Standing lights.

[86 911 Targa]

^^^^^
Is this the correct standing light?

Should both lights be on?

Thanks in advance,

Gerry

[proporsche]

yes, both are side marker light plus the turn signal when you put it on should be brighter..
Ivan

[tmadden2]

Do your license plate lights come on with either direction of the turn signal stalk? When the ignition is off and the right turn signal is active, I get plate lights and right-side standing lights. When the left turn signal is active, it’s left-side standing lights only - no license plate lights. Seems unusual.

[proporsche]

I might misunderstand? you meant when you park your 911 ...parking lights on...the street left or right .... correct?
Yes, both come on so is the rear...

Ivan

[tmadden2]

Right. When the car is turned off, those front and rear corner parking lights illuminate one side or the other depending on the turn signal stalk. What’s funny about mine is that the license plate lights come on when the stalk is up (right) but not down (left).

[proporsche]

it must be your connection ---it should run from one wire unless somebody connected it to your right tail light assembly?

Ivan

[proporsche]

................

[86 911 Targa]

Originally Posted by tmadden2

Right. When the car is turned off, those front and rear corner parking lights illuminate one side or the other depending on the turn signal stalk. What’s funny about mine is that the license plate lights come on when the stalk is up (right) but not down (left).

^^^^^
For the M/Y 86 (only) this diode turns off the license plate light
when the pass side standing lights are activated.

Gerry

[Canada Kev]

Originally Posted by tmadden2

Right. When the car is turned off, those front and rear corner parking lights illuminate one side or the other depending on the turn signal stalk. What’s funny about mine is that the license plate lights come on when the stalk is up (right) but not down (left).

Check to see if your ashtray light also illuminates (assuming the bulb works) when you turn the signal stalk to the right (up). If that happens, check the wires connected to the rear of your headlight switch.

The connection for the license and ashtray lights should be connected to the terminal labelled N. What may have happened is that the wire for those two things got connected to terminal 58R for some reason. That could be for any collection of odd reasons including that that particular terminal N is no longer working. The current for your parking lights run through those two terminals, 58R and 58L, for RIGHT and LEFT.

In the event that is the situation, that your license light wire is on 58R and your terminal N is no longer working (keep in mind it is only energized when the ignition is in the RUN position and headlight switch is in either position for parking or headlights), you could just accept it working that way or move it to terminal 75 which is energized whenever the ignition key is in the RUN position or terminal 58, energized any time either parking or headlights are ON.

[tmadden2]

You guys have given me a lot of things to check, thanks!

[86 911 Targa]

No pass side standing lights.

Found a disconnected wire on the cathode side of the diode.

Re-connected.


^^^^^
However, when I use either side standing lights, the brake light activate.

Not sure if this is correct.

All other functions work.

Thanks,

Gerry

[proporsche]

Gerry same here it is the tail light in my case not the brake light..double check if it`s not fooling you and you are seeing the tail light not brake light

Ivan

BTW ,your decklid is too low;-).how funny you in the US using euro lens and me in Europe using red lens;-)


better decklid alignment

[86 911 Targa]

So, it looks like we are O.K. with the tail light.

Right?

Gerry

[proporsche]

yup;-) we`re ok................
Ivan

[Snitzler]

I had no idea, I just learned something!

[ELUSIVE]

Originally Posted by tmadden2

Right. When the car is turned off, those front and rear corner parking lights illuminate one side or the other depending on the turn signal stalk. What’s funny about mine is that the license plate lights come on when the stalk is up (right) but not down (left).

I ran into this exact issue today and found this in the search. I'm seeing exactly what you describe tmadden2.

It gave me a bit of an anxiety attack when I couldn't figure out why my parking lights were on only on the left side when the lights of the car were not on. Then I figured out the stalk was on to the left. When I turned the stalk to the right, I got right side parking lights AND license plate lates.

Anyone know why this "feature" exists when the car is off and the turn signal is activated in either direction?

[Koizumi]

So other cars can see your parked car on a tight narrow dark perhaps curved street whilst parked.

I often use it at nite on a busy straight street if I’m the first in line on the block parked at a meter (or the only car parked on a given block on a busy street). LA is the land of bad drivers, every little bit of visibility helps when it comes to the micro-sized 911 relative to the average behemoth SUV.

Why the plate light lights up when the stalk is to the right seems like someone made a mistake. I’d likely chalk that up to incorrectly connected wiring - my car doesn’t do that. Or maybe it’s just a nifty OEM feature on some cars that defies explication, like numerous other oddities that the eccentric 911 exhibits.

[Steve Marshall]

For anyone with a 1986 Carrera wanting to get the license plate lights working, read on. It will save you days of brain damage. Before you do anything, locate and replace the fuse pictured below. I could go into extreme detail but I won't because you probably don't care and just want your damn taillights to work. As far as I know, only 1986 Carreras need apply. This fuse might be tucked behind fuse panel. Reach up in there and pull it out. It's not connected to the # 7 license plate light fuse but don't let that deter you. The vague reference to the fuse form the manual is also pictured.