Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi folks,
New member to TIPEC and I am looking for advice on three issues I have found with my 944 S2 Coupe (1990)

I have owned the car for approximately a year, I am no mechanic, but having gone back into lockdown post the festive break, I thought I would do some research and try to resolve the issues myself.

Issue 1- During the period of owning the car it has suffered from a draw on the battery. I have the car hook up to a CTEC trickle charger to maintain the battery charge.

Issue 2 - The courtesy lights in the main cabin and boot do not turn off when the doors are closed, therefore I have all interior courtesy lights set to the off position.

Issue 3 - Contrary to the owner’s manual, the electric windows work if the doors and boot are closed, even without the key in the ignition (I only discovered this a problem through research and post a bit of tinkering over the weekend)

So, what have I done so far -

1. I assumed that battery drain was linked to the courtesy lights issue, not switching off when the doors are closed. I have removed and replaced the door switches within the door pillars, however this has not resolved the issue.

2. I have attached a picture of the replacement switches used, I connected the pins the same way as they were removed, have I done this correctly?

Even with the new switches, the lights only turn off when I open the door and press the switch in manually, however this only happens on the driver’s side, no response from the new switch on the passenger door.

My thinking is that the door isn’t hitting the switch, there is charge somewhere else with the circuit which isn’t going to ground, or something isn’t connected behind the scenes which I can’t see?

I am at a loss on this, but I am also thinking its related to my findings below.

3. My next course of action was to hook up the battery to a multimeter, the amp reading with all fuses and relays connected was 0.237

4. I removed all fuses one by one; reading was consistent as above on all fuses in place, however the reading dropped to 0.097 when fuse in position 4 was removed. Fuse 4 – Window winder

5. I then removed the relays too, the relay in position G7 the reading didn’t drop, but it was warm to touch Relay G7 “window winder”

6. When touching the multimeter probe to the battery, this relay made a clicking sound. Picture attached.

Please note that due to the relay being warm, I have disconnected the battery, as I assume this is a fire risk if not resolved.

• Are these issues related, i.e., are the windows and interior lights working off the same circuit?
• Replace the fuse ?
• Would replacing the relay in G7 resolve both issues?
• If there anything else I should do?

Any advice, thoughts, and recommendations on what to do next would be greatly appreciated. As I say, I am not mechanic, so you are going to have to keep it very basic (sorry but I am in ABC territory !!!) any pictures would be of help too

Cheers all and I look forward to hearing back in due course.
Andy

From your troubleshooting it sounds like,

1. Either the relay is bad
2. Something is making the circuit permanently live and activating the relay

Have you tried Clarks Garage? They have a troubleshooting guide for the windows which may help -

http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/elect-20.htm

Perhaps the loom going into the doors is damaged or been butchered? or perhaps the switches are broken?

The power windows should operate in the following conditions -

1. Ignition on
2. Ignition off / door open

The power windows should NOT operate when the ignition is off and the doors are closed.

So you could also have a ground condition occuring on the interior light circuit somewhere which is keeping the relay active, scratch that you already said the interior lights won't turn off, so that is your problem

I think if you sort the interior light issue then that will resolve the issue with the power windows!

Let us know how you get on.

Totally agree with Whiteknight, the doors and windows are linked, with the interior light

I think you are looking for a trapped wire to ground somewhere,

Think the passenger side is the place to start looking as the door switch does not work with the finger push test

Battery off and an investigation, just for reference the battery will only last about 3 weeks with everything working correctly, and the alarm on

Evening gents,

Thank you for replying to my post, this is greatly appreciated.

I agree that the passenger door switch and wiring should be the starting point, a job for the weekend and I will provide an update how things have gone, fingers crossed resolved !

I am guessing the wires / connectors within the door pillar that connect to the door switch, route back inside the vehicle behind the dash or under the dash? Do you think I will have to strip elements of the dash out to get access? Any thoughts on that?

I have had a look for a courtesy light wiring diagram on Clarks and a google search, but drew a blank. Will keep searching though.

Cheers

Andy

If you go to

www.pdlibrary.co.uk

You should find the 944 WSM and the wiring diagrams are in those

The wires in the door switches go upwards, you should be able to find it somewhere behind the bonnet pull

The drivers is behind the ABS ecu

Waylander,

Thank you for your reply and link, I have taken a look at these this morning, very useful.

Going to make a start on this later today!

Cheers

Andy