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Ground wire at dome light
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mccalldt
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:52 pm    Post subject: Ground wire at dome light Reply with quote

The wireworks kit I am installing on my 72 Beetle has been great, except...
the diagram references the dome light ground (solid brown), but does not reference where it attaches. The light was MIA when I purchased/started restoring the car, so I can't use my standard approach of put it back the way I found it. I know this should be simple, so someone please place the little light bulb over my head and flip the switch too. Thanks for the help.

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eric_fri
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't have that year of car, and mine doesn't have the extra ground wire, but from what I can reason out of this is this: one wire is constant power, one of the others is ground to the door switches, and the last, should connect to the same spot as the clip that holds the light to the body of the car. in the older cars it just uses the clip, but the newer ones had additional ground wires to ensure things worked better.
i would tell you where to put it, but from what i can see there is nowhere to put it. i'm thinking the light is from an earlier car Rolling Eyes
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mccalldt
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was wondering if I had an incorrect light, but the local parts store assured me I had the right light. I checked wolfsburg and jbugs, and they have a similar light.
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webbl19
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dunno if this will help, but here is how mine is on my 75.
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From your picture though, i dont see another lead you can connect to on yours.
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60ragtop
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

looks like the wrong light. It should have 2 small connectors,
The brown wire with white tracer comes up from the door switches to turn on the light with door open The solid brown is direct ground.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm about 50% share that the metal clip replaces the chase ground(solid brown wire)
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vw_hank
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 9:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

and pleas put some heat shrink or tape on that hot wire Shocked
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 9:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Ground wire at dome light Reply with quote

mccalldt wrote:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


60ragtop wrote:
looks like the wrong light. It should have 2 small connectors,
The brown wire with white tracer comes up from the door switches to turn on the light with door open The solid brown is direct ground.


You are good!, took me awhile to see that.
The light should have a switch in it, so you can turn the light on if you wish, when the door is shut, as well as the extra terminal.
http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=111947111e
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'69Custom
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are two types of dome lights for late model Bugs. One grounds to the body, the other has a terminal to connect to your lonely ground wire. Most aftermarket suppliers offer only the former. If I'm not mistaken, WW sells both, but be prepared to pay for it. Wouldn't surprise me if WCM had it as well.

When I bought my '69, it had a busted lamp that accepted the ground wire. I bought a replacement from Airhead Parts before I knew any better, and it was the one you got. They told me it was the proper replacement. Considering there is a ground wire, obviously that isn't the case. I stowed the ground wire and used the lamp until I get around to buying the right one.
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Please excuse any typos as my iPhone doesn't speak English very well. 
tham64 wrote:
Why tune a big round again and again????? For me.... 1 hour will solve the case Cool


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mccalldt
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 8:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all the input. I knew it had to be something simple. Looks like I get to buy some more stuff from WW and not locally. I will wrap the terminal too. Good advice.
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'69Custom
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As a follow up, I still haven't found a three terminal dome light. I've found some Mexican Hellas that appeared to be, but they actually only have one standard terminal and four mini terminals. I had hoped that taking two of of the four in pairs would accept a standard hook up because of the close proximity, but it is marginally too wide. It seems the only way to really pull it off using all three wires is to grind down just a little on each of the four minis.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1247029

If it doesn't work...make it.

On a side note, wishing now that I had kept my OG broken light, I'm fairly certain I could've just taken the terminals off it and installed them on the new five terminal.
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~"I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken." ~The Boss
Please excuse any typos as my iPhone doesn't speak English very well. 
tham64 wrote:
Why tune a big round again and again????? For me.... 1 hour will solve the case Cool


www.endlesscustomz.com


Last edited by '69Custom on Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:35 pm; edited 1 time in total
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fred69vert
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not familiar with the sedan's dome light, just the useless one in the convertibles, but here goes......

There are three wires. As with a lot of the electrical circuits in the VW, the switch supplies ground, not 12 volts. So.......

The two ground lugs on your dome light, one should always connect the the bulb contact (unswitched) and the other only when the switch on the light is on (switched). Check them with an ohmmeter.

