Locating Glove Box Switch, R&r Glove Box

[FlashingBlade]

My 2002 996 C2 beeps once when I arm the alarm, and I suspect the glove box switch because when I close the glove box, the light does not seem to go out. You can see the light shine through the seam between the airbag and dash.

So far I have been unsuccessful in finding any instructions on how to remove the glove compartment, or where the switch could be, either on various forums or the documentation I have.

Any help, diagrams, would help.

Thanks.

[Loren]

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?/topic/19696-glove-box-light-microswitch-996-coupe-03

[FlashingBlade]

Thanks Loren. It looks like somethings broke off the micro-switch so that if fails to close when the glove box is shut. That also explains why my battery drained down after a couple of days of non use.

I wonder why my searches did not find these notes.

[Loren]

There will be a new search in the next version of the software - it is a total re-write so hopefully it will be much better.

I found this easily because I knew someone asked it before and so I seared for 'glovebox' with author 'Loren'.

[FlashingBlade]

The plot thickens...I took out the glove box and a little metal strip fell out that belongs to the little micro switch of the glove box. It probably got dislodges when I was installing the Hella Tire Pressure Monitoring system while routing the cable for the control to the glove box.

I put the metal strip back on the micro switch, tested the switch with the glove box (it works), and then put the glove box back.

Then I got stumped because the light wouldn't go out when I closed the glove box, even though I heard the distinct click of the micro switch. When I locked the doors and the hood (it was open for the trickle charger), the alarm did not beep meaning all is well. Apparently, when the hood is open the glove box light will also be on. Huh.

Next I wondered whether the trunk light will be on when the glove box is open. I tried to convince my daughter to climb in there to check but she declined with some lame excuse. Instead I put my wireless bore scope in the trunk, and sure enough, that light goes on when you open the glove box. So, if you have a defective glove box switch, it's not sufficient to pull that bulb, but you also need to pull the one in the trunk, and possibly the one in the engine compartment. Ugh, bad design, probably tried to save couple pennies and put all those lights on a single control! That may explain some mysterious battery drains.

By the way...the location of the screws in Loren's picture was not the same for my car. I had two at the very bottom, three on top as show but also TWO on the sides, which were very hard to get to because the glove box door is in the way. You basically need a torx with a swivel head to get to those. Major pain, the rest was trivial. I'll post a similar comment on those pages.