More door window woes

[Ripmax]

Last night I was dozing and became aware of a strange noise: something was going up and down about once/second. My girlfriend thought it was next door s*****g. After a couple of minutes it was still going (couldn't have been next door) and I realised it was the 996's driver's door window, which was lowering itself for the door to open and then raising itself again, continuously. The only way I could stop it at 3am was to leave the driver's door open on the first catch of the lock.

This morning I had a further play. Activating the door handle, either from inside or out will stop it but as soon as the door is shut it will start again or refuse to close above the point which it sets itself to allow the door to open. Also the central locking refuses to work and beeps once at me. So it doesn't seem like a microswitch - if it was I don't think actuating the door handle would have any effect. But there are three microswitches I think... The window has been making a very loud rubbery screech during the last quarter of closing for about the last month, which may be relevant. It does seem very solid though and can't be moved up or down by hand. It was doing this intermittently before Christmas but hasn't since the height was adjusted (down). Until now.

Anyway, I need to get this fixed ASAP as I can't lock the car and it's sat on the drive with its door ajar as I type. But what to buy? A regulator, door lock, microswitch (s)? The whole lot?!

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

Try using the emergency locking routine. Turn the key in the door to the lock position and back 3 times in quick succession. It should allow you to lock it, and with luck will disable the window drop.

I would get a diagnostic check done. It will save a whole lot of messing around, and unnecessary expense replacing parts that don't need it.

 

[rhkumar]

Richard - you never cease to amaze me!!!! []

 

[Ripmax]

Tks Richard. I remembered that trick from last time. The problem is the window continues to raise and lower itself even after the car is locked with the key and looks like it would carry on doing so till the battery goes flat. The only way I've found to stop it is to open the door or disconnect the battery.

I'm taking it to a garage with a diagnostics PC Sat.

 

[Ripmax]

It looks like this issue was one of the door lock mircoswitches. Changed the lock a week a go and so far so good.

 

[Ripmax]

Spoke too soon. The car's entered power saving mode and the key wont work in the lock, i.e. the lock is ignoring the key and I can't get in. Any ideas, other than breaking the window? I got a garage to change the lock - what have they not done to ensure it works with my original key? Or have they not given me a new key? I will be ringing them Monday needless to say...

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

When you fit the door lock, you have to be very careful to engage the blade on the key barrel into the lock assembly before bolting it to the door. My guess is that they didn't do that. It is quite common.

You will have to get to the emergency release cable to open the front boot, and disconnect and reconnect the battery, which will wake the system up, so you can unlock the door with the remote.

 

[Ripmax]

Thanks again Richard. Can you tell me where the cable is? What has to be done to get the key to work in the lock? Has it got to come off the car again?

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

If your car has electric lid releases, then the emergency locking cable is underneath the headlamp mounting tray on the driver's side. You can access it by unclipping the front of the wheel arch liner, and putting your hand inside, and grope around for the cable. It is a steel wire cable with a loop on the end. It won't be easy, especially if your front wheels are pointing the wrong way.

As soon as you pull it, not only will it open the lid, but the alarm will go off. This, if you are lucky, might be enough to wake up the system enough for the remote to work. (I will certainly have woken up the neighbours!). If not, you will have to disconnect and reconnect the negative terminal on the battery, so have a 10mm spanner ready.

Yes, they will have to take the lock off again, and fit it properly.

 

[Ripmax]

Richard, I have the mechanical release. Can you confirm if this is on the passenger side? And do you know if I can get to the cable by groveling around underneath the front of the car? The car is parked against a wall and fence on the passenger side and it's not possible to get down that side of the car...

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

Yes, if it has mechanical release levers, then the emergency cable is on the passenger side. It is a grovel at the best of times, but you will have to peel the front of the wheel arch liner back to have any chance of reaching it. There is a plastic expanding rivet you need to remove in order to do that, and I doubt you will be able to get to it.

I have an idea, but I don't know if it will work. Behind the rear passenger side light unit, there is a release cable for the rear lid. You can get to it by fishing around through the gap at the base of the light with a wire hook. If you pull the wire, it will release the rear lid and set off the alarm when you lift it. This MIGHT wake up the alarm sytem, and you MAY be able to unlock it with the remote. If not, it will definitely wake the neighbours, and the alarm will sound for a few minutes.

 

[Ripmax]

Tks. I've already tried setting the alarm off by jacking it up. It did set it off and woke up my policeman neighbour who is on nights but didn't get the alarm out of sleep mode unfortunately. I was wondering what help if any getting the engine lid open would be...

I've managed to peel back the wheel arch liner on the passenger side enough to see up to the back of the headlight but couldn't pop the expanding rivet in line with the axle so it wasn't ideal. I couldn't see the cable. The garage sent a mechanic over this pm and he spent some time trying to find the cable on the driver's side. They're adamant it's on that side even though I've told them you've said it's on the nearside. He gave up after a while and has arranged for the car to be trailered back to the workshop on Tuesday. Quite how they think they're going to load it onto the trailer I don't know.

I've found out that the barrel of the lock wasn't changed, it was just the assembly with the micro-switches in. The garage have said there's nothing to do to the lock other than re-connect it to the alarm/central locking implying it's not their fault. Is this correct? It's too much of a coincidence this has happened following the change of lock. Referring to my ancient workshop manual it seems to be a bit more complicated than that...

The garage is a Porsche garage, just in case you were wondering...

 

[Ripmax]

If I can get the engine cover open I can attach a load to the battery and flatten it, then recharge it... this should wake the thing up...

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

The key barrel (in the door handle) isn't removed when you change the door lock assembly. On the back of the barrel is a blade, which engages in a slot in the lock assembly. It is easy to refit it without engaging the blade in the slot. Hence your problem. A Porsche garage, eh? Better not say which one........

And I can guarantee that the cable is on the passenger side if you have release levers. Unless you have a LHD car, of course, in which case it would indeed be the driver's side. Unless someone has re-routed the cable, it should be under the headlight tray, close to the inner wing. You really have to grope around to find it. It has been known for some people to re-route the cable to behind the sidemarker light, so that they can simply unclip it to access the cable.

 

[Ripmax]

Tks again. I'll have another route around for the cable tomorrow.