Olav A.

I'm experiencing a strange electrical problem.
The symptoms are:

1) The ignition lock light never goes off.

2) The interior lights are always on. In fact the always on position is now the off position and the other positions are now always on. They have reversed according to the owners manual on page 24 for the coupe.

Has anyone experienced this before?

Is this a malfunctioning relay?

Thanks for any help.

Olav

EricGT3

Double check that your front trunk lid and engine lid are completely shut or maybe their switches are faulty.

Olav A.

I checked the switches and they are ok. Used an ohm meter.

But, I did notice that the front trunk light does not go out when the switch is switched off. I even disconnected the switch from the circuit and the light remained on. I removed the front trunk bulb to prevent a battery drain (again)

The engine light switch, when manually pressed faithfully turned off the light.

L23FPorsche

The lights being on means you do have an open circuit somewhere in your car. Use your ohm meter on the door contacts as well. Still that doesn't explain the interior lights/switches being reversed? Have you installed a aftermarket alarm system? Stereo? I had a seven-year-old Alpine alarm system that was failing and was doing similar things. Most notably draining my battery.

Olav A.

My car is bone stock. There is nothing in it that doesn't have a Porsche part number on it.

Open cicuit and reversed lights point me toward a failed relay, I'm thinking or some ground strap has come lose.

Maybe something has worked its way lose over that past years.

Bruce SEA 993

Hey Olav,

Had the same prollem about 3 years ago on my 96. Dealer diagnosed as bad control unit for the alarm system. They RNRed the control unit and everything works great now.

Olav A.

Thanks Bruce.

I'll take it to the dealer today to get it fixed up.

Olav

Olav A.

Bruce,

Where is the alarm system control unit located? Is it under the dash on the drivers side?

Thanks.

max911

Olav, the control unit is under the passenger seat. Mine failed, but the symptoms were different. At almost $300 for a new one, you should troubleshoot all of your switches first. Here is a <a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/rennforums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=004554" target="_blank"> thread </a> that you can check out. max

Olav A.

Max,

My LED's flash correctly and I have central locking.

This is very strange.

max911

Olav, that is what makes me think it is a light/switch/ground problem, not the control unit under the seat. On a side note; after I paid to get my car fixed and paying large for the control unit, i saw a dismantler advertising used units for $75. If you want to experiment with a different control box, this is a cheaper option. email me for a link if you are interested. max@blue3.net ,max

Olav A.

Max,

I haven't check the integrity of my door switches yet. I'll do that asap.

I'll check the door switches and if they are ok I'll get that link off of you.

Thanks.

Olav