TheSamba.com :: View topic - Aftermarket Stereo Wire Feed Questions, 1.9l 1983.5

Thu May 15, 2008 2:48 am

OK, let me start out by saying, I will study the Bentley wiring diagram, and am reading through the posts using the search function; but I wanted to canvas the forum and see what they did for the following aftermarket stereo feeds:

1. Switchable ignition, as you know VW's always have the radio on. I don't drive during the week so I need a radio that will switch off when the van isn't on so the battery doesn't die. Don't tell me it won't happen either, cause it did.

I have read that the vans have a grey/black wire that only goes on when the key is in the ignition, but not on. Did early 1.9's have this wire? Or is it just 1986+ Vanagons:

http://vanagonauts.com/Powering-the-Sound-System188.htm

2. Illumination wire, when the lights go on, there is a feed for my aftermarket stereo unit backlighting to go on. My cigarette lighter (grey/blue wire?) and heater lights don't work.

3. Preset Memory wire, stereo instructions call out to be connected direct to battery, it is obvious I can connect this to the old radio feed, or the lighter feed (red wire or #30 feed?)

4. Also there is a piece of strapping to support the rear of the unit - did Vanagons have this support in the back? My doka doesn't have anything back there.

5. Finally, the back of the stereo unit has a 15 amp fuse. There are two possible positions for the fuse (in the unit). One is for regular cars, the other is for VW/Audi. They don't say why though. Is this fuse position just for 'modern' VW's, or for Vanagons as well?

Supplemental information:
It is a 1983.5 doka, that probably didn't come equipped with a factory radio.

I don't wish to bother with the 'toggle switch' method.

This is going to be a simple 2 speaker, no amplifier install.

Keith

http://vanagonauts.com/86---91-stereo-wiring214.htm

Thu May 15, 2008 6:10 am

keithwwalker wrote: 1. Switchable ignition, as you know VW's always have the radio on. I don't drive during the week so I need a radio that will switch off when the van isn't on so the battery doesn't die. Don't tell me it won't happen either, cause it did.

I have read that the vans have a grey/black wire that only goes on when the key is in the ignition, but not on. Did early 1.9's have this wire? Or is it just 1986+ Vanagons:

It won't happen... at least not if you turn off the radio! I think the radio setup is similar to my previous '85; the power to the radio is always there but if you turn the radio off the only power draw is for the station preset memory. A healthy, charged car battery can maintain the memory for weeks without discharging so if it's the memory that's killing the battery you should make sure your charging system is working properly and consider replacing the battery.

If your van has/had the key-in-ignition-obnoxious-beeper relay then it's got the wire to fire the radio you insert the key. I can't find a relay diagram online right now that shows the location of that relay but if I recall correctly it should be just above the fuses and just right of center. If you find the socket and the relay is out you can take a 1/4" male spade connector with a wire crimped to it, plug it in opposite where the gray wire goes in, and power another relay to feed hot to the stereo.

If your stereo is like the VW branded stereo that was in my '85 you can't cut the power to the radio at all without losing the preset memory. There are two wires that imply separate inputs for memory and main power, but mine didn't work that way and somebody told me here that those stereos don't really have that option.

Quote: 2. Illumination wire, when the lights go on, there is a feed for my aftermarket stereo unit backlighting to go on. My cigarette lighter (grey/blue wire?) and heater lights don't work.

Obviously, check the fuses. Your van should have the old "bullet" style fuses. In my experience the tips can oxydize and act like they're blown even if the fuse element is good. Give it a visual inspection and then check with a meter or test light to make sure you've got power going into and coming from that location on the fuse box.

Quote: 3. Preset Memory wire, stereo instructions call out to be connected direct to battery, it is obvious I can connect this to the old radio feed, or the lighter feed (red wire or #30 feed?)

See above... you may not have this option.

Quote: 4. Also there is a piece of strapping to support the rear of the unit - did Vanagons have this support in the back? My doka doesn't have anything back there.

The strapping was there on both my '85 and '88 Vanagons. I don't know about Dokas, but I would think they would be the same.

Fri May 16, 2008 10:33 pm

OK, I have the stereo installed and it works fine. I used Molex MX150 connectors, so that if I ever upgrade the unit or speakers, it is plug and play.

I tapped off the cigarette light feed for the dimming function for the stereo and that is a nice touch.

I wired up the gray/black ignition wire (which is only 'hot' with the key in ignition) to act as the stereo main power supply.

I took a feed off that wire, and sent it to a relay, so that when the key goes in, the relay is energized, and passes current to the stereo and you can turn on the radio. When the key is pulled, the radio should go off.

Problem is, I pull the key and the radio doesn't turn off.

The wiring diagram in Bentley for Digijet clearly shows this to be a switched wire, and it should go 'cold' when the key is pulled out. And actually, the door buzzer turns off when I pull the key.

What did I do wrong? Can the gray/black wire be hot all the time? Did I tap off in the wrong place?

It is not logical....

Fri May 16, 2008 10:34 pm

With regard to my question #5 above, apparently VW's 1988 and newer need the fuse set to the other position. I still don't know why, but that is what the instructions say.

Sat May 17, 2008 9:49 pm

Success!

My stereo now turns off when I remove the key!

Turns out that www.rallylights.com gave the wrong information about the pin layout of the solid state relay. It should be pin out configuration 'A'.

Even the Hella catalog says the same thing.....

Anyway this is sweet, thanks to everyone and this site letting me know that you could tap off the gray/black wire to have a 'switched' power source.

Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:10 pm

Well I have had the relay for my key in/radio on, key out/radio off modification under the dash (it runs off the grey/black door buzzer wire leading from the ignition). But it was making noise because the relay was just in there loose banging about.

My relay sockets above my fuse box didn't have any expansion left.

I did notice that there was a clip on expansion fuse box on the relay sockets. So if I could find a used relay expansion socket, not only would it solve the problem of banging about, but it would look totally stock!

Went to a VW garage today and they had a 2.1 relay/fuse panel. There were some clip on relay sockets and I got one.

Luckily it fit onto the 1.9 relay panel. Here is what it looks like:

The parts nos. are:
VW 161 937 501 B
AMP 927 288

These would also be good for the SA headlamp relay conversion, nice clean look![/img]

Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:15 pm

keithwwalker wrote:

The parts nos. are:
VW 161 937 501 B
AMP 927 288

These would also be good for the SA headlamp relay conversion, nice clean look![/img]

I am trying to find these part numbers online and am having little luck. Where did you pick them up?

Tue Apr 14, 2009 12:17 pm

It was on the part itself. I picked it up at a junkyard. Don't know if the part itself is available NOS.

El Jefe wrote: I am trying to find these part numbers online and am having little luck. Where did you pick them up?

Tue Apr 14, 2009 5:08 pm

I might be a bit confused here. I am looking for what type of relay you used What is the other thing beside it? Is that what the part numbers are from?

Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:06 pm

The part number is for the clip/base that holds the relay to the fusebox. It is good for housekeeping under the dash.

The relay is a solid state Hella
http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=435

The unit to the right in the photo was on my doka to begin with. I didn't trace the wires.

Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:09 pm

Thanks Keith!!! I am new to the world of Vanagon's and installing stereo's your post is really useful for pre-86 Vanagaon's