Just replaced the ignition switch
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EVOMMM (05-24-2022)
09-03-2014, 10:36 PM
#17
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07-04-2016, 09:10 PM
#20
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Just want to thank all for this old post. Switch went out on my 2004 Turbo, Ordered a new switch from eBay and installed it on Saturday. Nice to have that switch working smoothly again.
Ken
Ken
07-05-2016, 07:52 AM
#21
Instructor
Once I realized there were two set screws holding the switch in, it was pretty easy. Put in new horn plate also, I had the awesome hard braking and horn honking at same time. The only bad thing the old ignition switch was doing was occasional lights flashing when car was parked and locked. I'm glad I replaced it though as you can see the cracked part at the top.
08-10-2016, 11:37 PM
#22
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I just did the switch replacement on my '02 C2.
There are apparently two electrical components, the first has a black plastic cylinder that goes into the lock (P/N 4A0 905 849), and one with a white cylinder (4B0 905 615). Naturally, I ordered the black one, and needed the white one. I do not know if the lock assembly had been replaced by the previous owner. Maybe my car had the black switch from the factory.
I did the switch removal after removing the horizontal ventilation duct, and I found that removing the switch was a literal pain. I had to go headfirst into the pedal box and back out five times, and spent 30 minutes in the foot well getting the switch out.
The good news is that the installation was a one-trip affair and took all of 5 minutes to complete. The key was a $8 screwdriver set from Harbor Freight which had an assortment of bits, a driver, and a miraculous 8" flexible shaft. The current URL for this set is http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-to...set-93916.html.
The flexible shaft was the key - it's able to bend into a radius little greater than the switch itself. It made tightening the retaining screws in the lock assembly a breeze. After struggling mightily to get it out, the screwdriver set made the installation a piece of cake.
Are Harbor Freight tools of questionable quality? Yes, they are, but they're inexpensive enough that I would have paid many times the cost to spare me from going in and out from beneath the dash to insert the switch.
If you don't know what electrical part to get, they're cheap enough that I'd recommend getting one of each. If anyone needs a "black" switch, let me know and I'll get it out to you.
There are apparently two electrical components, the first has a black plastic cylinder that goes into the lock (P/N 4A0 905 849), and one with a white cylinder (4B0 905 615). Naturally, I ordered the black one, and needed the white one. I do not know if the lock assembly had been replaced by the previous owner. Maybe my car had the black switch from the factory.
I did the switch removal after removing the horizontal ventilation duct, and I found that removing the switch was a literal pain. I had to go headfirst into the pedal box and back out five times, and spent 30 minutes in the foot well getting the switch out.
The good news is that the installation was a one-trip affair and took all of 5 minutes to complete. The key was a $8 screwdriver set from Harbor Freight which had an assortment of bits, a driver, and a miraculous 8" flexible shaft. The current URL for this set is http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-to...set-93916.html.
The flexible shaft was the key - it's able to bend into a radius little greater than the switch itself. It made tightening the retaining screws in the lock assembly a breeze. After struggling mightily to get it out, the screwdriver set made the installation a piece of cake.
Are Harbor Freight tools of questionable quality? Yes, they are, but they're inexpensive enough that I would have paid many times the cost to spare me from going in and out from beneath the dash to insert the switch.
If you don't know what electrical part to get, they're cheap enough that I'd recommend getting one of each. If anyone needs a "black" switch, let me know and I'll get it out to you.
08-11-2016, 11:01 AM
#23
I just bought the new ignition switch including the mechanical portion. My electrical switch went bad in two years so I want to replace the whole thing. If anyone knows of a good DIY with pictures please post the link. I don't think I have seen one for the entire thing.
08-11-2016, 08:39 PM
#24
Pro
05-24-2022, 01:44 AM
#25
Difficult but miraculous fix
I had a hard time believing that an ELECTRICAL switch could solve my seemingly obviously MECHANICAL issue, of being unable to twist my key past the accessory stage and remove my key from the ignition, but all the posts I saw said to replace the electrical switch first and that it would solve the mechanical issue... ...and they were 100% correct! The minute I removed the switch, my key, which had been fully stuck in the ignition, just popped right out! Wow! It was almost miraculous!
