Weird-park lights turns on by its self

[OB-1]

I own a 86 Carrera-Targa with 56K on it and it's in prestine 99% original condition.
Resently when I'm driving around during the day time, I'll stop and park, come back to the car and the parking lights are on.
This doesn't happen everytime, I've played with the light switch, then the lights will come back on days or weeks later.
Question: do I need to replace the light switch or is there something else going on?

[The cap'n]

Are all 4 parking lights illuminated when this happens? If it's just one side, they do that when the car is parked with the turn signals on for that side.

The Cap'n

[OB-1]

All the parking lights are on...that's the weird!

[Tidybuoy]

Still check to see if your turn signal lever is activated. Most Porsches have a "German Feature" that will leave one side parking lights on if the lever is activated. This means that if you park with your blinker going and then turn the car off, one side parking lights will stay on.

However, both my 944 and my friend's '71s will activate all parking lights (that is, both sides). Not sure why that is as my 944 used to only do one side at a time.

[OB-1]

So I guess from the responses...it's not a electrical or faulty switch problem-it's more of a German thing! I just need to remember not to have the turn signal lever engaged when I turn of the car.

[wrxnofx]

If your turn signal is not engaged to turn left or right, then that is not your problem. You said that if you "play with the light switch, then the lights will come back on days or weeks later". I'm not exactly sure what this means. So the headlights don't work during this time? The parking lights don't work during this time?

I would look more at the headlight switch at the wiring that goes to and from it. Do parking lights come on in position 1? Position 2?

[OB-1]

Yes all my headlights and things work fine. What I meant by playing with the switch is turning the knob left to right, pulling it in & out from off-running lights-headlights, trying to determine if I had a short or something in the switch.

[T77911S]

the turn signal will just turn on the left or the right when you turn the car off.

how do you make them go off?
pull the light switch in and out multiple times. then see if you can feel the switch as it engages each contact. make sure it goes all the way back in.
i think there is a nut behind the switch knob that holds the switch into the dash. make sure that is tight. it could be that the swich cant push all the way back in.
i just looked at mine. the center silver part of the switch is even with the edge of the nut.

[theiceman]

how do you make the lights go back off ?

this is where your peoblem lies

[T77911S]