Yellow or Green Driving Light Switch ?, 74 914 2L Options

[thompson-mfr]

What color is the driving light switch supposed to be for 1974? I have a green one in the car, but in a parts bin I noticed a yellow one.

[boxsterfan]

On my 1974 2.0L it is yellow. Top picture is a 914/6?

[eric9144]

Should be yellow, green is earlier than 74...

[thompson-mfr]

On my 1974 2.0L it is yellow. Top picture is a 914/6?

Correct. I just pulled pictures off Google image. I wish that was my car!

[toolguy]

IIRC, Yellow is for fogs lights. . the button has the symbol for the light beams being focused downward. on TN1 and TN2 lights 1970 - 72 . Green buttons had the symbol for the light beams going straight out, for driving lights. .TN4 1970 -74
75 and 76 only had fogs. .

Hella TN1-TN2 Fog Lamps: 1970 - 1972

The Hella TN1-TN2 fog light was available on the 1970-1972 Porsche 914 model years and the Porsche 914/6 models. They are round Hella lamps comprised of a semi-gloss black housing attached to the mount base with four unpainted brass rivets, a gloss-black painted brass trim ring, a reflector dish, a light diffuser, a 35 or 45 watt Phillips bulb, a 110mm Hella TN1-TN2 lens, a lens gasket, four wire lens clips, a wire grommet and a ring retainer clip (with screw). The lens has a horizontal offset about one-third the way up the vertical fluting. The trim ring is molded to angle the ring face inward. The light diffuser that shields the bulb in the TN1-TN2 lamps is chrome.
Hella TN4 Driving Lamps: 1970 - 1974

The more prevalent optional 1970-1974 Porsche 914 driving lights are also round, 110 mm diameter Hella lamps with the same components as the TN1-TN2 models, but the lenses are the Hella TN4 units which have no horizontal offset. The painted brass trim rings on many of the TN4 lights have flat, unmolded faces. The light diffuser that shields the bulb in the TN4 lamps is unchromed tin. Normal problems associated with both styles of the round Porsche 914 and 914/6 driving lights are lens wear & cracking from road debris, ring paint wear and chipping from same, housing rust and reflector dish rust.

[Pursang]

The button cover on that switch is yellow in my 1974. Back in the late 1980's I was able to score two original Euro 914 driving lights to replace the fog lights. Still have the original fogs but I really like these. Sorry for the poor photo, it is night here and the car is in the garage. Cold too. The lighting in the garage exacerbates the evidence of gravel rash on the lower part of the bodywork but the (plastic) chrome colored grilles are in excellent shape.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/pic20.picturetrail.com-15386-1387330947.1.jpg)

[SirAndy]

driving light switch

Not to be picking nits here, but stock 914s never ever had driving lights.

Them are fog lights ...
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[thompson-mfr]

driving light switch

Not to be picking nits here, but stock 914s never ever had driving lights.

Them are fog lights ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

What is the difference between fog and driving lights? I thought true fog lights were yellow tinted to cut through the fog.

[johannes]

What is the difference between fog and driving lights? I thought true fog lights were yellow tinted to cut through the fog.

Beam shape is different : Driving throw light very far on a narrow beam. Fog spreads light in front of the car on a very open angle.
Operation is also different. Fog works with low beam, Driving works with high beam.

[Highland]

My light switch is black with a door jam sticker date of 7/1974.

Does that mean my switch was replaced?

[eric9144]

driving light switch

Not to be picking nits here, but stock 914s never ever had driving lights.

Them are fog lights ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

Not true--true in the US, but not european delivery vehicles...

The green vs yellow fog light switch cover wasn't exclusive to driving or fogs specifically as you'll see them on 6's and early 4's--it generally fell in the model years that also had the silver button in the middle of the gauges and switched to yellow sometime in mid to early '73

Pursang's picture shows the real driving lights that were available note the lenses are different from the US fogs that we have.

