Headlights flashing

[LeRoux Strydom]

I just noticed recently that my car's headlights (high beams) do not flash if I pull the stalk on the steering column with the lights switch off and ignition on. Is this the way it's supposed to be? Pulling the lights switch out into parks or headlights on position, and the high beams flash when I pull the stalk.

My drivers handbook make no mention of being able to flash the high beams with the lights off. Car is '78 SC RoW spec.

How do everyone else flash other Porsche drivers?

thanks

LeRoux

[Adam]

Yep. You're doing it right, so you might have a slight electrical gremlin.

Do the headlights work on high-beam when they're switched on?

[LeRoux Strydom]

Yes, everything else works the way it should, i.e. pull the headlight switch on the dashboard, and I get low beams with the stalk pulled up and high beams with the stalk pushed back. Pulling the stalk further forward from the low beams position will flash the high beams while being held there. So it seems as if the steering column stalk switch works fine. Only problem is, no flashing when the lights are switched off! Is this peculiar to my model year car, or is something wrong?

thanks

LeRoux

[PDACPA]

I thought this was about passing the fellow P car on the road and giving a headlight blink!

[LeRoux Strydom]

This is exactly what I'm trying to achieve !

LeRoux

[Bob's Flat-Six]

I have an 80 SC and they flash in the headlight off position with the key off too. Pull back towards the wheel.
Cheers

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Bob's Flat-Six
I have an 80 SC and they flash in the headlight off position with the key off too. Pull back towards the wheel.
Cheers

me to

[steve911]

LeRoux--
I had a similar problem with my '85 Targa. I took the switch out and re-aligned all the connections. There are (if memory serves) 3 metal tabs. Align them and CLEAN the electrical contact surfaces and it should start working again.

edit: to clarify as per Jamie's (correct) observation

[jpnovak]

Not only alignment but clean the contacts. You can do both with the swtich in the column after taking off the shroud. Yes, you must pull the steering wheel to get the shroud off.
Jamie

[LeRoux Strydom]

So this weekend I had some time to mess around with the electrics on my car. After studying thediagram below from my trusty Bentley, and scratching my head a little, I found that the red/white wire indicated in the diagram was swopped for another white/red wire on the lights switch, which prevented current flow to the pull stalk switch when the lights are turned off. Pretty subtle, but then easy to confuse if you're in a hurry. The red/white wire is a red wire with a white stripe, vice versa on the white/red.



After swapping them around, I can now flash with the best of them! Yeah, pretty trivial fix, but it gives me closure........

LeRoux