Windows & Locks Inop
 

Back story first. '97 986. I replaced the Immobilizer/Central Control last year and have a spare matched to the DME. Everything worked 100%. I put the car under cover w/ a Battery Maintainer in November for winter. Kid unplugged the maintainer and the battery went dead. I recharged the battery and placed back on the maintainer. The Battery and Alternator both check good.

Now: Neither the Locks nor Windows Operate properly

Windows:
No Drop on Door Open, both inside & outside handles, both doors, relays do click
No Drop to Open Top, Top operates perfectly
Courtesy drop w/ key in door does not work
Center Console Switches do not work, relays do click and lights dim.

Locks:
Dash Switch has no effect
Fob, "Lock, unlock, beep, beep", no security flasher
With Key, locks and unlocks properly, no activation of security system.

Courtesy lights work. Fuses C3 & D1 check good. A Pillar Connection Checks Good. I hooked up both known good immobilizers with no effect. I highly doubt both door latch switches would go bad at the same time.

Could it be the window microswitch in the Top Latch?

Thoughts, Ideas, Tips, Tricks, Etc. Please & Thank You

Update 3/26/22: Replaced Top Latch Microswitch Assembly. No effect. Two new door latch assemblies arrived this week. Replacing those 2nd week in April. I loathe troubleshooting by throwing parts at a problem hoping one of them will "fix" it.

Question - does the car start and run?

Yes, runs & drives fine. Everything works except locks, windows & alarm

Seeing as how no one bothered responding with anything useful. here's what I found thus far. The CLU/Immobilizer is 100% A-Ok. It's not wet, it's not corroded. I have two synchronized to the car, Both work fine.

Windows now work. Driver's Side Isolated to the Gray & Red Wire in the A-Pillar terminal. Both ends were corroded off, the terminal block was full of water and mud. I rewired the circuit, resealed the terminal.

Passenger Side was simply a frozen motor. I removed the motor lubricated it, applied power and it worked perfectly.

Windows now work in all normal functionality. Regulators are fine, and now thoroughly lubricated.

Door Locks are still a problem. I replaced the Latch mechanisms and utilized the old Electrical portion. The '97 is different than all other years as it has an 8 pin Terminal and all other years have a 9 pin Terminal. The internal mechanisms in the electrical sections are also very different. I have a strong feeling the Latches were not a problem to begin with. So now I have Spares if needed.



Driver's side locks w/ key only. Dash Switch is inop, Remote Locking is inop. However, it will unlock with the fob. Three Key turns to lock, Locks Driver's Door & Fuel Cap and activates alarm system, single beep. Open the passenger door and the alarm goes off. So it's working as it should.

The indicating unit, flashes 2 times/second, indicating a malfunction in the system. Dash LED does not come on at all. Dash Switch is inop.

I NEED an Electrical Schematic or diagram for the '97 Model Year Door Lock System. The Bentley is useless as it's '98-'04.

Update, Mostly Fixed: Replaced both door latches w/ $30 VW Latches. Part# 3B1837015A (Left), 3B1837016A (Right). THIS IS FOR '97 MODEL YEAR ONLY. Remote unlocks car & fuel cap, disables alarm. Key Locks Doors & fuel Cap, three turns activates alarm. That's good enough. It Locks & the Alarm works. No more double beep.

The 986forum.com (also run by Pelican Parts) is more active for Boxster related questions. You should re-post over there. I went through debugging an '98 but it turned out to be bad door latches and a faulty ignitions switch assembly. It was the ignition switch assembly that was giving me a double beep (fault in the system) and causing the alarm to go off randomly. May want to replace that to simply cross it off the list. I believe a single horn beep means the car thinks something is still open/unlatched.

I posted in 4 different Porsche & 986 forums to no avail. I was hoping a Pelican Tech would chime in. Good to know your diagnosis on the '98. The '97 is quite a different bird. I think what ever minor issues I have now are in the wiring. The A-Pillar terminals were a wet muddy mess.