Hi All,

For the second time in recent weeks I went to start up the teener and found the battery completely dead - not even a flicker of dash lights. But this last time, I noticed that when I connected jumper cables, the left turn signal lights came on. No blinking, just a consatant on. So I checked, and sure enough the wand was clicked to the left position.

Has anybody seen this before ? I didn't think the turn signals got power when the key was off. Does *anything* in the steering column get unswitched power ?


I haven't had a chance yet to get the battery charged up and dig into this. Just wanted to ask if this is a "known" issue, and what to do about it ...


Thx

Yup, tis the way they are naturally wired and I have done the same thing many times. I would bet that there is a thread in the classics section about alternative wiring for the switch. If not I may tackle this issue in the near future as I think it is an inherrant problem worthy of solving.

Unbelievable. Is there a "rationale" for why it was designed this way ? Definitely sounds like something I would want to fix.

Keep us posted... Jeff come on by some time for a cold one..

The illuminated parking light is often called a "bicycle light". In Europe it's used on dark roads to prevent people on bicycles from hitting your car when it's parked along a non- or poorly lit road. Personally, I like the concept, and have made use of it when parking out in the sticks. I don't think it was designed to be used for days on end. Easy and cheap fix? PAY ATTENTION! The Cap'n

My 75 240D MBZ has a similar option on the light switch, but it is an option that takes initiaitve to activate. The 914 one constantly is mistakenly activated by myself and other owners killing the battery. Nice to know it had a purpose, though.

So I got the battery charged up, and my "bicycle light" appears to be working fine. Nice to know that people who ride their bikes in total darkness will ride into objects not made by Porsche. Or VW. If I ever get around to re-doing my wiring, I'll prolly disable this feature.

Anyway, thanks for the prompt response that allowed me to go out driving last night and not spend my whole day tracing through crusty olod wiring.


And Brian, Yeah I think a nice cold one might be nice - we can ought to together sometime before RRC. You can preview the awesomeness that is my prize-winning 914......

actually, it's a very handy feature ...

the idea is that you can use it as a parking light. you park on a dark street and whichever side of the car is towards the road, that's where you turn the turnsignal lever to and that side will light up front/rear (steady, no blinking) as a parking light ...

*all* german (european) cars of that period and even later do the exact same thing ...

it's a feature, not a bug!
Andy

with the cap'n (as krusty as ever) ...

Andy

I've had a 71 that had this feature, and a 73 that didn't. Is it an early car thing only (in the US anyways) or was my 73 broken?

Normal,
I would think the circuit which feeds it in the fuse box could just be changed from battery to ignition feed without any problems, sure you could install a relay triggered by the ignition switch to lighten the load on the already overloaded ignition switch and connect it to the factory feed
Or just keep it off Ha Ha Ha
I like the system just the way it is.

leave it that way and add a timer switch!

Well, as for the original design, I would say that at LEAST there should be an indicator on the dash telling you it's on.

My preference is that if you really mean to leave something draining your battery, then at least it should be very clear (like with hazard lights.) BTW, what does the "bicycle light" feature provide that hazards don't ?

Anyway, since I've ben thinking about MegaSquirt lately, I had an idea for a very useful feature. Since MS monitors battery voltage (to compensate injector pulse width for voltage variations), it would be easy to add a test : if the voltage drops below some threshold while the engine is off, then switch off a relay. The relay would feed all the normally "unswitched" stuff that can drain the battery. That way, when you (or, rather, some absent-minded person) returns to their car, they'll have enough juice left to turn the starter. A little jumper could bypass this feature so MS would get powered up when needed.

uhm, like *everything* ?


first, it's *not* a "bicycle light" ... if you've ever been to a place where it's *dark at night* and you park at the side of the road, you'll get to apprechiate the "parking light" option ...

hazards are just for that, a BLINKING on all 4 corners that indicates something bad is happening.

a PARKING LIGHT is to eluminate the edge(s) of your car so other motorists can savely naviagte around you and don't hit your car from behind (or worse).

the parking light does NOT blink and you can either set it with the main lightswitch so all 4 corners come on or with the blinker so either the left or right side comes on.

i'm not sure why this seems confusing or even useless to so many of you US guys, but trust me, that's the way cars in europe have been for some 40+ years and it does come in very handy at times.

like those parties out in the schticks where you have to park off the windy backroad in the woods, half in the dirt and then walk half a mile to some lake to get drunk with half naked, wet and drunk girls. there's usually some loud music in the background too ...

you've been to a few of those, right?
Andy

And Brian, Yeah I think a nice cold one might be nice - we can ought to together sometime before RRC. You can preview the awesomeness that is my prize-winning 914......
[/quote]


Any time.... Will set something up shortly, and have Brewer over as well.

OK, let's see if I have this right. You want a warning light to tell you the warning light is on? Wouldn't that run down the battery more?
Feel free to me at RRC, but that's 'effin funny.

My 944 has the same feature, but it sounds a tone when you open the door so you can't leave it on by mistake.

[quote name='Howard' date='Sep 3 2006, 03:11 PM' post='763393']
[Feel free to me at RRC, but that's 'effin funny.

I'll do it, I'll do it..... Better yet, just kick his walker out from under him.... Now that's funny... Seriously, did you get those tennis balls mounted yet? (blame aaron)
Sorry for the Jeff..

Okay, so I stand corrected. I was thinking "people who ride their bicycle in complete darkness deserve to run into something." But now I'm all in favor of it. It's just that I hadn't appreciated this feature fully. Maybe Saturday I'll find a nice windy backroad in the woods, leave my turn signal on, and head out into the woods to meet some half-naked girls to get drunk with.

One more question : Which half ?