That being said, I'm a small guy, and I had a horrible time loosening the 2 set screws. There is absolutely no room under the dash, and my arms didn't bend at the right places to get my hands up in there. The near set screw was hard to loosen, the far set screw was nearly impossible. So here's my tips:
1. Make sure to fully remove the hvac duct vs. just trying to bend it out of the way (don't worry, once you have 1 end disconnected, the other end just pops free). You NEED all the space you can get.
2. Take the advice of an earlier poster in this forum, and remove the side dash vent. It takes another 15 minutes, but it was the ONLY way that i was able to loosen the far set screw. Note that this was still not a miracle cure, it was still tough even from this new angle, but at least it made it do-able, when combined with #3 below.
3. A poster in a different forum recommended buying a screwdriver set from Harbor Freight tools for $10 that contained a flexible screwdriver shaft, which was a lifesaver when snaked through the hole made from removing the vent. BTW, the set screws need tiny flat blade screwdrivers, not Phillips.
Some people said this was a 30 minute job. Maybe for expert mechanics who have done this before and know what they are doing. For me, it took about 2 hours. But, at the end of the job, I'm thrilled to fix my Porsche 996 for just $10 plus another $10 in tools...
That being said, I'm a small guy, and I had a horrible time loosening the 2 set screws. There is absolutely no room under the dash, and my arms didn't bend at the right places to get my hands up in there. The near set screw was hard to loosen, the far set screw was nearly impossible. So here's my tips:
1. Make sure to fully remove the hvac duct vs. just trying to bend it out of the way (don't worry, once you have 1 end disconnected, the other end just pops free). You NEED all the space you can get.
2. Take the advice of an earlier poster in this forum, and remove the side dash vent. It takes another 15 minutes, but it was the ONLY way that i was able to loosen the far set screw. Note that this was still not a miracle cure, it was still tough even from this new angle, but at least it made it do-able, when combined with #3 below.
3. A poster in a different forum recommended buying a screwdriver set from Harbor Freight tools for $10 that contained a flexible screwdriver shaft, which was a lifesaver when snaked through the hole made from removing the vent. BTW, the set screws need tiny flat blade screwdrivers, not Phillips.
Some people said this was a 30 minute job. Maybe for expert mechanics who have done this before and know what they are doing. For me, it took about 2 hours. But, at the end of the job, I'm thrilled to fix my Porsche 996 for just $10 plus another $10 in tools...
05-24-2022, 01:52 AM
#26
I had a hard time believing that an ELECTRICAL switch could solve my seemingly obviously MECHANICAL issue, of being unable to twist my key past the accessory stage and remove my key from the ignition, but all the posts I saw said to replace the electrical switch first and that it would solve the mechanical issue... ...and they were 100% correct! The minute I removed the switch, my key, which had been fully stuck in the ignition, just popped right out! Wow! It was almost miraculous!
That being said, I'm a small guy, and I had a horrible time loosening the 2 set screws. There is absolutely no room under the dash, and my arms didn't bend at the right places to get my hands up in there. The near set screw was hard to loosen, the far set screw was nearly impossible. So here's my tips:
1. Make sure to fully remove the hvac duct vs. just trying to bend it out of the way (don't worry, once you have 1 end disconnected, the other end just pops free). You NEED all the space you can get.
2. Take the advice of an earlier poster in this forum, and remove the side dash vent. It takes another 15 minutes, but it was the ONLY way that i was able to loosen the far set screw. Note that this was still not a miracle cure, it was still tough even from this new angle, but at least it made it do-able, when combined with #3 below.
3. A poster in a different forum recommended buying a screwdriver set from Harbor Freight tools for $10 that contained a flexible screwdriver shaft, which was a lifesaver when snaked through the hole made from removing the vent. BTW, the set screws need tiny flat blade screwdrivers, not Phillips.
Some people said this was a 30 minute job. Maybe for expert mechanics who have done this before and know what they are doing. For me, it took about 2 hours. But, at the end of the job, I'm thrilled to fix my Porsche 996 for just $10 plus another $10 in tools...
