head light issues ? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

jacabean · 11-10-2011, 02:09 PM

went to turn on my lamps and nothing . high beams work when you pull but not in the on position. never been a problem before. checked fuses and everything was good. thinking it might be the switch. anyone have this problem ?

heliguy · 11-11-2011, 07:06 AM

Check your ignition switch. Start the car, turn the switch slightly to the left. Turn on your ac also. If the snowflake is on, the headlights should work.

jacabean · 11-11-2011, 10:31 AM

worked exactly as you said. guess i need a new ignition switch. thanks for the info.

jacabean · 11-12-2011, 11:34 AM

well it worked last night going out but not coming home. i went to audi this morning and bought a new ignition switch. i am not looking forward to putting it in but i hope it solves this issue.

tonycarreon · 11-12-2011, 11:59 AM

replacing the switch isn't as bad as it sounds. put the top down and throw your feet over the hoops and slide down headfirst into the footwell. make sure you have the teeny-itsy-bitsy screwdriver. i had to do mine mostly by feel.

Spinnaker · 11-12-2011, 03:01 PM

I found that doing the switch from underneath was too dificult for me. This post in the DIY section worked easier for me. Go to the #15 post in this thread. A few more screws to remove, but it was a lot easier. You need to have a short handle T-15 driver for the screws on the side of the dash. There isn't enough clearance in the door jam for a regular length one.

Ignition switch problems, need advice/ help

jacabean · 11-12-2011, 03:16 PM

i already test fit my body and i could get under fairly easy ( i'm a short dude) but i like the idea of of putting my feet over the roll hoops. i just don't want to get stuck i am not exactly a spring chicken . i got everything i need for tomorrow afternoon so we shall see how it goes .

EJ_2001_986_S · 11-19-2011, 04:39 PM

I'm having the same issue. It's happened on and off, but they've always come on eventually until tonight. They worked going away from home, but not on the return trip. The park and fog lights work and the "flash" for the brights work, but not the regular beams or the high beams. I tried moving the ignition switch around and the A/C was on with the snowflake, but still no headlights. Any thoughts on what to try?

milliemax · 11-20-2011, 06:02 AM

mark the air duct position with tape so you don't fight it all day. Also after almost dieing under the dash I could not get the new aftermarket switch to fit. The key way was off by 45 degrees rotation. uroparts switch would not fit. Saw an article with the proper switch with proper rotation position. Called Porsche and ordered oem switch and was sent the whole steer lock assembly with switch. Can anyone tell me where to find instructions to install this ? Porsche tell me that this is the way to go to solve all problems electrical.

manolo · 11-21-2011, 08:37 AM

If it makes you feel better, I had the exact same headlight problem when my ignition switch went bad. I made my own screwdriver, and the job wasnt really that bad. Fixed all the weird electrical gremlins like only brights working, windows wouldnt go down, etc. Hopefully, this should solve your problem!

kevinle92618 · 02-08-2012, 07:46 AM

I had the exact same issues as some of you here. High beam, parking light, fog light work. Everything works except the low beam. Instead of replacing the headlight switch, I read online somewhere that you can spray electrical cleaner into the old headlight switch and it may fix it. Well, guess what. I did exact that and it works for me. I sprayed electrical cleaner into every tiny holes I can see, shake the living crap out of it, let it dried for a couple days, then reinstalled it. It has only been a week but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. $6 for a can of electrical cleaner versus $130 for a new headlight switch. You do the math.

jacabean · 02-08-2012, 02:59 PM

i had the same issue. sprayed the switch with electrical cleaner and it's still working .

BruceH · 10-06-2012, 08:26 AM

Ok, so my low beams are not working. Like others, the high's work if I pull on the stalk but not the normal way. I tried the trick with the snowflake and turning the ignition switch slightly left but no luck. Everything else works. So do you think it is the ignition switch or should I go the route of contact cleaner on the light switch? Any thoughts before I head to an Audi dealer for the ignition switch?

dpaisley325 · 10-06-2012, 12:54 PM

I had a similar problem and it was the connector, which is behind the headlight. See if pushing down on the headlight while it is on makes it light up.

BruceH · 10-06-2012, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpaisley325

I had a similar problem and it was the connector, which is behind the headlight. See if pushing down on the headlight while it is on makes it light up.

Nope, that didn't work. I took the light switch out today and sprayed some electrical contact cleaner in and shook it a bit but that did not do the trick either. There aren't exactly many openings to get the cleaner in. I just ordered an ignition switch so I will give that a shot next week.