sgrisanti

I understand the value of the hammer, and finding the actual problem of why the lights remain on. I still want to ask, if anyone has simply ignored the problem, and disconnected the bulbs? If so, is this risky, does it cause future problems, and was it a simple task?

springer3

I say fix it. The payback is better owner satisfaction, better crash safety, and your resale value will be improved more than the cost of the repair when the time comes to sell.

The clumsy 964 diagnostic system is already a blemish on the reputation of an otherwise excellent car. It will only get worse if more cars are driven with missing bulbs and "work around fixes" as opposed to proper repairs. The system is complicated and interconnected. Pulling bulbs will cause a "bulb failure" warning, and now you will have two alarms to clear.

You would still need to reset the ! light every time you started the car. If you disable the ! light, you will risk missing an important warning, and then have an expensive problem.

I inherited the airbag warning light problem from the PO, who had several invoices in the records for resetting the light. The dealer evidently cleared the light each visit rather than fix the problem. It was easy enough to fix it. It was the crash sensor contacts. It has been over a year with no problems.

Adrian

Lots of people then they sell the 964 and the next purchaser ends up on this forum getting help and feeling a little ripped off. That is the future problem and we have been down this track numerous times.
I am sure from a purely personal point of view that you and your passengers would like to know that the air bags are going are able to work if they are actually called upon to save your lives!
I always say if you cannot afford to fix it don't buy it.
Ciao,
Adrian.

hawk911

The post answered a question on a car I'm looking at- airbag light on but seller claims it's been cleared numerous times. Probably a dirty sensor as noted above. Once again, it's great to have a forum like this for these wonderful machines.

Marc Shaw

Have it looked at in the PPI though as, IIRC, air-bags can be expensive to fix, if that really is the problem.

Marc

apeper

Hi All :
I have the same condition with my 1990 C4 964
So how do you clean the " Crash Sensors" ? I have looked at them and they seem to be a sealed units hard wired in.
anybody know how to clean them ?
I have spent a lot of moiney tryin to fix this condition allready at porsche shops and no one has fixed it yet.
Thanks if you know.
apeper rennlist member aperad@yahoo.com

Jeremy Pinsly

I had a problem with airbag and seat belt light...There is no way I will drive around in a car knowing that there is a potential problem with the airbag system.....Just too dangerous....Get it fixed now and know you are doing the right thing......

springer3

Follow the wire from the crash sensor to the connector near the bulkhead to the passenger compartment. Pull the connector apart, and spray "Electrical Contact Cleaner" on the pins and sockets. Radio Shack and any electronics store sells contact cleaner in spray cans with a red WD-40 type of spray nozzle. Blast directly on the contacts. Catch the liquid run-off on a rag. Spray plenty - it is cheap, and you want to make sure you get things really clean this time. Shake to get the free liquid out of the contacts, and let them dry completely before putting them back together.

I got rid of the problem on my car. The light has been off for a year. Previous record before cleaning the contacts was about 2 months.

Problems besides the crash sensors can cause the airbag warning light to come on. Get someone to read the stored fault codes, and that will identify the exact component that triggered the warning.

Don't disturb the crash sensors unless they are the cause. Never fix anything that is not broken.

Lefty's Deceiver

I have heard that the battery can run down and cause the airbag light to come on. I guess you need to take it to a dealer or indy with the hammer. Mine just came on yesterday and my wife was driving the car. I think she left the interior light on, maybe this is what caused the airbag light to illuminate. What a PIA!

Springer - did you look at the fault codes prior to cleaning the contacts? And did you then have to have them reset? I looked in the C2/C4 manuals and they said to turn the ignition on and then pull the instrument fuse for 30 seconds. But this did not turn off the light....

springer3

I did read the codes first, and they sent me to the left crash sensor. This is the only thing I touched, under the theory that you don't fix something that is not broken.

Regrettably, the hammer is the only thing that will reset the airbag codes. Those codes are stored in involatile memory, and cannot be reset by powering down like you can with the DME fault codes..

apeper

Hi Lefty:
Come on now guys - you know the Hammer may well not turn "out the lights" It may cost plenty !
The thing is with the lights on the Airbag will not work - so don't crash ! That's why you should fix it.
As to the battery - what can kill the lights turning off- is a power " FLASH" from jump starting the car
this can cause the controler to set off the lights. If the hammer code thinks the car has been in a crash ( 61,62,65 ) then it will not re-set untill repaired. This could mean New airbags,crash sensors,new controler ($2K) and then theirs the wireing-don't forget the labor. Its about Porsches "controler" So start withg the codes
Apeper

Richard930

I've got the same problem, and given that I'm selling the car I'm going to get it fixed. My wrench hooked up the hammer and got no fault codes, reset the lights, and then I get between an hour and a couple of weeks of motoring before the lights come on again. Hammer comes up with no faults, so we go through the same process. He claims to have seen this before on 964s and has diagnosed cracked solder joints in the wiring of the clock so we'll be sending it out for repair. Anyone else heard of this fix?

Hope this clears it up once and for all as I don't want the next owner to think I screwed him. These cars are tough enough to sell already - I love it but the general perception out there is that they are just an expensive disaster waiting to happen even though I know of quite a few owners who have happily gone 200,000 + km without any significant issues.

craig001

Actually this is a DIY fix if you have a soldering iron. It's nicely documented on John's 964 UK site and also on the Pelican BBS in a post by Tom Sharpe.

apeper

Hi All :
Richard Just put in a 993 clock (its cheaper then haveing yours repaired ) looks the same but is a updated clock. "Salvage Yard" $40 to $100. ( a better clock)
Note: remove single power wire with care ( clock time set wire) or it will "brake off.Things to try: Replace the DME relay (in the fuse box) can cause power "Flash" = set off lights
Also Try this: Disconnect your battery for a day or so then :Hook it back up :"Wait 10 min." and start up and drive car for at least 30 to 6o min . This will reset the whole system( DME ). It will not set off the "red Lights" but if they where on all ready it will not turn them out.
Apeper

Richard930

Thanks Craig and Apeper. We checked for faults again this morning (none again) so he reset them again. Next time they come on I'll try the solder repair myself. In the meantime I'll make a couple of calls to see how much the 993 clocks are (not sure my wife would like it if I took hers!).

Changed the DME to the 993 one last year and did a DME reset on Friday. 200km today and no issues so we'll wait and see, but at least I know there's a DIY fix so thanks again.