TheSamba.com :: View topic - what is a red light indicating? (if the oil is green)

Thu Aug 28, 2014 5:21 pm

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1249277.jpg

My square has been running great... no worries at all except recently I'm getting a constant red light indication on the dash (within the fuel gauge) . I thought it may be oil pressure and was worried so jumped the wire from the sending unit to ground and a nice bright green light went on adjacent the red.

So having that happen i am left with wondering what this red is for and what it could be warning.... is it parking brake or something else? Is there a good trouble shoot i can do?

I have great starting and running with the battery so Im thinking it isn't the charging system but I cant be certain. I thought someone else here may have a suggestion.

Thu Aug 28, 2014 5:26 pm

Red is for the generator. Can be caused by a loose or broken belt, or a problem with the generator or regulator.

You may soon find your battery dead if you don't address this.

What manuals do you have? There are also online resources for troubleshooting the charging system, and of course many threads here you can find using search.

Thu Aug 28, 2014 5:36 pm

The batteery and the starting seem awesome but aa you say it may be a matter of time. I can grab a friends Bentley manual tomorrow and review generator. I recall seeing what may have been the regulator loose and under the rear seat. Perhaps there is a problem there. Perhaps Im missing a good ground or have shorted something ( i know there is a very brittle brown lead coming to ground on the block from the front ... i will double check that too).

Thanks for helping me zero in. I had no idea red was generator...

Thu Aug 28, 2014 7:49 pm

On a 1970 Squareback, the generator and oil lights should both be red. Green is to indicate your parking lamps are on. Can you take a picture of your multifunction gauge so that we can see what you've got?

BTW, did you fix your headlight wiring? Sounds like maybe your warning light wiring may be mixed up as well.
donovjim wrote: I felt I had the same problem(no ability to use the turn indicator lever) until i replaced the bulbs in the display and found that pulling the headlight button out all the way was low beam and pushing in and pulling out again was high beam (indicated by the blue light within the gauge gong on and off). It was apparently the second cycle of switch that triggered the high beam...who knew. 1970 type3 squareback

Nice looking car!

Thu Aug 28, 2014 8:31 pm

Perhaps "fix" and "accept" may be different words for similar perspectives.

I'm interested to know that you have your eye on my earlier misunderstanding for the functionality of the high beam switch: it gives me some pause for what i don't know about forums and the depth of awareness of their users. Thanks for being on guard..

My high beams still function as I advised... 2 pulls (or in and out) and I get the blue. green on the left for turns and now green on the far right for oil ( i hope) the 5 oclock position seems reserved for this red light and the generator. Ive looked at Bentley and I see it may be so; since having been so directed to generator Ive also read many posts on the light and the regulator.

I honestly don't think there was a PO fiddling with wiring (as I have seriously low original miles) but rather a problem with brittle wire and shorts. (that said I bet I could take some advice on the turn switch mechanical and electrical features as I know the operation as I suggest is not factory... it's too crazy)

Tomorrow I will take some pics of the details and then I will go under the rear seat to collect silver dollars which will fund this next drama of the unknown square issues.... My kids tell me " it's worth it". My lawyer tells me to include it. J

Thu Aug 28, 2014 8:46 pm

I'm still unclear which lights you're describing, so here's the 1970 owner's manual picture, which perhaps will shed a little more light on which bulb lights up for each function:

If pulling your headlight switch in and out activates the high/low beam selection, I'd bet a dollar someone's been at the wiring, just like with your horn. :wink:

Thu Aug 28, 2014 10:16 pm

make sure your regulator is well grounded. Clean and tighten the connection.

Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:26 am

donovjim wrote: Perhaps "fix" and "accept" may be different words for similar perspectives.

I'm interested to know that you have your eye on my earlier misunderstanding for the functionality of the high beam switch: it gives me some pause for what i don't know about forums and the depth of awareness of their users. Thanks for being on guard..

My high beams still function as I advised... 2 pulls (or in and out) and I get the blue. green on the left for turns and now green on the far right for oil ( i hope) the 5 oclock position seems reserved for this red light and the generator. Ive looked at Bentley and I see it may be so; since having been so directed to generator Ive also read many posts on the light and the regulator.

I honestly don't think there was a PO fiddling with wiring (as I have seriously low original miles) but rather a problem with brittle wire and shorts. (that said I bet I could take some advice on the turn switch mechanical and electrical features as I know the operation as I suggest is not factory... it's too crazy)
J

Someone's been in there, Believe me, the wiring on these cars almost always ends up being a PO (Previous Owner) hack. The way your lights should function, is; pulling the switch out to the 1st click gets you parking lights only (all rear lights, light up, as do the yellow front lights), you should also get a green indicator (warning) light on the left side of the fuel gauge cluster, with the 2nd click turning on the headlights. Pulling back lightly on the turn signal stalk should change from low beam to high beam (blue light should now be on). On my wife's 70 Fastback, that's how they function, as does my 65 Notch, and my 64 T-34 (except it has a seperate switch in the arm for hi/low beam switching).

Unless this is a very early model 70 (that got a left over 69 fuel gauge cluster), the oil and generator lights should be red (69's got red for gen, and green for oil). But, your problem sounds like it's in the generator circuit. The Voltage Regulator should be tightly anchored to the inner rocker sill under the seat. If it's loose, then it's not grounded and doing it's job. But you could have multiple things going on at the same time, such as worn generator brushes, and a bad or loosely attached voltage regulator, causing the light to come on. Add in some incorrectly attached wires under the dash, and you've got some serious problems going on (stuff not functioning correctly).

You might want to have a look at this diagram
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/type3_6870.jpg
(even download it, take it to Kinko's, and have it enlarged, and laminated) so you can go thru the entire system. With it laminated, you can use a grease pencil or dry erase marker to help follow a particular wire along it's path. :D
I hope this helps.

Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:02 pm

Thanks for the amazing insights! Your feedback always helps me either insight or simple motivation; I v. much appreciate this.

The cluster gauge gives me (counterclockwise from the left) a turn at 9 o'clock; green for parking lights, blue for high beam; red for generator ; green for oil pressure; opposite green for turn.

I'm intrigued by this pulling the trun indicator back functionality that i do not have; the technique for high beam is push in pull out to obtain "on" (with the blue light). Perhaps the turn lever & switch was removed or modified? Any thoughts? You are correct... i got up in under the dash and there is some obvious mods by the PO.

I was able to track down the culprit... the always on generator light... principally the act of methodically working thru the grounds and wiring led me to an extremely loose connection on one tab of the generator. That tweaked and the lite went out! Can you believe it? Gawd. But thanks to all who helped, had you not chimed in I may not have motivated myself past the pressure sensor ignorance and that the other steps. awesome: thanks again.. Jim

BTW.... If you can please try a trip to the Cabot Trail... Northern Nova Scotia Canada...800 miles of mountain and sea...awesome place for a tour if you can make it. My Square was a charm at 55mph and 28mpg; highly reccomended.

Sat Aug 30, 2014 8:11 pm

Glad you got it!

Someone has swapped the positions of your headlight and hazard flasher switches. Perhaps that's when the wiring got mixed up?