VT928

The little red car is once again home. It fired right up after 5 months in a cold
Vermont barn. All I had to do was reconnect the battery and turn the key. Not bad for an old CIS Euro S. It looks like I developed a brake light problem while in storage, the brakelight warning came on for about 5 or six minutes and then went off but the brakelights are not working. They came on a few times according to my wife but only two or three time on the 18 mile trip home. The bulbs are good, it looks like an intermitent gremlin. With all the idiots on the road I know that I was on the brakes more than that. Any suggestions on where to look first.

It is good to have the car home again, but I hate electrical problems. All it needs now is a Kibort style front brake upgrade to 322 mm rotors and S4 calipers, new rubber, and a right front wheel bearing. I toasted the left front just prior to storing the car, fixed it, but I figured I am on borrowed time with the right front. Thinking the bearings are cheap so I should have neww on each side

Paul Mammorella
1980 Euro S Red/Blk/Lea

dr bob

Paul--

Congrats on getting the car out and back on the road.

For the common problem with brake warning and brakelights, plan on replacing the two brakelight switches on the master cylinder. Get good ones from one of our regular suppliers, avoiding the cheapo discount cheapo inconsistent cheapo ones you may find locally. The switches are common to some VW cars with dual-circuit master cylinders if you decide to look locally. The switches should actuate together, so getting a good quality matched pair is important. Either switch working under pressure will light the stoplamps for you. If only one switch is actuated, you'll still get stoplamps but will also get the dash warning.

From your symptoms as described, you may have a loose connection on one or both of the switches, and may also have a weak fuse connection for one or both of the stoplamp circuits. Might be worth taking a few minutes to clean the fuse ands and the holders in the fuse panel, and pull/replace the wire connections on the two pressure switches on the master cylinder a few times to clean the contact areas. These tasks are part of the normal annual electrical maintenance typically required on the 928, especially those early cars that are blessed with the ceramic fuses.

VT928

Bob,

Thanks for the information I have been checking for connection problems for most of the afternoon with no luck. I get an occasioanl flash of brake lights under hard braking but that is it I have done the connections at the MC, the fuse has been pullled and the contacts cleaned and all the blulbs checked and still no joy in mudville. I would pull my hair or out if I had any. Will keep at it


Thanks again

Paul Mammorella
1980 Euro S Red/Blk Lea

dr bob

Paul--

It's the switches. Save your hair for something important.

sidehatch

It sounds like a barn find car,even though you knew it was there,like that bugatti that guy on chasing classic cars found,i would love to find some 928s in mint in a barn somewhere,you think theres one out there?

tailpipe

I have a few stashed in my barn, I agree with doc Bob its the master cyl presure switches just buy new they are not expensive

VT928

Sidehatch,

Can't call it a barn find since I put it there. Vermont winters are brutal and there is no way that a 928 would make a suitable daily driver. So it is into storage at a friends barn before the snow flies and out mid April, by the way it is 29 degrees here with snow fluries today. It always seems like there is a some kind of new problem when I take the car out of storage, and always electrical.

I will install some new switches and see if that does it.

Thanks all

Paul Mammorella
1980 Euro S Red/Blk Lea

Marine Blue

Paul next time you put the car in storage use a Dessicant to help draw the moisture from inside the car. That will help minimize any problems with corosion inside.