Motor home to Beetle wiring

[Bob Hollingsworth]

Ken, I hope you're not tired of me yet, I'm almost there. Off the 4-wire umbilical, beetle by itself, I have running lights, turn signal lights and brake lights . Headlights are a new problem. I said in my last post that the right headlight was intermittant. It turns out that I have dims on the driver side and brights on the passenger side. I swapped bulbs and the same was true, so it doesn't appear to be bad headlight bulbs. I took a look at the dimmer switch and all appears well there. Wires to the fuse panel are as they should be according to my schematic. I suspect maybe a bad switch (?) as I don't know where to look next.

BTW, I was wrong in a previous post where I quoted using a black/red post on the fuse bar. It was as you said it should be, gray/red (or gray/black).

Any ideas on the headlights?

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

[Bob Hollingsworth]

Ken, I have checked all wiring and they appear to be where the schematic says they should be connected.

The fuse block and fuses are all new and good.

The ground (brown wire) is good.

Both headlights work, low and high beam. As before, the low beam only works on driver side, high beam only on the passenger side.

The one thing I noticed today is that the high beam indicator light was located in the top hole and was not working. I relocated to the middle hole, per the schematic, and it works there. However, it is constantly on in either foot switch position.

The dimmer switch is hooked up per the schematic with yellow on the left and white on the right. The white/black (or gray) is in the middle.

Any other suggestions?

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

HOPEFULLY you have the correct fuse block..
There is one fuse block out there that doesn't have the correct buss bar bridges for the headlights..

And.. there was a mix up in parts

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=534521&highlight=bus+fuse

Exchange the white and yellow headlight wires at the fuse block
White for white yellow for yellow. See what happens.


Noticed the input BRIDGE on the fuses..
2 and 3
4 and 5
6 and 7

Makes sure you have the bar across the input (upper closest to dash/rear)

Reading this diagram below realize this is as you see it from under the DASH inside the car... and its opposite from under the hood.

Up is up.. but left and right are opposite under the hood.. (using this diagram)
Inputs are always towards the rear (up) and protected outputs are always towards the front (down) or fuel tank..
Make sure you have it correct..

_________________
aka Ken {o\!/o}
Its your vehicle- stop askin' for approval-do what YOU like for cryin' out loud
Better to roll em' how you want and wear em' out-than lettin' em' rot out
Its about the going not the showing
Rebuilt to drive not decorate
WANTED: Local Eatin' Joints, Triple D for TheSamba contributions here http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=570510
Search "VOLKSWAGNUT" on YouTube since you cant watch a "certain" BELT change video round here
Usually and often edited

[Bob Hollingsworth]

My fuse block is new and looks like the one you posted, single, double, double, double, single.

I switched the white and yellow wires but that only changed the low beam to the passenger side and the high beam to the driver side.

I also switched the yellow and white dimmer switch wires at the fuse block and that only caused one headlight to come on in one dimmer switch position and no headlights in the other dimmer switch position.

I noticed today a discrepancy in the large red wires positions. My schematic shows a red wire from the alternator going to the light switch and a red wire from the light switch (same terminal) to the fuse block far left terminal (looking from the front of the car. On my car, they have the red wire from the alternator going to the ignition switch and hooked in with a red wire going to the far left terminal on the fuse block.

My tendency would be to switch the wire per the schematic but I don't want to ruin or burn up any wires.

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

The red battery supply wire is wrong.. but its most likely not the problem.
The battery wire must also be attached to the light switch?? Or they would not work at all.

I am assuming you have a floor dimmer?

Switching the dimmer wires FUSE INPUT should have not changed the outcome..and its should have NOT lost anything.
Thats very odd.

Do you happen to have the fuse block installed upside down.. ??

Test using a test lamp.
Headlights on, check for power at the Yellow and White wires at the fuse block input side upper.
One should have power.
Trip the dimmer and it should flip power to the opposite.

If the fuse inputs have have the alternating source.. the problem is the fuse block.
New doesn't mean good..

Repeat for the double fuse outputs..
Both white both yellow.
If they have the alternating dimmer source.. it is a wiring problem or more likely a bad ground.
Make sure the brown wire is grounded back to the main body.. NOT the fender.

Of course.. this is assuming.. everything else is attached correctly.



.
_________________
aka Ken {o\!/o}
Its your vehicle- stop askin' for approval-do what YOU like for cryin' out loud
Better to roll em' how you want and wear em' out-than lettin' em' rot out
Its about the going not the showing
Rebuilt to drive not decorate
WANTED: Local Eatin' Joints, Triple D for TheSamba contributions here http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=570510
Search "VOLKSWAGNUT" on YouTube since you cant watch a "certain" BELT change video round here
Usually and often edited

[Bob Hollingsworth]

Ken, here's the latest.

