Cudo's to Tony- RE: Window switch repair.

Normy · 12-31-2007, 03:50 PM

I have had the typical problem with the window switches. It started a year ago, when the passenger side started to have trouble going down unless I pressed it down hard. I've read all the posts on Rennlist about these switches, and I'm not oblivious to what was going on. Well, recently it started to go from an occasional thing where I had to press down on the switch real hard to a fairly common situation. Not good.

Well, I lowered myself and perused the Rennlist the other day [Hi Randy...how you doing? Heh heh-!], and my search effort turned up Tony's description on how to clean the contacts/cut the plastic edges of the window switches in order to make them work for a while longer. I did this modification tonight...and it worked 100 percent! Tony is a genius, as far as I'm concerned...

BASICALLY, you pull the switch and then take it apart. Clean the contacts with a file and then use a new razor blade to cut away about 0.5 mm of plastic on the edge of the switch, so that it can make a sure contact.

I just saved myself $115. And that was 928 International's WAY cheap price for this part...

N!

Danglerb · 12-31-2007, 06:52 PM

Sooner or later though, gotta get new switches.

Normy · 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danglerb

Sooner or later though, gotta get new switches.

True. I'm sure that at some point in the future, the rounded contacts in these switches will burn out completely and I'll have to replace them. That's cool, I just saved a pile of coins until then.

Wow! They work perfectly. This is one of the few repairs that I have done on my 928 where I haven't had to "trim it out" afterwards. That is, I haven't had to make any adjustments to my previous work. I pulled the switches, did what Tony did, and then put them back in place. It works!

Good grief! When I pulled the drivers side switch, the bent metal that forms the "keeper" was apparently WAY bent more than it should have been. I wound up pulling the switch after removing the plastic top that your fingers touch. As I removed the switch, one of the tiny squares of bronze metal that transmit your force to the contacts FELL OUT and went into a disgusting area between the seat rail and the torque tube tunnel. I couldn't see it, no matter how I moved the seat and despite my police-issue flashlight.

So I removed the drivers seat. Not bad actually- remove six 6mm hex head screws, and it comes out. Fold the backrest forward, twist it, and then pull it out. It weighs about 40 pounds, so make sure you have a decent back before you try this. 40 sounds pretty light, until you try to pull a seat out of your car that has greasy tracks and you know that your rear seats and the other surfaces in your car are coated in expensive leather, as mine are. This is a pain in the ass! Removing it isn't too bad, but the reverse isn't. Put it in with the seat folded and make sure the top of the seat goes in first...that's all I can say.

LOL! Get your carpet cleaner and your vacuum cleaner handy when you do this. I cleaned probably about 1 pound/0.45 kg of DIRT from under my seat! I remove all the carpet from the rear seat up to the clutch pedal, which means nothing but the sound deadening crap that the [insert profanity of your choice here] PO stuck everywhere in my car. So far, I suspect that I've removed 40 pounds of this crap from my ride.

On the other hand...I found 41 cents in coins when I pulled up these carpets. I promise not to spend it all at once~

Well, I used the opportunity to clean all the carpets. Without the seat in place, I was able to clean the section that covers the torque-tube tunnel, and all the stuff under the dashboard. I cleaned the carpet, and the floor mat that sits on top of it. It's amazing: this car is kept "spic and span", and yet....despite my attention....6 years after installing that carpet, I find that the section near the pedals is covered with sand and basically black! I used Formula 409 to clean it, and it looked like new when I was done.

Basically, today I "overhauled" the left side of the cockpit of my 928. One thing that I discovered: Since I had the torque-tube tunnel side cover removed...I discovered a stereo connection that had lost its' black tape and was essentially grounding against the side of the stereo holder. Come to think of it, I had a few "breaks" in the stereo a few weeks ago. I guess I found the problem! I suspect that every five years it is a good idea to take your interior apart, clean everything, and fix whatever you find broken.

Anyway, Tony is a genius.

N!

Normy · 01-01-2008, 03:51 PM

Pictures:

N!

Normy · 01-01-2008, 03:59 PM

Seat bottom. While You Are In There [WYAIT], it doesn't hurt to lubricate the jackscrews that move the seat forward and back. The seat on the average 928 probably moves back and forth about 30 times over a typical 30 year life span, so these jackscrews don't need a lot of grease. I noticed that my seat had a REAL hard time moving forward when I went to remove it, so I greased the screws [the threaded shafts with white stains on them in the below picture] so that the motors wouldn't burn out in the future.

N

Danglerb · 01-01-2008, 04:46 PM

Normy, I don't think the 409 may have been a good idea. From what I'm told the carpets are wool that should never have water on them, pull them out and have them dry cleaned.

Nothing like pulling it all apart to get it clean though.

Those motors need polishing too.

Normy · 01-01-2008, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danglerb

Normy, I don't think the 409 may have been a good idea. From what I'm told the carpets are wool that should never have water on them, pull them out and have them dry cleaned.

Nothing like pulling it all apart to get it clean though.

Those motors need polishing too.

Yeah, I thought about that tonight...

Dammit! The work never ends-