odometer, clock don't go off

[dh_berman]

I recently purchased a 2004 Boxster S. My odometer and clock stay on all the time. I'm trying to figure out if this is normal. I read some other threads indicating they go off after 5 minutes or so but that is not the case with mine.

Any thoughts on whether this is normal and if not, where the problem might be?

Thanks for the help.

Dave

[steved0x]

Do your interior lights stay on too, or does it act like a key is still in? If so it might the electrical portion of the ignition switch, which can be fairly common. Search for ignition switch threads to find more details.

[dh_berman]

The interior lights don't stay on, just the odometer, clock and speedometer I think. Does that point to the electrical portion of the ignition switch?

[jdraupp]

Lock your doors.

[dh_berman]

This happens when I lock the doors too.

[steved0x]

My bad on the interior lights, I was thinking of something else... (door lock microswitch).

I'm not sure why they would stay on.

[dh_berman]

Can anyone tell me if it is normal for these to stay lit? I'm not even sure if I have a problem. Again, it is the odometer, clock and speedometer.

Thanks,

Dave

[jdraupp]

No it isn't normal. Mine may sometimes stay on if the doors are unlocked, but they turn off immediately if locked.

[Giller]

How long are they staying on for? Do they eventually turn themselves off then? What's the time lag between taking out the key and the lights turning themselves off?

I know on my 986 - when I first got it it seemed as though the dash lights stayed on forever.

[dh_berman]

They never turn off!

[jdraupp]

Originally Posted by dh_berman

They never turn off!

The ignition switch is a cheap fix. If you're handy you can try swapping it out to see if it helps. If you have the radio playing when you shut the car off, does removing the key from the ignition shut it off?

[dh_berman]

If the radio is playing, it turns off when I remove the keys.

I guess I will replace the electrical part of the ignition and see what happens.

Thanks,

Dave

[jdraupp]

Originally Posted by dh_berman

If the radio is playing, it turns off when I remove the keys.

I guess I will replace the electrical part of the ignition and see what happens.

Thanks,

Dave

Hmm. Interesting. All I know is my odo stays on until I lock the doors. I hope the switch is the key, but maybe someone could weigh in elsewhere. Is there a micros witch somewhere that controls this?

[dh_berman]

I found the problem. One of the stalks on the dashboard - the one that controls the clock - was pushed in and stuck. Sometimes the clock was flashing but most of the time it didn't. Once I took the dash apart and cleaned the stalk and put it back together the lights on the dash now go off when I lock the car.

[Deadeye]

Good find Dave!

[ArizonaDan]

Gotta say...I've been in a lot of different forums...Ducati's, hot rods, etc...this is by far the most active and useful of any. I had this exact same problem...did a search for 'clock stays lit" and found the OP's issue and the cause was the sticking odometer stalk....easy fix and thanks to the OP and this forum.