Re: TQC and Coupe Rear Light Removal

[human <human@nh.ultranet.com>]

-- [ From: human * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --

You don't even have to undo the nuts.  The lamp/circuit board assembly comes
out from *inside* the trunk.  It is held into the reflector/lens assembly by
two springy plastic things.  You press them both at the same time with thumb
and fingers and pull "forward" into the trunk and voila!, it's in your hand.
 The wire harness comes off the light/circuit portion basically the same way
, only in a downward direction relative to the board.  Replacement is easy,
they just snap back together.

(silly anecdote follows)

Back when lots of old 5k's were still on the road you used to see a comical
problem manifest itself.  Because the entire pair of light clusters was
grounded through one skinny brown wire, as the connection and wire slowly
deteriorated the current return path often would be through the bulbs that
were not lit back to their unpowered terminal.  So while the driver would,
say, signal left, instead of a nice healthy flash of amber, there would be
this feeble effect of two different bulbs pulsing at 1/4 brightness each. 
And when in reverse with the brakes on, signaling, forget it!

I solved this on mine with a pair of bolts through the light cluster ground
trace, wired to nice healthy grounds nearby in the trunk (with lots of star
washers and conductive silicone grease)

Never had the problem with the Coupe (yet?)

Huw 
82 Coupe

-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------

Date: Monday, 22-Jul-96 10:56 AM

From: Mike Hopton              \ Internet:    (mike@genesis-microchip.on.ca)
To:   q g                      \ Internet:    (quattro@coimbra.ans.net)

Subject: TQC and Coupe Rear Light Removal

How do I remove the rear light clusters from a 1983 ur-q, pretty sure it is 
     exactly the same as the coupe. I've removed the reflectors, they are
simply 
     held on by a couple of nuts and removed the light cluster plastic cover

     (exposing the circuit board and access to the bulbs) and the four, or
was 
     it six, nuts around the periphery of the light unit. At this point I
was 
     expecting the light to lift out as per the reflectors?
     
     I checked the Bentley and the Haynes manuals, let's just say they are
not 
     very detailed on this procedure although the Bentley manual does have a
one 
     page picture of the lights removed from the car, so I guess the lights
are 
     separate part numbers from the rest of the body! 
     
     I'm thinking these are expensive units, so if anyone has had problems
with 
     them breaking during the removal procedure (my guess is they are glued
in) 
     I'll probbaly not bother. I just figured it would be easier when it
comes 
     to getting the car painted and anyway there still some space for parts
in 
     the basement!
     
     Thanks, Mike
     
     
     


-------- REPLY, End of original message --------