911 headlights dont work

brents42gpw · 03-06-2013, 06:33 PM

I have had the lights tested out. and the mechanic said that there was both power going to the high and low beams at the same time. we didn't get to the replacement of the bulbs itself. but I am going to order some tomorrow. was wondering if there should be power going to both high and lows? appreciate
any help. and thanks
brent

ivangene · 03-06-2013, 06:40 PM

your mechanic didnt know the answer to that???

I suggest a new mechanic (DOH)

sorry

tirwin · tirwin's Garage

I'm looking at this on my phone so if something in your profile says what year the car is I can't see it.

The power for the headlights normally goes through the turn signal stalk. Common for them to get fried over time. Also could be that the contacts in the high/low switch in the stalk get worn and come into contact with one another. The symptom is a hair trigger between high and low beams, especially when the turn signal is activated.

If you have power to the lamp base but no light then it sounds like the bulbs are burned out, but both at the same time?

Did your mechanic check the headlight switch?

If you don't have turn signal relays installed, now is a good time to install them. It will prolong the life of the stalk (especially if you need to replace it) and it will make your headlights brighter. You can order them from our host.

brents42gpw · 03-06-2013, 08:39 PM

wow that second post was pretty interesting. at 100 dollars an hour I didn't have him get into the headlights that far. I was more interested in getting the car running and going through the chain tensioners wur fuel injection etc. so I am not getting a new mechanic. I just couldnt afford any more at that point in time. it is a 75 porsche tirwin suposablly the headlight switch was good. I am going to order bulbs. just was hoping it wasnt something more then that. but thought i would ask
thanks

timmy2 · timmy2's Garage

I'm thinking tirwin meant to say headlight relay kit from our host, not turn signal relay.
There should not be power to both high and low at once, except for a brief time of contact overlap.
Your turn signal stalk is the likely suspect. Do a search on it.
New lamps/bulbs won't make power to both terminals at the same time go away...

I'm no mechanic, but I R Lectryshun...

tirwin · tirwin's Garage

Yea I did mean headlight relay. Thanks for the catch.

tirwin · tirwin's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by brents42gpw

wow that second post was pretty interesting. at 100 dollars an hour I didn't have him get into the headlights that far. I was more interested in getting the car running and going through the chain tensioners wur fuel injection etc. so I am not getting a new mechanic. I just couldnt afford any more at that point in time. it is a 75 porsche tirwin suposablly the headlight switch was good. I am going to order bulbs. just was hoping it wasnt something more then that. but thought i would ask
thanks

It sounds like the car is new to you. If so then am I correct in assuming the headlights weren't working when you got it?

If you search for "turn signal stalk" and "headlight relay" on here you'll find a lot of posts about this. You should also know that the instrument panel is unfused from the factory. Good idea to add an inline fuse. Cheap and easy job. Do a search for that too.

rnln · 03-07-2013, 12:29 AM

wow, what a coincident. I knew I didn't have high beams for a long time but I thought it was my bulbs. Tonight, spending all night playing with the headlights and the electrical, I found that when I turn on low beam, low beam has 12v and high beam has around 3v to 4v. When I turn on high beam, both have 0v. Interesting. Then I realized that it was midnight. Time to clean up and go to bed.

kidrock · 03-07-2013, 12:57 AM

common problem, easy solution.

turn signal switch quick fix pictures

brents42gpw · 03-07-2013, 02:56 AM

yes the lights have never worked since I owned the car. it had sat since the 90s and they did work. so I will take the advice and check into the relay or stalk. the previous owner did say they worked before it sat for such a long time. also my windshield wipers did not work then all of the sudden yesterday they started working. the fuse for the headlights is in deed good. thanks for the tips gents

brent

McLaren-TAG · McLaren-TAG's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by brents42gpw

wow that second post was pretty interesting. at 100 dollars an hour I didn't have him get into the headlights that far. I was more interested in getting the car running and going through the chain tensioners wur fuel injection etc. so I am not getting a new mechanic. I just couldnt afford any more at that point in time. it is a 75 porsche tirwin suposablly the headlight switch was good. I am going to order bulbs. just was hoping it wasnt something more then that. but thought i would ask
thanks

I think Ed's point about getting a new mechanic is very valid, not from the expense of having him look at it, or fix it. But from the fact that a Porsche mechanic... a good one should be at least as well versed as a lot of people here on the forum. The worrying part is that he didn't KNOW what it could be, not very confidence inspiring from a mechanic. The guy wouldn't have charged you for telling you what he thought it could be. Maybe electrical isn't his strong point if you want to give him the benefit of the doubt. But in my opinion, a good mechanic is first and foremost a good troubleshooter.