I have a NOS set here's pictures to show the difference, also, while the US fogs were incandescent the Euro driving lights were H3's:

US Fogs-note the fluting on the lense obscures the bulb and the reflector is positioned between the bulb and the lens:


Euro Driving lights-note the lack of fluting and there is only a very small reflector in front of the H3 bulb:


Gratuitous GT shot, with factory driving lights (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Hawk]

That is one beautifully done car! Love the hood mounted Cibies.
I have NOS Cibie Super Bioscars I'm trying to find a way to mount to the original front bumper without drilling anything.

[SirAndy]

Not true--true in the US, but not european delivery vehicles...

Nope, you got that wrong. True to every stock 914. Fog lights, never ever driving lights. Ever.

And GTs aren't exactly "stock" 914s, now are they?
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[SirAndy]

What is the difference between fog and driving lights? I thought true fog lights were yellow tinted to cut through the fog.

Yellow lenses were illegal in most countries back in the day, i know the french had them (and maybe some other countries) but Germany and most of Europe did not allow them.

As Johannes has mentioned above, the beam of the lights is completely different. Fog lights have lenses that spread (diffuse) the light across a short distance directly in front of the car and are always mounted as low as possible to be most effective.
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[OU8AVW]

So on my 1971 4 I should have a green switch for my fog lights? I am also adding a set of additional driving lights, can I use an original switch? Make that one yellow?

[SirAndy]

I am also adding a set of additional driving lights, can I use an original switch?

I see no problem using a stock switch to run driving lights as long as you use a relay and don't run the main power for the lights through that switch.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[eric9144]

True to every stock 914. Fog lights, never ever driving lights. Ever.

Not even on European delivery 6's? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

Were they an option at some point? Just curious, great info...

I recall getting my set in the early 90's for my GT clone then never put them on...don't even remember how I'd tracked down the part # back then...

[Stephen Paul]

Responding to the questions about green and amber fog light symbol discs on this and other 914 forums: the discs and the switches used on the 914 were sourced from the VW type 4. The two position (on/off) switch made by HELLA the metal body of which is replicated by the HELLA on their range of accessory switches.

It was listed for use with front fog lights, rear fog lights and heated rear window

411 959 621 (switch body)
111 941 515D (escutcheon)
411 953 245A (switch knob)
411 941 543C (green symbol disc - hrw)
411 941 543L (green symbol disc - fog lights)

The earliest fog light symbol discs were translucent dark green with two different symbols, later replaced by the opaque bright green disc again in two symbol versions These were diagrammatic representations of the lamp body plus horizontal bars and vertical line representing the fog and limited distance which was for the front lights. The second - for the rear lamp - had a vertical bar behind the representation of the lamp body. The later amber disc seems to have been produced with two different symbols.

The translucent dark green discs dated from 1968/9 onwards (Germany having type approved rear fog lamps from 1966 onwards)

The bright green opaque discs date from the early 1970s and replaced by the amber in the mid-seventies.

A top tip in reducing the distraction of the illuminated disc at night is to replicate an insert VW used on some 411 hrw switches by cutting a circle of scale modellers black plastic card to the diameter of the outer edge of the symbol disc lip and punching a hole in its centre. The black disc should be placed behind the coloured symbol disc and then both inserted back into the rubber knob. Then when illuminated just the switch bulb just illuminates a coloured area the size of the punched hole.

In addition to the single position switches found on 914s sourced from the VW type 4 (411/412) model range Volkswagen made a two position switch fitted to the VW type 1 that is compatible with the 914 dashboard for all countries where both front and rear foglight are legal.

VW type. three position (on1/on2/off) switch for front (1) and front and rear (2) fog lights comprising of
113 941 541 (switch body)
111 941 515D (escutcheon)
111 941 541F (switch knob - Beetle unpadded dash’ 8/68>)
113 941 541B (switch knob - Beetle padded dash’ 8/68>)
and
111 941 543 G (green symbol disc - fog lights)
or
111 941 543 H (orange symbol disc - fog lights)

https://www.facebook.com/stephenpaulhardyautomotivehistorian
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[Shivers]

@Stephen Paul

That is quite a first post. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[rgalla9146]

....Goodness gracious