![]() |
|
Porsche, and the Porsche crest are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
This site is not affiliated with Porsche in any way. Its only purpose is to provide an online forum for car enthusiasts. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. |
|
![]() |
VaccaRabite |
![]()
Post
#1
|
En Garde! ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Admin Posts: 13,728 Joined: 15-December 03 From: Dallastown, PA Member No.: 1,435 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region ![]() ![]() |
Last fall, the drivers side headlight went out. it was miswired - I am not sure how it was working to begin with. Fixed the wiring, and everything worked great.
Saturday I washed my car. Today, I decided to drive to work, even though rain was threatening, weather said I would be clear. But it was cloudy this morning, so I put the lights on. I got no beam from the drivers side light, again. Also, I noticed that the charging system was right at 12 volts, where it is usually at 13. May be unrelated. I know that the wiring at the light is correct. Any idea where to start trouble shooting? Zach |
![]() ![]() |
Spoke |
![]()
Post
#2
|
Jerry ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 7,158 Joined: 29-October 04 From: Allentown, PA Member No.: 3,031 Region Association: None ![]() ![]() |
I wouldn't expect a rubbed wire or anything like that. If a wire were rubbing against anything you would have let the smoke out and it would have made a real mess and stink.
What I think you have is 30 year old oxidation on all the connectors. When you look at the connectors, there is a very very little bit of the connector actually touching the spade. All around that small area of contact is exposed metal which oxidizes immediately and it builds over time. Just a little vibration and the vibration may be caused by heating and contraction, and the metal contact is now rubbing on an oxidized part of the lug and you get a bad connection and voltage drop. Sometimes jiggling the wire (this is an official electrical secret) will improve the contact and your lights will get brighter. This is a hint as to your voltage loss. You switch *may* be ok, just the spades and connectors are oxidized and need cleaned off with 400 to 1000 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper; dry of course. Contact cleaner sprayed after the sanding will remove the residue but it won't by itself, remove the oxidation. Your spades should look nice and shiny. Also clean the edges of the connectors. I do this with a real little file. Sometimes I tighten the connectors by crimping (just slightly) the rolled parts of the connector. Just this weekend I fixed the electric passenger window on my 911. The window would go down but not up unless the button was pressed time and time again, and even then it didn't go up fast. The culprit was; you guessed it; oxidized lugs. Cleaned the lugs with 400 grit W-or-D sandpaper and crimped the connectors and the window works like a charm. The oxidation on the connectors on my 911 is only 24 years old. |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 9th May 2025 - 10:12 AM |
All rights reserved 914World.com © since 2002 |
914World.com is the fastest growing online 914 community! We have it all, classifieds, events, forums, vendors, parts, autocross, racing, technical articles, events calendar, newsletter, restoration, gallery, archives, history and more for your Porsche 914 ... |