Passenger window not dropping & mind of its own

[Shippers01]

Hi all. So out in car today and passenger window not dropping on exit or entry. Also when driving along the window starts to drop and goes back up again as driving and interior light comes on and off!!! The windows drops as they should when you open the roof. Is it the switch in the door that would cause this?? Any advice helpfull. This has only just happened today as earlier the alarm went off as well!!! Not sure if both connected?

[TROOPER88]

You have got the immobiliser unit under the passenger seat wet. Check it as a matter of urgency.

[Shippers01]

Hi trooper88. Have checked carpets but all dry. Car is kept covered when not in use. 

[Shippers01]

35 minutes ago, TROOPER88 said:

You have got the immobiliser unit under the passenger seat wet. Check it as a matter of urgency.

As above carpets all seem dry but will try and double check later if stops raining!! Out of curiosity if it is wet what do you do??? Pretty sure it is dry though.

[TROOPER88]

If 100% dry then it could be the door lock module

Anyone would just be guessing tbh, without me plugging it in it is hard to say

[Shippers01]

9 minutes ago, TROOPER88 said:

If 100% dry then it could be the door lock module

Anyone would just be guessing tbh, without me plugging it in it is hard to say

If it is the door lock module is that an expensive fix??? Is it a diy fix??

[TROOPER88]

1 minute ago, Shippers01 said:

If it is the door lock module is that an expensive fix??? Is it a diy fix??

No and yes

[Shippers01]

43 minutes ago, TROOPER88 said:

No and yes

Cheers for replies trooper88. Will look at door modules. Also does it need to be plugged into a specific Porsche diagnostic reader??

[TROOPER88]

23 minutes ago, Shippers01 said:

Cheers for replies trooper88. Will look at door modules. Also does it need to be plugged into a specific Porsche diagnostic reader??

I would hold fire on the module until you know for sure that this is your problem.

 

 

Yes, PIWIS or Durametric 

 

What area are you?

[Boxob]

Check under the carpet. The thick under foam can hold a lot of water without the carpet even feeling damp.  If the Alarm Control Unit (ACU) has got wet then remove it and dry it for several days - you might get lucky. However, if not, its unfortunately an expensive fix.

If you go down the door lock module replacement route then use the appropriate VW / Audi unit (IIRC Golf or TT) as its a fraction of the price of the near identical one from Porsche.

[Shippers01]

1 hour ago, TROOPER88 said:

I would hold fire on the module until you know for sure that this is your problem.

 

 

Yes, PIWIS or Durametric 

 

What area are you?

I am near Portsmouth.

[Shippers01]

1 hour ago, Boxob said:

Check under the carpet. The thick under foam can hold a lot of water without the carpet even feeling damp.  If the Alarm Control Unit (ACU) has got wet then remove it and dry it for several days - you might get lucky. However, if not, its unfortunately an expensive fix.

If you go down the door lock module replacement route then use the appropriate VW / Audi unit (IIRC Golf or TT) as its a fraction of the price of the near identical one from Porsche.

Thanks for the info. Will double check carpet and foam and under seat in morning. Never had any problems with windows untill today!!

[GmanB]

@Shippers01 if it is wet under the seat, send me a PM I can lend you a full cover until you can get it fixed, if you can get over to Bognor. Alternatively, if you have a cover pop it on now, it's looking pretty wet and windy the next few days.

[Shippers01]

28 minutes ago, GmanB said:

@Shippers01 if it is wet under the seat, send me a PM I can lend you a full cover until you can get it fixed, if you can get over to Bognor. Alternatively, if you have a cover pop it on now, it's looking pretty wet and windy the next few days.

Thanks for offer but i have full cover and it is covered!!!! Horrible rain and wind!! Did check carpet earlier and felt dry. Will have another look in morning. Seems odd just started today. As said above window works fine with the roof.

[GmanB]

1 hour ago, Shippers01 said:

Thanks for offer but i have full cover and it is covered!!!! Horrible rain and wind!! Did check carpet earlier and felt dry. Will have another look in morning. Seems odd just started today. As said above window works fine with the roof.

Glad you have a cover! The carpet itself dries very quickly, so best to pull it up and feel the foam underneath, as Boxob says. It can behave in a very odd manner and not always with the same symptoms, but it's certainly the first place of concern.  

My friend had a similar problem with the alarm randomly going off and the odd strange thing with windows. It got worse and worse, to the point of going to the car in the morning and it had completely put the windows down, some lights on the dash were on and it drained a fully charged battery in a day without even starting it. His carpet felt dry, but as others have said the foam underneath was full of water. His was a 996, but the front ends are almost identical to our cars. His problem was blocked drains, a leaking passenger door seal and membrane.

Unfortunately these things are hard to spot until things start going wrong. I believe replacement Alarm units are around £400 (certainly for my friend's 996 it was around that price) fitted and coded to the ECU, so well worth trying to recover it. This may not be your problem, but does sound suspiciously like a wet Alarm unit. 

