Wiring harness fun. Repair or Replace?

[porsche4life]

Ok, so I've been trying to get the turn signals working on the '69 I picked up a few weeks ago. Near as I can tell someone has been playing McGuyver and failing. It has new wires hanging under the floor running to the back for the rear signals. Wrapped in electrical tape the entire way! When I first got it I thought it might be a bad flasher, but when I swapped that out it instantly smoked the new flasher. When you hit the switch one way you get nothing, the other you get constant on in that direction. Half constant on with the 4ways.

So I was digging into it tonight and trying to decipher whats been done to this poor car in the past and I discovered that the voltage regulator has been completely wired around. With this rather cool trick.

I've also got a relay that I can't place under the back seat.

Its tied to this switch under the dash.

The blue wire comes off that switch and is crimped into a spade with the black wire that then goes to the back of the car.

The more I dig in I'm thinking the replacement harness from CIP doesn't sound so bad. That melted hot wire really bugs me. No way to know how bad it is inside the heater tube short of pulling it out. What say the experts? Time to start over and get rid of this mess? I'm not looking to have a booming stereo or any nonsense. Just want a nice stocker.
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1969 Beetle
1986 Porsche 944 autocross beast
Past
1990 VW Corrado G60

[Hnoroian]

I have almost the same situation, I'm going to replace all of it as soon as summer comes around so I can ride my motorcycle and not freeze during winter. Who knows what other problems there are hiding waiting to be exposed. I think it's worth the time money and frustration of not trying to figure out the next problem.

[Dismas]

The VR bypass would be for conversion to an alternator. Not a well done job, obv., but you can clean it up and make good connections.

The extra relay under the back seat is for the rear window defrost.

The turn signals have been bastardized to work with a modern relay, as far as I can tell, you cannot get the proper relay for a classic bug any more. I have not had to look yet, but I'm sure if you did a search for turn signal relay, you could find a write up explaining how it should be wired.

I would start by checking all the bulbs, and making sure no wires were grounded out, after that, it will be a matter of tracing connections and making sure things are actually connected properly.

There are wiring diagrams available on this site, in the technical tab, that will help you out a ton.


New wiring harness is never a bad idea, I don't think I have seen a single old bug harness that doesn't have melt damage along the run from the front firewall to the rear firewall.
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69/70 chop refurbed from a 70 baja

[insane68]

If it was me, I'd replace the whole harness and be done with it. From my years of playing with electrical on cars only one thing comes to mind when I find shorts on any vehicle 'Replace the whole wire or harness that shorted due to the wire shorted is compromised throughout and not just sectional'. I have seen people wrestle electrical problems from shorts by hacking a wire right past the melted coating and connecting new fresh wire to fix the short temporarily and always having to cut more due the fact the whole wire is shorted and lost conductivity. A shorted wire can and will heat the whole length of wire and will lost conductivity throughout the wire. I am lucky to still have the factory wires in my 68 that hasn't been hacked up or replaced. I don't plan to keep them in it but for now they still work fine.
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68 bug, 1500 single port
83 Mercedes Benz 300SD Turbo Diesel
87 Pontiac Trans Am (original with 5 speed)

[ashman40]

That melted red wire is the biggest concern I have. That is the main that provides power to everything behind the dash. Something shorted and caused that wire to get HOT. That is a heavy gauge wire and for it to get hot enough to melt that insulation there needs to be a lot of heat. Enough heat to melt the other wires in that grey harness.
Is there a new heavy gauge wire run from the rear to the front to replace that melted red wire?

I wonder if the turn signal wires also in that harness weren't melted which is why the PO ran a new set of wires to the rear?

If those were the only wires that are bad, I would consider running new wires along side the stock wiring harness inside the heater channel. Repair the wiring behind the dash using the proper crimp on terminals and heat shrink tubing.
If there are other wiring issues... pull a new harness.

FYI, I noted that you have 16A (red) fuses in the high beam positions (fuse #3 & #4). Are you running some high wattage headlights that need 16A fuses? Or is that another PO mistake?
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AshMan40
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'67 Beetle #1 {project car that never made it to the road }
'75 Beetle 1200LS (RHD Japan model) {junked due to frame rot}
'67 Beetle #2 {2019 project car - Wish me luck!}

[porsche4life]

Thanks for the help so far guys.

Ya, I'd just pull a new main, but I feel like theres a good chance it has done other damage, and there is some melt spots on smaller wires up front too. Just not worth risking it.

So the question lies, if I get the wiring works kit, will I need to hack on it to bypass the VOR again? And how does the WW kit handle the turn signals?
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1969 Beetle
1986 Porsche 944 autocross beast
Past
1990 VW Corrado G60

[porsche4life]

Bueller, bueller?
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1969 Beetle
1986 Porsche 944 autocross beast
Past
1990 VW Corrado G60

[Hyperspace]

I found some burned wire insulation right under my fuel tank filler neck.
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If you can't fix it with a hammer, it is an electrical fault.

Photo's http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?search_author=Hyperspace&show_results=summary

[Outlaw70]

Im pulling all of my wiring out and starting fresh. Cause dry 40 year old dry wires and scabbed together harness wasnt my idea of a good time
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85 Vanagon

[jdub63]

Just call Bob and let him answer your questions...

Wiring Works - Bob Nodvik
2805 Kerckhooff Ave.
San Pedro, CA 90731
(310) 519-8147

[ashman40]