Headlights, Tail lights, Side Markers, Help needed.

[Big Daddy]

have a 1999 Boxster Base model. I have a few questions all relating to the lights on this vehicle. The closest Porsche dealer is 200 miles away and the local import shops wont touch a Porsche accept to change tires and oil.

1. When the ignition is off and the light switch is in the on position and pulled out for fog light only the right side front marker comes on, with the light switch pushed in the right headlight and front side marker are on. When the ignition is in the run position the front headlights are on and the side markers are on as well. Is this normal or is it an indication of a problem?

2. My left brake light was not working so I replaced the bulb. Now both my brake lights and my reverse lights work on the left and right side. However something strange happened. Now my left rear running light and side rear marker light are not working. These do work on the right side. On the right rear my fog light does not work but it does work on the left side. I have replaced all of the bulbs. I would fathom a guess that there is a common link between all of these lights that are now not working and "it" has gone bad. If any out there can help me trouble shooting this I would greatly appreciate it.

[particlewave]

You only have one rear fog light. This is normal.

I think that you may be confusing the headlight running light and the actual headlight low beam(there are 3 bulbs in each headlight, aside from the fog light and turn signal: low beam, high beam, and running light)
The headlights should not come on with ignition off, only running lights. Each headlight has a small 3rd bulb which serves as a running light...my guess is that your left side headlight running light is out, but the problem could also be the headlight switch itself.
As a bulb is easier to check, I'd suggest you start with the headlight running light

Also remove the rear light assemblies and make sure that all of the metal contact strips are in place and have not popped out.

Then there is the parking light function...but that only applies to the switch in the "P" position(pulled out one position and turned one click to the left)

[woodsman]

I think the first part of (1) is a feature for parking- you can have the parking lights stay on, on either side- check your owner's manual.

[southernstar]

I agree with Woodsman and Particlewave. If checking bulbs/connections does not solve all issues, as has been pointed out, it could be the headlight switch - although it could also be the ignition switch, which has been known to cause various problems with lighting. There are various threads on replacement and the good news is that the ignition switch is quite cheap.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Brad

[Big Daddy]

I will try these suggestions. I don't have an owners manual. The car did not have one when I purchased it. Thanks for your suggestions. I will keep you posted on my progress.

I have read that boxsters have daytime running lights. How do I know if my Boxster has them?

[Uller God]

Having gone through a similar problem with mine you could have the same issue. I replaced the tail light bulb on my drivers side, I had the ignition on during testing then went to replace the assembly. One of the metal strips touched the screw that helps hold the assembly killing both running light and tail light. The fuse blew from contact with the metal screw. If both running light and tail light are out then more then likely it's the fuse. Each side has it's own fuse, bank "A" 2 and 3. If I remember correctly the drivers side is 3. My advice to all, turn off the ignition when installing the tail light assembly. Good luck!

[BoxsterSteve]

I have read that boxsters have daytime running lights. How do I know if my Boxster has them?

Definitely... if yours is a Canadian spec vehicle. Otherwise, not likely.
Easy peasy to add if you want to.

[soucorp]

If all of your issues just started from changing a bulb, most likely it s not the ignition switch or light control knob.

Make sure the connection is tight, you have the correct bulb watts/volt/amps

If your problems started before a bulb change, it could be the light control knob, loose wires, broken bulb connector inside headlight unit.

Mine had a broken connector from rust and water that got into it, had to order a new piece.


good hunting...

[Big Daddy]

Thanks so much for all of the advice. It was indeed the A4 fuse. Lights are now working great.

Why is there only one Rear Fog light on the drivers side and not one on the left rear? This is not very symmetrical. I saw on a wiring diagram that there was no fog light for the rear passenger side and also saw in this thread a post to that effect. There is a bulb spot for one though.

[AKnowles]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Why is there only one Rear Fog light on the drivers side and not one on the left rear?

I beleive the basic idea is if there were two bulbs people might think you were braking if you turned them on while driving and confuse rthe people behind you. For myself, I think if you are going to have one why not two as the people behind you are still going to think your brakes are on but that you have a burned out bulb on the passenger side.

[Ian c]

It's law in most European countries that a fog light must be fitted on the drivers side .
This is so you can "visualize" the car in front in dense fog .
Take a look at an English spec new beetle to see how bad this upsets the symmetry

[Big Daddy]

Fixed the problem it was the A4 fuse.

[Overdrive]

Hey, folks. Sorry to dust off a thread last touched over a year ago, but I have a related concern. My rear right brake light has a problem. The bulb is perfectly fine, but the metal housing in the plastic assembly that makes the connection won't stay in place. When the spring behind the socket holding the bulb gets compressed, it forces the housing to come free from the plastic, breaking the connection. I've bent the metal tabs outward in hopes that it will stay in place, and sometimes this works. But over time (and several bumps and vibrations of all kinds later), the socket will pop out again and I'll get folks telling me for the umpteenth time that I have a brake light out. Is there a way I can fix this or am I going to have to buy a new assembly? I'll follow up with some pictures once I get out there and take some in case my explanation above did a crappy job.

[particlewave]

I screwed or bolted mine down (can't remember which). I'll dig them out of storage and snap a picture for you.

Edit: I already had a picture. It's a long screw and I think I had to drill a hole.

[Overdrive]

Well this guy's feeling quite foolish for not thinking of that. Sounds like a solution I can make happen. Thanks particlewave. I've been trying to see if I could find the assembly and it's not making itself easy to find online to get an idea of price. If I can avoid having to replace the whole thing just because of one bad spot, that works fine for me.