Transmission, Automatic

Replacing Burned-out "Drive" Indicator Light

>yesterday the light for 'Drive' [shift sequence] in the instrument cluster went dead.
>all the other pattern lights work except for 'Drive.' am i going to have to pull
>the cluster and replace a dead bulb? are there contacts under the manual
>shifter that turn these lights on? hopefully -- i don't know why porsche
>would do this -- it is something pathetically easy like replacing a burnt fuse.

Q1. Yes
Q2. No
Q3. No.

Drive bulb burns out, because it is ON all the time. Direct replacement bulbs are unavailable. They are 12V, however. Maybe you can look for one at a large electronic parts supplier. If the bulb is replaced with a different one with slightly different wattage, it may be dimmer (or brighter), than what you are used to. Instrument cluster must be removed from pod, then tachometer must be removed from cluster. Tachometer must be taken apart - only difficult part is pulling the pointer off without breaking it (good luck). To remove the pointer, you need the equivalent of a gear puller to grab the round part of the pointer and pull evenly, otherwise the shaft may be damaged. Once it's off, the circuit board can be unscrewed from the face assembly, the bulb removed, and a new one soldered in place.

Send it to Hollywood Speedometer (?), advertisers in Excellence. They can replace bulb for you. Or buy a used tach that has all the lights operational (contact 928 International). If you have the bulb replaced, better have all of them replaced at the same time, because PARK will be the next to go, maybe REVERSE. Replacing them all will assure that they all illuminate with the same level of brightness (and you don't want to have to pull the tach out again, if you can avoid it).

*Steve; 87S4/auto/GPW