turn signal woe

Out of the blue this afternoon, as I was pulling away from a curb, my turn signal stalk would not lock into place when I tried to signal to the left. I could hold the handle down, but it wouldn't, you know, click into place. I could feel it almost getting there, but not quite. I forced it a but, muttered at it, and then ....OK there it went and then it behaved normally, except the turn signal doesn't cancel by itself. Then I tried signaling right, and same thing, it wont lock into place. I guess I'm taking the steering wheel off and have a look see some day soon. Hopefully I can fix it without having to buy a new part. That would mean reassembling, ordering the part, and the going through the whole thing again when the part actually arrives. What a pain...anyone been through this yet?

I had a similar problem just appear - left turn doesn't stay down and right doesn't cancel by itself. Is there a spring turn signal virus up here or what ....? Happened to my truck too. Aaargh. PITA Would also like to know if it's repairable ... or just replace?

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Weird that it just happened to you too....Maybe its a Vancouver thing? When I do get to the fix I'll post back here with pics if applicable. Sounds like the exact same thing though.

Thanks - I found this good video on how to take it all apart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hux78...eature=related

I JUST LOVE, LOVE THAT MUSIC!

Well that pretty much tells us everyting we need to know doesn't it? Thanks for that video. .... and it wouldn't have made sense without the music. Looking at the turn signal module it doesn't look very service-friendly. It may be possible, but logically it makes sense to get the new part in hand before you go tearing it all apart. Loren over at Renntech responded to a similar post mid-last year by a 2002 996 C2 owner as follows: "996.613.219.10.EWC steering column switch (w/cruise and OBC) -- US MSRP $276.54" DC Automotive has a used one for $175. I saw LA dismantlers referenced in another post as having this part for $130. They don't have an on-line catalog though. Tomorrow is a working day down south (day off here in Canada to celebrate the Queen's birthday) I'll make some calls including to Sunset in Oregon. Here's a diagram in the meantime:

I'm thinking a new one would be best. A used one or a repair may only last a year considering how much it's used. Thanks for the info and diagram Jasper. I'll have to find out what that music is so that I can play it on a loop while I'm replacing the unit .... seems only fitting.

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grmbl grmbl - yes you are right. I might still take the gamble with a used part though. I'm that "thrifty". I was thinking the same thing about the music, but since the battery is disconnected we'll have to rig up some sort of sound system in the carport. This job keeps getting more complicated. And on that note, the video guy turned *on* the ignition and *then* disconnected the batery. I'd never considered or heard about disconnecting the battery with the ignition on. Any idea why this was part of his procedure?

Apparently you have to turn the ignition on so the alarm doesn't go off and for some strange reason if you turn the ignition on while the airbag is disconnected, the airbag idiot light stays on after the install and it"s another procedure to shut it off ... But Jasper - double click on the video and it will take you to Youtube. Under the video there is a line "How to replace the indicator and wiper switch assembly on a Porsche ..." and under that is a "Show more". Click that and there is a whole written description of the procedure including the tools required. I'm going to print this out as I don't have my iPad yet This guy sure enjoyed doing this .. and sharing it. But the music, the music ... how to get the music to the garage .....

wow!! someone who actually uses a turn signal, who'd of thought!!

Another Vancouverite! Hi Geoff. Like your Army. My theory is that if you LOOK like you obey the law they leave you alone .....

OK - Sunset Porsche out of Oregon has it for $192 but they won't ship to a US address if you're using a Canadian card. I called the manager to confirm this and sure enough, they think they have a problem with Canadians cancelling the order once its arrived. Whatever. Suncoast matched the price and it's on the way to Point Roberts. Brand new, $192 plus $17 shipping.

I just replaced mine. Make sure you get the correct one. There are 2,3, and 4 stalk configurations. Mine is a four ( turn signal,computer, cc, and wiper) , Got mine at Sunset Porsche $192 I think. The lesser stalk ones are cheaper.

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Yep, top of my list of concerns. I double and triple checked the part number above against my 2002 with cruise and computer and it checked out. I think all of the US models got cruise and OBC, but I wonder if you installed the four stalk unit onto a car which was not shipped with cruise and/or OBC if those functions would start working suddenly. hhmm. Oh well, that's my birthday gift money spent Was hoping to get some WEVO motor mounts with that.

Pretty reasonable price, really. Happy birthday ...

OK - jobs done. Took about an hour all in. The video tells the story but... 1) there's no need to tape the wheel centring thing, it can't really move much.. 2) The video doesn't say that the wheel centre thing stays attached throughout the procedure. I tried to unplug it but (a) the plug won't budge and (b) here's no need to remove it. If you look in the video he leaves it in place too. It gets in the way a bit but not too bad. 3) the trip computer wiring is a bit fiddly, but pretty straightforward. Not covered in the video because i don't think he has one. Also..there's no way I can see to repair this part. It's riveted together. I also found a wayward plastic tab in the steering column surround which I suppose must have come from inside the new old part. For $200 buying a new one is pretty much the way to go.

The "wheel centering thing" is called a clock spring and it has a coiled multi-connector flat wire in it. This coils/uncoils as you turn the wheel lock to lock. It is there to connect of the steering wheel functions, in this case airbag and horn, to the stationary wires in the dash. I would tape it so it can't turn.

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Yes, of course. In the old days this was typically done with a copper tab on the back of the steering wheel slipping along a copper plate attached to the steering column. That was back before the government required the equivalent of a hand grenade to be installed in the middle of the steering wheel. I guess the this connection now needs 100% hard wired integrity. I didn't give it that much thought last night, but now that you mention it I should have noticed the lack of another obvious means to transfer this current. thx for that. I mention it does not need taping because it has a locking mechanism built into it. There was no danger of it uncoiling although I suppose it could have if the locking tab were to have been inadvertantly defeated.

This thread just saved me $400, so this newbie thanks you all. And GNR996 made me want to join the Army. Because, I'm pretty sure she's actually in the US Army, and ya know, every woman in the Army looks like that.

A related issue with my 996. My blinker switch works, but does not automatically turn off after I complete the turn. I remember the units from many years ago had a tab that would trip the switch. Is my problem with the switch unit or something else? ​​​​​​ ​​

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My '99 996 just started doing the exact same...locks for left and right turns but won't click back after the turn. Not too big of a deal, kinda like some motorcycles I've had with non canceling turn signals. I assume it is the same fix as the rest. Replace the stalk unit. Let's see if some one else chimes in.