Idiot Lights, (PSM, Brake,Battery,...) all came on!

[ultramens]

Hi, i have a 1999 996 C4 with 70K miles on it. I was driving it today and the following idiot lights came on.

Battery

PSM

Triangle with ! in it

Brake light

Then the battery meter went above 16 volts and the radio and air conditioning stopped working....

As I was on the highway when this happened, I drive to the nearest exit. Once I stopped all the lights disappeared and everything was fine.

What should I do, is this a fuse or a lose connection issue? Please, if this happened to you, let me know.

Thanks in advance.

[Loren]

How old is your battery?

If it is 4 years or older I would start with that.

You ignition switch may also be suspect.

[ultramens]

Loren, how do I check? The volts on the battery is right at the 12 mark before I start the car,

I have no problems with starting the car... its when its moving that the lights came on

[Loren]

You need to remove the battery cover and see if they punched the date code on the top.

A bad ignition switch works sometimes... and soetimes not.

[ultramens]

ok, just looked for a date on the battery, no luck, so should I bring it to a Pep boys and have them check the voltage?

How do I check the ignition switch?

[RFM]

If the on board volt meter shows values above 15 volt and some idiot lights comes on, there is probably a issue with the voltage regulator in the alternator. Issues as this are not always present, i suggest to check the fault codes which are linked to Voltage above or under the specs values.

[ultramens]

thanks, I am going to bring it into autozone to check the battery. (its never above the 15 volt meter, so I am hoping its just the battery that needs replacing)....

[ultramens]

Hi all, i replaced my battery and thought that this was the problem... after a hard rain here in FL, the lights came on again!!!! Can someone please help? Would any of the drains being clogged cause this? I have noticed that the lights come on after the car is sitting under heavy rain..... Please if you have any ideas, let me know....

[1schoir]

Hi all, i replaced my battery and thought that this was the problem... after a hard rain here in FL, the lights came on again!!!! Can someone please help? Would any of the drains being clogged cause this? I have noticed that the lights come on after the car is sitting under heavy rain..... Please if you have any ideas, let me know....

Here are some links to check out your drains:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=21257

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7791

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4067

If your drains are not clogged, I would definitely look into replacing the ignition switch. It can cause some of the problems you are describing and it's only a $10 part with a straightforward replacement procedure (if you have some contortionist skills).

Regards, Maurice.

[wross996TT]

Hi all, i replaced my battery and thought that this was the problem... after a hard rain here in FL, the lights came on again!!!! Can someone please help? Would any of the drains being clogged cause this? I have noticed that the lights come on after the car is sitting under heavy rain..... Please if you have any ideas, let me know....

As suggested already...get the codes read to help diagnose the situation....either that or start replacing parts until it goes away.

[ultramens]

Thanks for the quick replys, but why would rain have anything to do with the ignition switch?

I went to autozone and i have no fault codes....

[ultramens]

could it be that my key got wet from the rain and when I place it in the ignition, it causes issues? (just a thought.....)

[1schoir]

could it be that my key got wet from the rain and when I place it in the ignition, it causes issues? (just a thought.....)

If you want to eliminate that as a possibility, use a hair dryer to blow onto the ignition switch for a while to help dry out any moisture that might have gotten in there. Then, when it rains, be careful to not insert your key in there until you have ascertained that it is not wet.

If your problems continue in spite of keeping the key dry, I would still suspect the ignition switch.

Regards, Maurice.

[ultramens]

thanks, i will post what i find...

[wross996TT]

Thanks for the quick replys, but why would rain have anything to do with the ignition switch?

I went to autozone and i have no fault codes....

First you have correlation, not causation...the rain may have nothing to do with the problem. I also suggest you get the codes read by PIWIS, PST2 (dealers) or durametric...these are much better diagnostic tools.

[geoff]

I had similar symptons when my alternator started dying. Dash light came on, then more until it looked like Christmas, then my car died. My '01 Boxster was just out of warranty and I was shocked at how expensive an alternator could be! In retrospect, I should have yanked it out and taken it to an alternator shop instead of buying a Porsche remanufactured alternator. Because the alternator going bad killed my battery, I ended up replacing my battery afterwards. I was told the electrical systems on these cars run off the battery and the alternator charges the battery while driving

[wwest]

Check the body ground post/stud for the battery negative side, just near the battery, and check the engine/body ground connection/strap near the engine, engine bottom front (I think).