

ew928

I believe the last count was 12 bulbs in the S4 tail end.
Not counting the 2 for the license plate.

Took me a while to find an intermittent rear marker.
The one in the bumper.
Without a nice glass wall/window to check bulbs.
I would get place hand on each bulb location after
night drive to feel which lens was cold. (dead bulb)
Ernest (NYC)
Do we really need 14 bulbs to light up a shark's rear end.

moon928

How odd is the timing on this? I had my state saftey and emmisions inspection today and the car passed. I am leaving work, I turned the car over and I got the warning too. I hit the brake pedal and it went away.

It looks like I am going to have to check my bulbs tomorrow.

JasonO

I've had that friendly little warning light for quite some time now... except my side marker lights don't work all the time :/ . Some day I will figure it out, some day...

-Jason

Jeff928S4

That light just came on in my car this afternoon.

Looked at all lights, they worked. Started car - warning light was gone - I dunno!

Jeff