Parking lights issue

[fudgiewhale]

Hi Friends

The front marker lights on my 2001 Box S won't come on, but the hazards/turn signals do work. I got a fuse diagram from Mike Focke's site, but I don't see "marker lights" or "parking lights" listed on it. Can anyone help me figure out how to get these lights working again? I find it dubious that it's the lamps themselves, as both seemed to have died at the same time- that's why I thought "fuse". There was no fuse diagram in the little compartment, but Mike's chart is supposedly for an '01 "S" like mine...

Please advise. Thanks and have a great weekend!

Fudgie

[Loren]

In most cases light problems are the switch. I would try rotating back and forth a few times and see if anything changes.

[Tool Pants]

The side marker lights do no not blink with the turn signal/haz if that is what you think is the problem.

[fudgiewhale]

Thanks Loren. I will try playing with the switch (it does feel a tad loose). As for the fuse block diagram- is there one available (public domain) for the '01 S that you can point me to?

Have a great weekend!!

In most cases light problems are the switch. I would try rotating back and forth a few times and see if anything changes.

[fudgiewhale]

The side marker lights do no not blink with the turn signal/haz if that is what you think is the problem.

Thanks Tool Pants! (Love the name)

I'm pretty sure it's just the front parking lights that don't ignite- the turn indicator lamps appear to have an unimpeded electron flow. I'm fairly certain (I'll check after work) that the rear marker lights do work.

Keep the shiny side up!

[mikefocke]

Mike's fuse diagram is a scan of the booklet found in his '01S and so should match your car.

I'm not sure exactly what you are describing as front marker lights.

If the lights switch is in the far left position (pull it out to get there) for example, my front headlight, side light and tail light are on but only on the left side. That is the European parking light pattern to reduce battery drain when you stop and are unable to pull off the road completely. And what seems to be the low beam is actually a low wattage parking light bulb (5W compared to the headlight low beam at up to 55W).

When I rotate the light switch to one click to the right from all-off (without pulling it out), the low beams seem to come on weakly but it is the separate parking light bulb.

None of the yellow areas in the headlight assembly come on unless I'm making a turn with my turn signal.

I just checked my '01S and these are from the results and not out of a book so they are the way mine actually works.

Compare your results and lets be specific about what you are expecting to happen that isn't for you.

Edited October 23, 2010 by mikefocke

[fudgiewhale]

Mike's fuse diagram is a scan of the booklet found in his '01S and so should match your car.

I'm not sure exactly what you are describing as front marker lights.

If the lights switch is in the far left position (pull it out to get there) for example, my front headlight, side light and tail light are on but only on the left side. That is the European parking light pattern to reduce battery drain when you stop and are unable to pull off the road completely. And what seems to be the low beam is actually a low wattage parking light bulb (5W compared to the headlight low beam at up to 55W).

When I rotate the light switch to one click to the right from all-off (without pulling it out), the low beams seem to come on weakly but it is the separate parking light bulb.

None of the yellow areas in the headlight assembly come on unless I'm making a turn with my turn signal.

I just checked my '01S and these are from the results and not out of a book so they are the way mine actually works.

Compare your results and lets be specific about what you are expecting to happen that isn't for you.

Hi Mike

Thanks for the description. It appears that I had a brainfart, and was expecting the amber parking lights in the front. The signals do work- I guess I was looking for something that wasn't there! Better than seeing things that aren't there, I suppose... that decides it- this week, I stop huffing glue!

By the way, I love your site, it's very helpful and informative.

Thanks again,

Fudgie (Ted)

[gt6nut]

Hi RennTech Members,

As a new 996 owner (2003), I have found this forum to be invaluable. While I had hoped not to be working on the car (getting old, lazy, and just want to drive), the small things I have encountered so far have all had answers here.

To share my experience, I had a problem with my headlights. Somehow, during my PPI, personal inspection, state inspection, and one trip to the shop, we all missed this odd behavior. The initial symptom was that my hi-beams did not work except when used in the 'flash' mode by pulling back on the turn signal switch. Pushing the switch forward resulted in no hi-beams or lit blue icon on the dash. Further investigation showed that when my headlight switch is in the 'headlight' position, there were no headlights. When fog light switch (pulled back one notch), the headlights came on, but still no steady high-beam when I used the turn signal switch.

The forums all indicated a bad switch and someone talked about cleaning the switch with MAP cleaner fluid. I removed my old switch, cleaned and exercised it with Radio-Shack tuner cleaner (a staple in the shop since my last 951), and reinstalled the old switch. All lights now work as described in the manual.

20 minutes thanks to the instructions on this site and $0 cost. You should try this before you order the $100+ switch.

Thanks to all who contribute. I will add to this knowledge base as I have relevant experiences.

Tom

[jsmillar]

I haven't been able to find another more recent post on this topic, so here is my issue.

Both of the front white marker lights stopped working at the same time and have not worked since. Side and rear parking lights come on normally. The little white light bulbs in each litronic headlight assembly do not turn on no matter what the switch position is in. Has anyone had this issue?

2003 Boxster S