russpe

Just need a little help understanding how to electrically disconnect the 3rd (upper) brake light on my '05 C2S. I followed a post that showed me how to remove the complete housing (body part) which instructed me to remove the 3 Torx bolts from outside the car above the spoiler and the 2 10mm nuts at the back of the inside ledge behind the rear seats. Once removed, I thought that there would be an electrical connector to disconnect the assembly from the car but there were no connectors visible or accessible. Does this mean that I need to remove (pry out) the LED light bar to get to the connector? And if that is the case why was it necessary to remove the body part from above the spoiler?

jchapura

Here is a pic of the lamp assembly with the female connector circled.

russpe

jchapura
Thanks for the awesome picture. Now just one question... can it be disconnected without removing it from the assembly? I'm just worried that I'll break it during removal. Thanks!

jchapura

You're welcome.
Not sure. When I put my Jacquemond Darus wing on, I did not have to do anything physical with the upper light.
You can be assured that the plastic is now more brittle than when new - be careful.

DocNik

I changed mine due to three blown LEDs and it was tight, very tight. Extra hands would have been nice. I managed to get almost an extra inch of wire from the car side, by pulling on it, that helped a lot. I had to disconnect it before removing the assembly.
TIP: Was shocked it didn't work when testing it, but then realized the spoiler was up. (When it is, only the spoiler brake light works - someting I initially forgot). Looks and works great now.

russpe

UGH! Well, I screwed this one up. Since I could not reach the connector to remove the light assembly I decided to try and pry it off. It was only after I cracked it that I realized there are 6 clips holding it which are accessible and are what holds the light assembly in place. Even so, it only set me back about $150 for the new light assembly. There is one thing I don't quite understand which is when I looked up the part number 997.631.050.02 the IBP said that it was replaced by part number 997.631.051.04 which is what I bought. I may be wrong but I believe originally the light assembly had to be ordered in 2 sections, the LED panel and the LED panel housing which make up the light assembly. If I'm right, the assembly is the new part number 997.631.051.04.

jchapura

When I put on my wing, I broke the original light bar that was in the original speed-controlled moveable piece as I tried to transfer it to the new wing - 99763105104 (sourced from Suncoast). (In other words, this is the "lower" light.)

From Pelican, I see p/n 99763105004 for the upper light (has the extra trim that extends out, right and left).

russpe

OK, now I get it. At first, I saw the part number you used for the lower light and it appeared like I ordered the wrong part but upon closer inspection, the upper light has a slightly different number (as you've shown). I assumed the extra trim was a separate piece but apparently, it is sold with the LED already integrated to become a single part for the upper application. So, with all that being said, it would seem that it isn't a big deal if you break the trim (since mine was faulty and not a transfer) removing it as the new part has new trim included. Thanks for sharing your experience, I really appreciate it.

On a final point... I've owned a few P cars now but never joined PCA. Have you? Do you recommend it?

Cheers!

jchapura

I am a PCA member. I do recommend becoming a member. It's not expensive. They have a great print magazine. They sponsor many Porsche related things. There's the occasional discount. They have member only areas for tech support and classifieds. There's the fellowship. You can also join your local region where things like autocross and drivers ed are sponsored (and sometimes discounted, or given priority, for members).