dclynick

So folks, I'm still trying to trace the fault with my central '!' dash warning light not working.

Are the warning lights in the top half of the oil temp/pressure guage (check engine etc ) supposed to come on with the ignition 1st stage and go off again with engine start.

I've spoken to an engineer, and he says these particular lights only come on when there is a specific problem i.e they normally stay off all the time

I'm sure i've seen peoples dash photos with these lights on...
The other dash lights all come on with ignition and go off when the engine starts - so why not these ones?

These top lights are supplied by the same cable as the '!' light so this could give me a big clue...

cabrio993

What kind of an engineer was that?

All the lights on your dash should turn on while you turn the key, and then go off. This is how you can test for burned out bulbs. The only ones that will never come on are those that may be "disabled" in your car just because you didn't have that option - i.e. ABD, etc. All the other common ones should come on.

I think you found your problem. Just trace that harness and make sure is plugged in right and that there are no broken or exposed wires shorting out.

dclynick

One of the most respected independant Porsche service engineers in the UK. Hence my confusion and loss of sleep on this issue

Maybe he misunderstood me....

Anyway. Thanks for the reply. I reckon it's either the cable or whole central informer unit. Busy weekend ahead then!

slant911

If you look in your owners manual (assuming you have one) there is a page in there that shows the complete dashboard and all the warning lights. Compare this to what actually comes on. It will give you an indication of which lights are coming on when the key is turned to the on position.