[Shippers01]

20 minutes ago, GmanB said:

Glad you have a cover! The carpet itself dries very quickly, so best to pull it up and feel the foam underneath, as Boxob says. It can behave in a very odd manner and not always with the same symptoms, but it's certainly the first place of concern.  

My friend had a similar problem with the alarm randomly going off and the odd strange thing with windows. It got worse and worse, to the point of going to the car in the morning and it had completely put the windows down, some lights on the dash were on and it drained a fully charged battery in a day without even starting it. His carpet felt dry, but as others have said the foam underneath was full of water. His was a 996, but the front ends are almost identical to our cars. His problem was blocked drains, a leaking passenger door seal and membrane.

Unfortunately these things are hard to spot until things start going wrong. I believe replacement Alarm units are around £400 (certainly for my friend's 996 it was around that price) fitted and coded to the ECU, so well worth trying to recover it. This may not be your problem, but does sound suspiciously like a wet Alarm unit. 

This is the first time the alarm has gone off since i got the car last summer!! When the alarm went off i pushed keyfob button to stop and then re-locked car. Then went out hour or so later to pick up my son and noticed that interior light was on after starting car so checked doors were shut BUT the passenger door not shut fully. Thats when i tried to open and close door properly and thats when it started playing up!! The passenger door must not have been shut properly from earlier on. Like i said window drops fine when opening the roof.

[the baron]

I had this exact problem, it’s the door lock module, I replaced it myself with an OEM part from an OPC, not badly priced once you factor in discount. It’s also not a bad job, allow a couple of hours if you have not done one before

[Shippers01]

2 hours ago, the baron said:

I had this exact problem, it’s the door lock module, I replaced it myself with an OEM part from an OPC, not badly priced once you factor in discount. It’s also not a bad job, allow a couple of hours if you have not done one before

Thanks the baron. I was leaning towards the module as all seems dry in car although will double check when weather calms down!!! When you changed yours is it simply a case of just plugging new module in?? Do you have to take battery off and then reset anything??? Is fairly easy getting door card off etc??

[the baron]

5 hours ago, Shippers01 said:

Thanks the baron. I was leaning towards the module as all seems dry in car although will double check when weather calms down!!! When you changed yours is it simply a case of just plugging new module in?? Do you have to take battery off and then reset anything??? Is fairly easy getting door card off etc??

Didn’t disconnect battery and yes very straight forward getting door card off, that’s the easy bit, there are plenty of YouTube vids to watch, getting the actual module out is a little tricky but all very doable, just take your time and you’ll be fine

[Shippers01]

3 minutes ago, the baron said:

Didn’t disconnect battery and yes very straight forward getting door card off, that’s the easy bit, there are plenty of YouTube vids to watch, getting the actual module out is a little tricky but all very doable, just take your time and you’ll be fine

Thanks the baron. Will catch up on some you tube vids and have a route around!! Cheers.

[TROOPER88]

10 hours ago, the baron said:

Didn’t disconnect battery and yes very straight forward getting door card off, that’s the easy bit, there are plenty of YouTube vids to watch, getting the actual module out is a little tricky but all very doable, just take your time and you’ll be fine

Do not do it without disconnecting the battery.

I think Baron has an early 986 with no airbag in the door, you most likely do and therefore you need to. When working on any car electrical system, it is best practice to always disconnect the battery.

As I suggested in one of my initial replies to you, the car needs to be read on the diagnostics tbh.

If you do tackle this on your own, first remove the door card and remove the plug to the module to see if you have the 7 or 9 pin.

[the baron]

16 minutes ago, TROOPER88 said:

Do not do it without disconnecting the battery.

I think Baron has an early 986 with no airbag in the door, you most likely do and therefore you need to. When working on any car electrical system, it is best practice to always disconnect the battery.

As I suggested in one of my initial replies to you, the car needs to be read on the diagnostics tbh.

If you do tackle this on your own, first remove the door card and remove the plug to the module to see if you have the 7 or 9 pin.

Yes @TROOPER88is correct, mine doesn’t have door airbags so you will need to disconnect the battery.

[Shippers01]

3 hours ago, TROOPER88 said:

Do not do it without disconnecting the battery.

I think Baron has an early 986 with no airbag in the door, you most likely do and therefore you need to. When working on any car electrical system, it is best practice to always disconnect the battery.

As I suggested in one of my initial replies to you, the car needs to be read on the diagnostics tbh.

If you do tackle this on your own, first remove the door card and remove the plug to the module to see if you have the 7 or 9 pin.

Thanks for the heads up. Mine is 2001 boxster s with door airbags. Will see if i can get it read with diagnostics first if anyone local has one. Will put shout out. Sure i will ask few more question before i do it!!

[Shippers01]

2 hours ago, the baron said:

Yes @TROOPER88is correct, mine doesn’t have door airbags so you will need to disconnect the battery.

Thanks for reply. Seen trooper88 post!!

[Bradders59]

When airbags are involved I always disconnect the battery, then go and have a cup of tea for half an hour before doing anything, just to be on the safe side.