electrical part of ignition switch?

[h20cooled7]

do you have to r/r the mechanical part of the switch or can you flatrate this?top screw is a *****!

[Targa Me]

What year?
What does Flatrate mean? Its not in my dictionary.
What are you trying to do?
Pictures?

[h20cooled7]

78 911 sc

[h20cooled7]

flatrate\: when booktime says 3hrs but you knock out in 10 minutes!

[h20cooled7]

Im just trying to replace the electrical portion w/out removing the entire assembly. disconnect harness remove 2 screws and put back together.

[wilke3169]

I changed mine out a month or so ago. the top screw is difficult but not impossible. I devised a tool out of a screw driver and a 1/4" socket... found myself in the drivers seat with my feet on the back glass.

[h20cooled7]

ok ill get creative

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

It's do-able. I did it a few months ago, and I'm 73 and don't contort quite as well as I used to, though I'm still skinny enough to have done it by backing, upside-down, into the driver's footwell. That screw is a pain, and yes, you do have to get creative with it. Worse comes to worse, take out the driver's seat. A mini-Maglite that you can hold in your mouth--like making a night IFR approach when your instrument-panel lights have failed--helps.

[h20cooled7]

ok you guys are giving me the confidence to do this! I am off ,I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Nine9six]

Doing it the right way (removing the whole mechanism) is about a 1 hr job if you know what you're doing. And by knowing what you're doing, I mean you have done the job before, and you know what to expect.
The task is described in the 101 Porsche book, but it fails to state that there is a set screw that holds the steering lock mechanism into place, and its location. Once you finally remove your first key and lock mechanism, the next one is gravy.

[boyt911sc]

Originally Posted by h20cooled7

Im just trying to replace the electrical portion w/out removing the entire assembly. disconnect harness remove 2 screws and put back together.

Watercooled7,

This job looks very simple but if you could remove these 2 screws under 2 hours for a first timer, you are gifted and creative. The space between the head of the screws and the dash is so tight that you need some special size screw driver/s to unscrew them. Once I got them out, I replaced them with allen type screws.

Removing the seat gives you more space to lie down and reach for the screws. With the seat inplace, you got to be a contortionist to successfully do the job well. Good luck and keep us posted.

Tony

[Argo]

On a related note, I got a pair of safety glasses with built in diode lights at sears for just this kind of job. Invaluable! I can't tell you how many maglites I nearly swallowed trying to get light where I needed it. $15 very well spent.

Argo
88 Targa

[Won]

I have a tool that was perfect for this job. It includes a selection of interchangeable screwdriver bits, a short extension and a ratcheting wrench that goes over the bits/extension. It was just the right length to fit between the screw and the firewall. You must have those interchangeable bits somewhere in your toolbox, if not pick up a "universal screwdriver" type deal from walmart for $10 and just cut it to right length. Use a vise grip on it to break the screw loose, then the rest is easy. You don't really need to put the top screw back in after replacing the switch. I never did.

[h20cooled7]

Job sucessfull, took about 10 to 15 minutes to remove. I did this job in a friends driveway and went the route that Won went with all the tools and bits I thought would cover the job. Sounds barbaric but the switch was coming apart so i just snapped the connector half off and had better access to the top screw. used some weatherstrip calk to hold top screw in and had the thing back together in 20 minutes. Thanks for all your help!