The unswitched one goes to your door switches, which provide ground when the door(s) is open, and

The unswitched one straight to chassis ground. 12 volts goes to the other side of the bulb.

Trouble getting the right one for your sedan? Try getting a good one for a 'vert. To make contact, they use springs inside a plastic block. the springs get hot, melt the plastic, and no longer spring, losing contact.

I gave up, mounted an LED puck light to the bracket I fashioned above the reaview mirror that also has my Sirius satellite antenna on it.
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'69Custom
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

fred69vert wrote:
I'm not familiar with the sedan's dome light, just the useless one in the convertibles, but here goes......

There are three wires. As with a lot of the electrical circuits in the VW, the switch supplies ground, not 12 volts. So.......

The two ground lugs on your dome light, one should always connect the the bulb contact (unswitched) and the other only when the switch on the light is on (switched). Check them with an ohmmeter.

The unswitched one goes to your door switches, which provide ground when the door(s) is open, and

The unswitched one straight to chassis ground. 12 volts goes to the other side of the bulb.

Trouble getting the right one for your sedan? Try getting a good one for a 'vert. To make contact, they use springs inside a plastic block. the springs get hot, melt the plastic, and no longer spring, losing contact.

I gave up, mounted an LED puck light to the bracket I fashioned above the reaview mirror that also has my Sirius satellite antenna on it.
It's a good thing I've never been a fan of convertibles then...unless its a woman. Wink Sounds similar to the set up on the light I originally had. The bulb was mounted on springs as well.
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1969 Frankenbug
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:2gunfire: F-U-M-P!
~"I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken." ~The Boss
Please excuse any typos as my iPhone doesn't speak English very well. 
tham64 wrote:
Why tune a big round again and again????? For me.... 1 hour will solve the case Cool


www.endlesscustomz.com
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runchman
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

fred69vert wrote:

The unswitched one straight to chassis ground.


Just to clarify to the OP how this works - this straight-to-ground wire completes the circuit when the little switch on the light is flipped to 'on'.

You've got 12volts always to the light and 2 grounds in parallel - 1 to the door switch, and one to the switch on the light itself.

If the light doesn't have a switch on it, wire up the door switch ground only and not the direct-to-chassis ground.
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'69Custom
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You guys do realize this a two year old thread and the OP probably resolved his issue by now?
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:2gunfire: F-U-M-P!
~"I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken." ~The Boss
Please excuse any typos as my iPhone doesn't speak English very well. 
tham64 wrote:
Why tune a big round again and again????? For me.... 1 hour will solve the case Cool


www.endlesscustomz.com
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runchman
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

'69Custom wrote:
You guys do realize this a two year old thread and the OP probably resolved his issue by now?


Nope, didn't realize, lol. Duh!
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runchman
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

'69Custom wrote:
You guys do realize this a two year old thread and the OP probably resolved his issue by now?


Nope, didn't realize, lol. Duh!
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djkeev
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"W" is your dome light,( bottom center)

One brown wire runs to the drivers door switch (F2) the other runs to a multi ground lug (most often found in or near the dash)

If you don't have two terminals on your switch simply make a "Y" or purchase a proper piggyback terminal.

http://www.goodspeedmotoring.com/electrical-connec...ector.html

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Dave

Yeh it's old but aren't we encouraged to dredge up antique posts instead of starting yet "another" post? Dont want to ire the "its already been asked" gods on here! Someone pulled it up for some reason. We are just trying to help.
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'69Custom
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That was me, Dave. I dredged it up out of the archives to follow up in an old post I made here. I didn't consider it would get everyone to answer the original questions from the OP after all these years. Embarassed
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:2gunfire: F-U-M-P!
~"I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken." ~The Boss
Please excuse any typos as my iPhone doesn't speak English very well. 
tham64 wrote:
Why tune a big round again and again????? For me.... 1 hour will solve the case Cool


www.endlesscustomz.com
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mccalldt
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I didn't expect a notice that a new post had been made 2 yeats later either. I probably ought to turn that watch option off. I do get the correct light and got it wired correctly, I think. Been so long ago I forgot what I did. Isn't that encouraging!?
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