Changing micro switches in door

[boeykew]

On my 996 C4 one of the door micro-switches must be faulty as when I open the door, the window opens correctly with 1cm, but when the door is open and releasing the exterior door handle the windows moves up again, which complicates the closing of the door as the upper part of the window enters in conflict with the rubber seal in the roof. During a ride on a bumpy road ( famous Belgian concrete slab b-roads) the electronics do intermittently and randomly move the window up and down with 1cm, quite annoying. I removed the door panel, but the access to the exterior door handle and the door lock which both contain a micro-switch is at least awkward. I hardly can put my hand in the opening of the steel doorframe and when it is in, impossible to see what you do. Any advise how to replace these switches would be helpful.

[Y2K911]

To remove the inner door latch, first you have to separate a large keyed connector that connects the door wiring harness to the latch (using a flat screwdriver from above the connector to flatten a tab that locks both male & female part of the connector). By inner door latch, I mean the locking device that is held by the 2 black outside fasteners at the end of the door. These fasteners are 8 mm triple square fasteners (torque I believe is 30 nm). Don't try with torx tools as you will simply destroy the triple square corners.

The inner door latch and the outside door handle are mechanically connected by a small metal rod from the door handle to an open rod on the latch that has a slider that squeezes/bounds the 2 rods together. To remove, you slide the slider towards the interior of the door and to install, you slide towards the door handle. Once that mechanical link is undone, you can remove the inner door latch through the interior large opening.

My issue was that the passenger window would not come down when the door opened either from the inside or outside handle. Replacing the inner door latch solved the issue and got rid of the double beep from the car, telling me something was wrong with the car alarm system.

Bonne chance!

[boeykew]

Thank you. I meanwhile ordered the microswitch assembly and got a proper tool for the 8mm special fasteners holding the lock. Indeed using a 6 mm Torx (T40) is tempting but it is loose fit and I imagine you cannot transmit a lot of torque.

One more question: what is the best product to restore the original seal between the door and the foam waterproofing membrane between doorframe and door panel? Some sort of glue or a silicone bead?

Grds...

[1schoir]

You can sometimes restore the "stickiness" of the original black sealant on the foam membrane behind the door panel by heating it up a little with a heat gun and then pressing the foam membrane back onto the sheet metal frame of the door.

If your sealant is too far gone, you can use Permatex Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant (part # 81158), which is waterproof and stays somewhat flexible. Here is a link to what it looks like: http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81158-Silicone-Adhesive-Sealant/dp/B000AL6WLA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366433481&sr=8-1&keywords=permatex+black#productDetails

If you can't get it in Belgium, another silicone adhesive sealant can do the job, as long as it doesn't have any ingredients that attack the foam membrane.

It is very important to seal the membrane carefully so as to avoid getting water into the cabin. If it's not sealed properly, you can usually feel the carpet getting wet first just below the door sill after a rain or a car wash. If you get water into the cabin, it will promptly find its way under the driver's seat, where it will fry the immobilizer.

Regards, Maurice.

[Skootnasty]

For the moisture barrier membrane, this is what we use to replace the black adhesive product that manufacturers use. It works great, just make sure that the door and foam surfaces have no dirt on them when you stick back together.

http://www.tooltopia.com/3m-automotive-8578.aspx?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=MMM8578&utm_campaign=googlebase_18u&gclid=CJ36r_eI3rYCFcJw4AodjkkAbg

Skoot