That being said, I'm a small guy, and I had a horrible time loosening the 2 set screws. There is absolutely no room under the dash, and my arms didn't bend at the right places to get my hands up in there. The near set screw was hard to loosen, the far set screw was nearly impossible. So here's my tips:
1. Make sure to fully remove the hvac duct vs. just trying to bend it out of the way (don't worry, once you have 1 end disconnected, the other end just pops free). You NEED all the space you can get.
2. Take the advice of an earlier poster in this forum, and remove the side dash vent. It takes another 15 minutes, but it was the ONLY way that i was able to loosen the far set screw. Note that this was still not a miracle cure, it was still tough even from this new angle, but at least it made it do-able, when combined with #3 below.
3. A poster in a different forum recommended buying a screwdriver set from Harbor Freight tools for $10 that contained a flexible screwdriver shaft, which was a lifesaver when snaked through the hole made from removing the vent. BTW, the set screws need tiny flat blade screwdrivers, not Phillips.
Some people said this was a 30 minute job. Maybe for expert mechanics who have done this before and know what they are doing. For me, it took about 2 hours. But, at the end of the job, I'm thrilled to fix my Porsche 996 for just $10 plus another $10 in tools...
Jobs likes this really make me question the "superb German engineering" of a Porsche.
05-24-2022, 10:58 AM
#27
05-24-2022, 06:25 PM
#28
I had a hard time believing that an ELECTRICAL switch could solve my seemingly obviously MECHANICAL issue, of being unable to twist my key past the accessory stage and remove my key from the ignition, but all the posts I saw said to replace the electrical switch first and that it would solve the mechanical issue... ...and they were 100% correct! The minute I removed the switch, my key, which had been fully stuck in the ignition, just popped right out! Wow! It was almost miraculous!
That being said, I'm a small guy, and I had a horrible time loosening the 2 set screws. There is absolutely no room under the dash, and my arms didn't bend at the right places to get my hands up in there. The near set screw was hard to loosen, the far set screw was nearly impossible. So here's my tips:
1. Make sure to fully remove the hvac duct vs. just trying to bend it out of the way (don't worry, once you have 1 end disconnected, the other end just pops free). You NEED all the space you can get.
2. Take the advice of an earlier poster in this forum, and remove the side dash vent. It takes another 15 minutes, but it was the ONLY way that i was able to loosen the far set screw. Note that this was still not a miracle cure, it was still tough even from this new angle, but at least it made it do-able, when combined with #3 below.
3. A poster in a different forum recommended buying a screwdriver set from Harbor Freight tools for $10 that contained a flexible screwdriver shaft, which was a lifesaver when snaked through the hole made from removing the vent. BTW, the set screws need tiny flat blade screwdrivers, not Phillips.
Some people said this was a 30 minute job. Maybe for expert mechanics who have done this before and know what they are doing. For me, it took about 2 hours. But, at the end of the job, I'm thrilled to fix my Porsche 996 for just $10 plus another $10 in tools...
That being said, I'm a small guy, and I had a horrible time loosening the 2 set screws. There is absolutely no room under the dash, and my arms didn't bend at the right places to get my hands up in there. The near set screw was hard to loosen, the far set screw was nearly impossible. So here's my tips:
1. Make sure to fully remove the hvac duct vs. just trying to bend it out of the way (don't worry, once you have 1 end disconnected, the other end just pops free). You NEED all the space you can get.
2. Take the advice of an earlier poster in this forum, and remove the side dash vent. It takes another 15 minutes, but it was the ONLY way that i was able to loosen the far set screw. Note that this was still not a miracle cure, it was still tough even from this new angle, but at least it made it do-able, when combined with #3 below.
3. A poster in a different forum recommended buying a screwdriver set from Harbor Freight tools for $10 that contained a flexible screwdriver shaft, which was a lifesaver when snaked through the hole made from removing the vent. BTW, the set screws need tiny flat blade screwdrivers, not Phillips.
Some people said this was a 30 minute job. Maybe for expert mechanics who have done this before and know what they are doing. For me, it took about 2 hours. But, at the end of the job, I'm thrilled to fix my Porsche 996 for just $10 plus another $10 in tools...
Either way, it was a very satisfying job as it made the key function much better.
09-24-2022, 01:54 AM
#29
Rennlist Member
