As small as the ignition relay is, it plays a huge role when it comes to starting your car. You therefore have all the reasons to get worried anytime the relay develops a glitch. Fortunately, the ignition relay hardly ever breaks down or develops a fault without sending you clear red flags. Work on the signals and have them fixed immediately you notice them. This is the best you can do to ensure you do not end up with car that won't start no matter how hard you try. So what exactly do the signs of a bad Porsche ignition relay look and feel like? Read on to learn more.
The ignition relay's main job is to help you start your car with minimum ease. Note that the ignition in any car model does not do anything else apart from ushering other components such as the starter and fuel pump to give life to the engine. It is therefore natural to inspect the relay if you can't feel anything when you turn on the ignition key.
There is much more into the ignition relay other than giving life to the engine. It also works as an influencer. This means it maintains power delivery to the fuel pump. The pump then keeps the engine running. So anytime the engine stalls, the most likely culprit is the ignition relay. Chances are, it will have completely failed. Keep in mind though that the engine can also stall if the fuel pump relay or the fuel pump itself has a problem. To be sure where the problem is, have an expert inspect the pump as well as the ignition system.
Your car's energy comes from the battery. It is therefore necessary for the battery to work perfect and in tandem with all the other components in your car. Anything short of this means nearly all components that rely on the battery will fail. This includes the relay. If and when it fails, it will cause the ignition system to remain on and work even after you have safely removed the ignition key. This will make it hard for the circuit to close, which means the battery will drain till it dies. So be keen with how your battery behaves especially if it suddenly dies while it worked perfectly fine the day before.
Always buy high quality relays. They do not cost much. With quality relays, you can be sure you won't have to consider replacement from time to time. Go for low quality ignition relay and you will certainly end up with relays that can get short circuited easily. Remember that a fried relay is a safety hazard. It will affect ignition or worse still, blow up as a result of overheating. It does not end there. Once it blows up, it can destroy other relays as well as other fuses in the car fuse box. This will force you to spend more than you may have planned on relay replacement and related repairs.