Fortunately that very same day in my mailbox was the October 2007 issue of Chicago Scene and in there was the Midship Report column by John Miller which among other things described how he ran into the same problem on his Boxster and included detailed instructions on how to fix it!

Upon doing some further on-line research it appears this is a VERY common problem and had been for several years. The problem is a simple VW/Audi electrical switch that's attached to the end of the key cylinder that tells the car's electronics what position the key is in. It's a cheap plastic part and eventually it seems some little plastic part inside cracks or breaks off and causes the key to not be able to turn. In my case I was lucky and was able to crunch the plastic enough to allow the key to turn semi-freely again.

That little plastic part costs all of about $10.92 from www.autohausaz.com. The OEM version of the switch is VW/Audi part# 4A0905849. Since this part seems to break a lot it probably couldn't hurt to order an extra one or two. The part has been discontinued from Porsche so it may not be available from VW/Audi parts sites forever. There is an updated ignition lock that avoids using the easily broken VW switch. The process is well documented at: DIY Upgraded Ignition Switch/Log Installation for 996/Boxster. When (not if) this switch ever breaks again I'm likely to just buy the more reliable ignition lock assembly and not have to replace that switch again.

The basic process is pretty simple. The switch can be accessed from under the dash. It's a little tricky to get to the two small slotted screws holding it in place so you need to at least remove the section of duct running across the dash but I found I had a hard time getting to the screws so I ended up also loosening the ODB-II and swiveling it out of the way and also removing the light switch/left duct assembly and unscrewing the vertical duct as well which I was then able to wiggle out of the way for better access to those darn screws.

1. Romove the key or leave it in the 0 position if at all possible
2. Contort yourself under the dash and remove the big duct. Just compress it and it should easily come out and both ends.
3. Find the switch and pull the wiring harness of the switch. It should come off pretty easily.
4. The screws you need to remove are covered in bright red paint. Scratch off the paint with a small screwdriver.
5. Then just unscrew the two screws with a very small slotted screwdiver. If you're having trouble getting to them you may need to move the other duct out of the way too.
6. The screws are not very tight so it should take very little force to unscrew them. You also don't need to unscrew them all the way, just enough for the heads to extend slightly past the bracket holding the switch.
7. If your key was stuck in the ignition you should be able to remove it now. The new switch will only go in if the key is in the 0 position.
8. Install new switch.
9. Replace the wiring harness. It only goes on one way.
10. Replace any ductwork you moved/removed out of the way.
11. Take the car for a spin to make sure it's all working still.

Click on thumbnail for a full-size picture
The key is out of the ignition. Viewed: 59 times.	Pull out the light switch and insert a tiny screwdriver into the hole to release the switch. Viewed: 77 times.	For your reference, this is how it looks from behind. Viewed: 77 times.
Use a T-20 Torx screwdriver to remove the screw here. Viewed: 83 times.	Use the same screwdriver to remove these two and then carefully pull out the whole unit. Viewed: 71 times.	Remove this phillips screw to loosen this other duct. No need to remove completely. Viewed: 89 times.
Compress the big duct under the dash and remove. Viewed: 87 times.	If necessary unscrew the two of the three screws holding the ODB-II interface and rotate it out of the way. Viewed: 86 times.	The wiring harness plug pulls straight off. Viewed: 109 times.
Once off you can see clearly see the red paint covering the two tiny screws. Viewed: 115 times.	With the ducts and ODB-II out of the way I had enough room to use a small screwdriver to unscrew the screws and remove the switch. Viewed: 98 times.	This is the small screwdriver that did the trick. Viewed: 77 times.
The old broken switch on the left and the new one on the right. Viewed: 135 times.	Once re-assembled it was time to put it all back together. Viewed: 83 times.

For me I had another surprise under the dash, fortunately a pleasant one. Apparently a previous owner had installed the Valentine-1 hard wire adapter. I followed the wires and found the power cord tucked between the window and frame. The end had been cut off but there was enough slack to pull the wire back and I can just crimp on a new RJ-11 plug!

Comments From People Like You! Replace Ignition Switch :: Repairs :: Greg's 2004 Porsche 996	add a comment
Fred Jackson 09-Jun-2008 10:32
Thanks, Greg! Just finished the job on my wife's 2002 Targa. Found pieces of plastic inside the switch, so we were close to being left stranded. Now it's good as new.
jcpinbox@gmail. 20-Feb-2008 17:44
thanks for the pics and how to do. just did mine and it works perfect. got a quote of 250 and i did myself for 15 bucks. thanks again

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