Turn Signal / High beam Stalk
 

Hi.

I'm planning to take my '99 Boxster on a road trip this Friday for about 10 days; Vancouver to California. It'll be the first trip I've taken in this car since I bought it about 2 years ago. I've done a lot of work to it - including replacing the headlight switch this evening. However, the high beams and low beams still have switching issues.

Everything used to work well, but about a month ago the high beams would come on unexpectedly. If I jiggled the high beam switch they would go off. Eventually they were stuck on. I 'fixed' the problem by pulling the fuses until I could sort things out. Things continued alright for a couple of weeks and then the low beams stopped working.

I'm pretty sure it's a problem with the turn signal / high beam stalk as I can sort of get things to work if I play with the switch and hold it just right.

I'm in the search for a replacement stalk. I didn't find anything on eBay so I thought I would check here. Like I said, I've put a new headlight switch in, but that didn't fix the problem.

Thanks in advance.

Before you go down the rabbit hole of replacing your turn signal/high beam stalk you should be certain that the stalk is the problem. But if it is the stalk, it will be a bit of a job to change it. Does your car have cruise control or the on board computer? The mechanism that holds the stalks is all one unit that can only be removed by disconnecting the battery, deactivating the airbag and removing the steering wheel. The only stalk that is removable from this unit is the one for the on board computer. So to replace the turn signal/high beam stalk you need to remove the steering wheel. If you have cruise control, you need to buy a 3 stalk unit. If you have on OBC, you can remove the OBC stalk from your current unit and add it to the unit you buy. If you don't have cruise control and want to add it, you can do that at this time by buying a 3 stalk unit. Pelican Parts has How To articles on adding cruise control and the OBC which show how to remove the steering wheel and replace the stalk unit.

Paul is correct on all points. Also, you can use the switch from '97 to '04 Boxsters or 996s. '97 to '01 have a gloss finish and the later ones have a matte finish. When installed, the difference in finishes is not that noticeable. The swapping of the OBC stalk is very easy. As Paul said, replacing the switch requires some work but is a doable DIY.

If you don't have either cruise control or the OBC now is the time to add them.

Now, finding a reasonably priced switch and getting it and installing it before Friday will be challenging. Good luck and keep us posted.

But hey, just be really sure it is the stalk that needs replacing! From what you described it sounds like the culprit but, as one who has many times gone down a few extra rabbit holes to fix something that I could have avoided if I had done a better diagnosis first, I'm hoping you don't have to do extra work!

Thanks guys! Really good information.

I have the 3-stalk switch with cruise. I was able to find a new replacement one from RockAuto for about $150.

The 4-stalk one was quite a bit more so I decided to keep the spend on the low side since I've poured a lot of cash into this project already. I can always add the OBC stalk later if I choose - thanks for that piece of info.

I'll review the pelican article on replacing the assembly. I used one of their articles last night to replace the headlight switch. Those guys sure are a great resource for us DIY'ers as is this forum!

Will report back once I get it installed.

Thanks again.

Good news - replacing the stalk fixed my headlights and high beams.

Thanks to everyone who offered up their ideas.

Cheers!

Bumping this thread, forgive me.

I have a three stalk unit.
The left turn signal engages but does not disengage when the wheel returns to center.
The right turn signal operates but does not engage at all.
Third stalk is cruise control, but admittedly I've never used it and am not sure it is original to the car.

I thought I read somewhere that the 4th stalk conversion jailbreaks the OBC and allows the driver more information, such as outside air temp.
This has me confused as my car already tells me the outside air temp on the gauge cluster. :confused:
Did I just misread the article that I can't find now?

I have the ability, through Woody, to get a 4 stalk with a wiring harness.
Might the 4 stalk control unit behoove me?

no you understood the article just right. it just mean that the OBC is might be already activated on your car. i think it was like that on the early cars.
ny 99 showed the temp my 01 did not.
you still need the stalk to browse between, speed limit, average fuel consumption, average speed and miles to gas station.

Gotcha, thanks.

Just tried the cruise control on the way back from the dentist.

The light on the dash lights up, but the speed will not set. lol

I had the same issue with the turn signals and cruise control.
I bought a 4 stalk and put in a couple weeks ago.
Now just waiting for Santa to bring me a Duramatic for Christmas so I can activate the OBC!!