Regardless, it's something that like you've already seen is a very DIY fix that you don't have to plunk $100 an hour for.

ivangene · 03-07-2013, 04:20 AM

sorry, I was in a mood

anyhow yes, the ho/lo switch is a suspect part, I had mine go out when I was doing a cool down lap last year at dusk, and instead of waving at turn workers (since it was near dark) I flashed my headlights.....11 stations.....that was enough to fry the circuit - a new switch was the fix

you should be able to isolate the wires and pull the respected fuses, then "jump" the lights....if that end works...look towards the steering column

but really without knowing the year of car and/or if someone put in a relay circuit or not...we are sort of stabbing in the dark - the wiring in an SC era car is pretty simple, even for a guy with NO wiring sense (like me)

but yea, a mech should have raised a red flag and had a "suggestion"

$100/hr is nothing, here in my town the dealer just changed to $170/hr - my shop is @ $140 - I keep telling the kids they better make a LOT of damn money!!!

LOL

again sorry for busting the tech....but that hit me wrong

brents42gpw · 03-07-2013, 11:43 AM

not prob. I just ordered a set of bulbs and I will start there. along with the contacts. I just couldnt afford anymore hourly charge. I am confident that he could have fixed them. and was using what he told me to try to get some help here. I am getting the lights and will start from there. I really do appreciate everyones thoughts on helping me

brent

rnln · 03-07-2013, 11:56 AM

wow, I should change my carreer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivangene

sorry, I was in a mood

anyhow yes, the ho/lo switch is a suspect part, I had mine go out when I was doing a cool down lap last year at dusk, and instead of waving at turn workers (since it was near dark) I flashed my headlights.....11 stations.....that was enough to fry the circuit - a new switch was the fix

you should be able to isolate the wires and pull the respected fuses, then "jump" the lights....if that end works...look towards the steering column

but really without knowing the year of car and/or if someone put in a relay circuit or not...we are sort of stabbing in the dark - the wiring in an SC era car is pretty simple, even for a guy with NO wiring sense (like me)

but yea, a mech should have raised a red flag and had a "suggestion"

$100/hr is nothing, here in my town the dealer just changed to $170/hr - my shop is @ $140 - I keep telling the kids they better make a LOT of damn money!!!

LOL

again sorry for busting the tech....but that hit me wrong

tirwin · tirwin's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by rnln

wow, I should change my carreer.

I don't think it's just the hourly rate. There is a lot of overhead in being a mechanic from what I understand. There are days when I would walk out of the BS of the corporate world in a heartbeat. Until I remember that you need a lifetime's worth of experience to be successful in this business. If I didn't think I'd lose more money than I'd ever make I'd give it a go.

When I was in college I got to meet the famous architect Fay Jones who was the understudy of the great Frank Lloyd Wright. Through some twist of fate, I got invited to have lunch with Mr. Jones. Everybody was asking him questions and I felt rather compelled to also, so I nervously asked him how he got to work on so many great projects where he could go wild with his design ideas. Let's face it... most people care more about how much doorknobs cost rather than design aesthetic. His answer: "Son, I built a lot of Wal-Marts."

And thus endeth my career in architecture and I got involved with this whole "Internet" thing.

If I ever win the lottery, y'all can bring your cars over to my place and I'll happily lose money on every one.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread. I just felt like waxing philosophical today.

kidrock · 03-07-2013, 03:28 PM

yeah, start with the easy things first. Brent, I'm not sure you stated where you are located (but I may not have read the thread very thoroughly, either). My point being, some areas of the world are rougher on electrical contacts due to moisture, etc. So it sounds like you are attacking the easiest stuff first....good for you. If the bulbs don't work, you'll want to check and clean the fuse and fuse block for your headlights. Next, the grounds. After that, you'll probably be in "Stalk City".

Good luck!!!

brents42gpw · 03-07-2013, 08:27 PM

north Idaho!!

brents42gpw · 04-18-2013, 03:36 PM

headlights were not working due to a broken wire in the front end of the car. fixed. sunroof now works. horn works. those were due to corrosion on the fuse ends. I have now put on 1100 miles in a 7 week period. I love the car. and aI am going to do a oil change at 1500 miles. since the car sat for like 19 give or take... years. still having fun

brent

kidrock · 04-18-2013, 05:17 PM

good to hear, Brent. FWIW, north Idaho is one of those wet-n-wild places that makes certain things "grow" in a Porsche electrical system. Lived in Cd'A for awhile...there's a reason all those houses have moss on the roofs. Any future electrical issues will probably draw attention to cleaning necessary contact points.

But for now, enjoy...and drive her like you stole her.

brents42gpw · 04-19-2013, 02:03 AM

thanks kid rock. I roof houses on the side.. as a side job. interesting you mention moss. we had a shake roof back in the day. and thanks to mt. st. helens the cedar shake roofs certainly didn't last. supposedly the ash got into the shakes and did tons of damage throught... moss is on my roof. but it never used to be. global warming?
thanks for the info on the fuses. I need to keep my eye out on them..

brent