I relocated the red wire coming from the alternator to the light switch with no ill effects. Don't know why it was attached to the ignition switch.

Fuse block was installed correctly.

I checked all yellow and white wires for power and continuity to the headlights. All was OK there.

I rechecked the ground and all was ok there also even though it was attached to the inside of the body next to the left fender, not the fender itself. It looked like it had always been there so I left it.

All that seemed to be left was the fuse block and the fuses themselves. I couldn't see that there was anything wrong with block so I turned to the fuses. All the fuses were good from a visual standpoint so I took each one out to check them for continuity just for grins. I was running out of options and ideas.

I looked at the fuse ends and although they looked pretty good they were a little hazy so I took some emery cloth to each end and brightened them up a liitle bit, pushed the holders together a little for a tighter fit, and..............

VOILA!!!!!!!!!!!!! the lights work.

The fuse block is brass and the fuse metal is, I guess, aluminum which is probably causing the light corrosion from dissimilar metals. Would it help, and is it OK, to use dielectric grease on the fuse ends?

I'm still not out of the woods yet as I have to hook up the umbilical to the MH and make sure that they work from there.

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

Hmmmmm... dirty fuse.. sounds vaguely familiar...

[Bob Hollingsworth]

No, I never had to spin a fuse. We owned two 67 bugs back in the 70s and 80s and only had 2 problems between them; a worn out master cylinder and a worn out ignition switch.

I will definitely clean up the fuse ends some more and add the dielectric grease.
I had looked at the fuses but they seemed ok, not heavily oxidated like I have seen on electrical items before. Not until I did the continuity test on them and got so-so readings did I decide to put the emery cloth to them.

Youv'e been a tooper hanging in with me on this Ken. I really appreciate it. Even though it tuned out to be something as minor as oxidation, I learned something from the experience.

"Next question ?", you never know

[Bob Hollingsworth]

Oh yeh, I forgot to mention that I rehooked-up the 4-wire to the MH and everything worked except the running lights. They work with the light switch but not from the MH. I don't plan on night driving, but if I have to for a short time, I'll pull the switch to the running lights position.

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

[Bob Hollingsworth]

Ken, I don't seem to have power from the MH tail (brown) circuit. I used a test lamp on the 4-wire and it showed power when the turns or stops were activated but no power when I tested the tail circuit with the MH headlights on or only with the running lights on.

I reread previous posts re the tail circuit but it didn't help. Could you explain again why I may not have tail light power from the MH, and what I may be able to do about it?

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

Ok.. please clarify and let me know if this is correct.

From MH

Brown = No power
Green = Left turn and Stop = Yes power
Yellow = Right Turn and Stop = Yes power
White Ground = connected between the vehicles.

If all of this is correct.. the Motor Home has a blown Trailer Tail lamp fuse or comparable.

Most newer trucks have a separate fuse JUST FOR the trailer circuits.

Just like what I mentioned back a page

[Bob Hollingsworth]

Ken, Yes on everything but the ground. I didn't have the 4-wire hooked to the VW because I was just checking for power from the MH using a test light, Everything lit up but the brown running lights wire. I checked all the chassis fuses and they were all good. The coach has 2 banks of circuit breakers and although I don't know what a tripped breaker would look like --they're in /out type breakers -- they all looked good.

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

Well.. unfortunately ... unless you have an owners manual that indicates fuse location and usage.. you may have to start doing some basic testing and tracing on the Motor Home.
It very well could be a bad breaker.
Im sure an RV or auto shop can help too.

Maybe do some interweb searching on the style of MH you have.
The problem with a lot of cab and chassis trucks, coaches and motor homes.... there are sometimes no master diagram.. and its seat of the pants know how diagnosis and tracing.
_________________
aka Ken {o\!/o}
Its your vehicle- stop askin' for approval-do what YOU like for cryin' out loud
Better to roll em' how you want and wear em' out-than lettin' em' rot out
Its about the going not the showing
Rebuilt to drive not decorate
WANTED: Local Eatin' Joints, Triple D for TheSamba contributions here http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=570510
Search "VOLKSWAGNUT" on YouTube since you cant watch a "certain" BELT change video round here
Usually and often edited

[Bob Hollingsworth]

Thanks. I'm not going to worry about the running lights too much at this point. We leave Monday for a couple of months.

Just one question. Wouldn't the running lights be on the chassis side of things, i.e. fuses rather than breakers?

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

[Bob Hollingsworth]

Thanks again Ken. They didn't include a chassis manual in the literature and what they included in the operator manual is minimal. Not too pleased with Winnebago -- for several reasons.

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

[Bob Hollingsworth]

Thanks Ken. I joined and sent a request.