TheSamba.com :: View topic - My restoration project, a 1971 Westfalia. Still learning.

Sat May 06, 2017 12:19 pm

Start by disconnecting both wires from the tail light and see if the fuse still blows. Or rig up a sealed beam and some test lights as Telford recommends to take the place of the fuse while testing, if it lights there's a short.

Also notice which circuit is shared by the license plate light (hint hint).

Fri May 19, 2017 6:35 am

Fri May 19, 2017 7:00 pm

I get it. But do know you have a burn spot in your harness and that may cause other issues. It would be a suspect down the road. And why is it there? Did you do it or a PO? Just thoughts.

Sat May 20, 2017 9:27 pm

busdaddy wrote: Start by disconnecting both wires from the tail light and see if the fuse still blows. Or rig up a sealed beam and some test lights as Telford recommends to take the place of the fuse while testing, if it lights there's a short.

Also notice which circuit is shared by the license plate light (hint hint).

Thank you busdaddy for sending me the wiring diagram. I kept on using it as a reference while searching for the short.

Sat May 20, 2017 9:51 pm

Spike0180 wrote: I get it. But do know you have a burn spot in your harness and that may cause other issues. It would be a suspect down the road. And why is it there? Did you do it or a PO? Just thoughts.

The wiring problems were already there when I bought this bus. By the looks of it this bus had been worked on by several restorers and mechanics in the past and they did not really put a lot of care in their handiwork…..and I am the lucky guy with limited restoration skills who has to figure out what the heck I need to do to untangle the mess that these previous guys did to this bus.

Since the rust problem was worse than the wiring problem, I decided to tackle the rust problem first before going through the wiring problem.

Sun Jun 04, 2017 6:37 pm

Mon Jun 05, 2017 9:57 am

Whoop whoop! Test driving and problem shooting stage! Isn't it great!? I'm at this stage too. It's looking good and like your bus is coming right along

Wed Jun 07, 2017 7:12 am

Spike0180 wrote: Whoop whoop! Test driving and problem shooting stage! Isn't it great!? I'm at this stage too. It's looking good and like your bus is coming right along

Hi Spike0180 :-)

Yes sir, I do feel really good that I am in this stage now. :-) I doubted before that I will ever reach this stage but with the help of good guys in thesamba forum I was able to keep on going with the restoration. I still have a long way to go but at least the bus is now a functional mode of transportation & a good source of personal delight during weekend cruise around the beach & parks. :-)

The carburetor is still a problem because once in a while it would act up. I rebuilt it and cleared (I think) all the channels & gasoline passages with a carb cleaner & pressured air. I noticed that it works better after a warm up the engine for about 2 minutes before driving it. Yesterday I only warmed it up for 40 seconds and the bus struggled to pass 25MPH on a 50mph speed limit avenue. I might have to get a new carburetor eventually because the one I am using seemed to have an issue.

I still have to figure out how to get the turn signal lights to work. Electrical wiring is really not my forte and so I struggle through deciphering any wiring or short problem in the bus.

I am happy to hear that both our buses are on the same stage. I hope you get yours ready for the summer long drives :-)

Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:56 pm

Wed Jun 14, 2017 8:10 pm

Thu Jun 15, 2017 10:06 pm

Fri Jun 16, 2017 2:18 am

If you are talking about the turn signal indicator light (on the cluster) it is normal that they blink at the same time. If you really want them to blink independently search this forum some have change the wiring diagram to do so.

Last year I did have a short, I remove completely the dashboard, it tooks me one hour (taking my time enjoying the view :D ) but it allows me to better see the fuse box, all wires from the cluster, clean the 46 years dust and repaint the dash. I advice you to do so next time it is really not a tough job and make it really easy to mess with wires!

On the poptop I did not understand your latch trouble, how is your latch now ? mine looks like yours in your pics, you are missing the gasket that goes around the poptop and prevent air from coming inside.

Good job on the restoration, I really like your pictures based post :lol:

Fri Jun 16, 2017 7:03 am

I have a relatively unmolested '71 and both indicators flashing when you use the turn signal lever is normal. Good job sorting out a wiring mess.

Fri Jun 16, 2017 2:35 pm

This entry is to correct that entry I did back in June 12, 2017 where I turned around the front roof latch thinking that by making the latch face the back it would correct the space gap between the roof and the pop-top roof. Well, it seems that I made an error on that. The way it was before was already right. All I need to do was just do a little adjustment to the roof latch. Anyway, below are the pictures I took to correct the problem. Hopefully this time I did it the right way. If you see something that does not look right feel free to share your opinion/suggestion to me. I am all ears when it comes to opinions and suggestions. :-)

Fri Jun 16, 2017 2:45 pm

TomWesty wrote: I have a relatively unmolested '71 and both indicators flashing when you use the turn signal lever is normal. Good job sorting out a wiring mess.

Hi TomWesty,

Thank you sir for this info. I am relieved that I don't have to mess with that part of the wiring anymore, whew! :-)

Fri Jun 16, 2017 2:48 pm

lmaoufle wrote: If you are talking about the turn signal indicator light (on the cluster) it is normal that they blink at the same time. If you really want them to blink independently search this forum some have change the wiring diagram to do so.

Last year I did have a short, I remove completely the dashboard, it tooks me one hour (taking my time enjoying the view :D ) but it allows me to better see the fuse box, all wires from the cluster, clean the 46 years dust and repaint the dash. I advice you to do so next time it is really not a tough job and make it really easy to mess with wires!

On the poptop I did not understand your latch trouble, how is your latch now ? mine looks like yours in your pics, you are missing the gasket that goes around the poptop and prevent air from coming inside.

Good job on the restoration, I really like your pictures based post :lol:

Hi lmaoufle :-)

Thank you for pointing out the latch for me because it prompted me to take a second look at it and decided that it does not look right after I turned the latch to face backwards. I turned it back to how it was which is facing the front (just how it shows on the latest pictures that I posted) and it works better this way.

I will definitely take your advice and maybe pull out the dash gauges and study how the wires are set up. Hopefully I will be able to put them all back without making a spaghetti mess out of those wires. :-)

Fri Jun 16, 2017 4:36 pm

Here is a diagram for the Dome light circuit. 72 is the same as 71.
Note there should be two Brown/white wire connected to the right rear of the left door switch.
One of the Brn/wh wires goes over to the right door switch.
click

You should disconnect the green wire from the coil during testing. Leaving the ignition on without the engine running can fry the points and or coil.

Good luck
Tcash

Thu Jun 22, 2017 8:09 pm

Fri Jun 23, 2017 6:33 am

Nice, and a working generator light.

Sun Mar 18, 2018 1:04 pm

This gives me hope that I might actually get my doublecab done someday.