Doh!! What a prat!!

[sawood12]

Well what a prat I am! I had a rare window of opportunity to spend some time on the Porsche this afternoon and cross off one of those jobs on my current 'To Do list'. Top of the list was 'replace the ignition switch'. Well after a good 40 mins or so upside down under the drivers side dash struggling with my stubby fat fingers to do a job that requires long, slender dextrorous fingers with a few extra joints, I finally finished!! Unfortunately I very quickly realised I had re-fitted my original switch!!! Well you could imagine my language as it was a job I didn't relish doing again and my window of opportunity had closed. So the pearl of wisdom I have gleened from this experience is as soon as you remove an old part, place it as far away from the new part as possible and don't just drop it on the floor behind your head and feel around blindly for the replacement!!

Also, I noticed under the drivers side dash there is a long brown open-ended tube that looks like it is made out of some sort of corrugated cardboard material and is about half an inch in diameter and appears to come from the heater/climate control console. Should this tube be connected to anything or is it one of those open-ended air sampling tubes for the climate control system?

Just an interesting point of observation. The original switch part was a 928 part number and the replacement part is a 964 part number. The two switches look identical from the outside but I wonder if, when I eventually fit the 964 part, I'll have headlights that stay down on switch position 1??? They must be different somehow, if not why would they have different part numbers? maybe the internal wiring of the switch is different?

 

[NeilW]

Scott, the open-ended corrugated cardboard tube sounds like the one that normally attaches to the rear of the glove box to provide cooling from the air-con. I haven't been under the dash on the drivers side to see if there's also one there.

 

[cococola]

Scott I bet you were really pd off[]

 

[sawood12]

I certainly do and I will for some time to come. Every time I turn the ignition key in fact bacause I wont be feeling the nice crisp clicks for each of the positions!

Neil, you are correct! The brown tube is the one you are referring to. The open end I saw under the drivers side dashboard should be connected to the A/C unit. Obviously designed for left hand drive as the tube in our cars should turn back on themselve to head for the glove box on the other side of the car. Thanks to Andy at Promax for confirming that for me.

I've also confirmed from Andy that the 928 part number ignition switch was discontinued and superceeded by the 964 part number. They are supposed to be the same so i'm still expecting my headlights to pop up on switch postition 1. Looks like i'll need to do the mod discussed recently if I want my lights to stay down.

 

[NeilW]

Scott, last year I replaced the ignition switch on my S with the later 964 part and the light behaviour was unchanged, i.e. still pop up on position 1.

 

[random hero]

Just done a stupid thing myself,went to start the turbo but the battery was flat,so got the extension lead and battery charger out of the garage ,poped the bonnet and thought where the hell has the battery gone. took me a good 30 seconds to figure it out

!!!

 

[cococola]

Yep did that myself last year,drove the car forward facing near to the window in order to charge up and realised my error when I went to pop the bonnet[8|]
Must be habbit I suppose[]

 

[random hero]

Yeah must be habbit as ive always had early dash cars before !!!

 

[cococola]

Talking of doing silly things I remember whilst working at a certain car dealership,I jumped into a customers car to take it into the workshop.As I got into the seat I realised that the car was a lefthand drive vehicle and the customer was watching me from the showroom window.I made out that I was getting the service book from the glovebox and then sheepishly got into the correct side.[]

 

[random hero]

First time i drove a lhd car i kept putting my left hand in the door pocket when i wanted to change gear !!!

 

[cococola]

Did it work

 

[sawood12]

Well I always reach for the handbrake to my right hand side in my Focus and often go for that 6th gear in a 5 speed box - and i've never owned a car with a 6 speed box!

 

[georgethackray]

I know just what you mean - in the 944, I always try to find the handbrake on the left somewhere, in my Mondeo, I try to the right, and worst of all, in beloved's Rav-4, I try to the right and because the seats are higher, I lean over slightly and knock my nut on the window. One day I'll learn!

 

[zcacogp]

Well, if it's confession time ...

About two weeks ago, while driving along, I spotted a rather nice 911 (996) by the side of the road with the bonnet up and an even nicer young lady looking around underneath it. 'Poor lass' thought I, 'broken down, perhaps she needs a hand'. So I stopped about 20 yards down the road, and was about to get out when I realised what a complete and utter prat I was about to make of myself.

So I restarted the car and drove off.

(Yes, a true story.)


Oli.

 

[944Turbo]

Thats alright she just posted in the 996 forum that someone had stolen her engine - whilst she was in a traffic jam!

 

[cococola]