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Mon Oct 27, 2025 12:52 am

Hi everyone, I purchased a Wolfsburg West 6V hard start relay and I would like to install it under the bench seat, in the battery compartment (62 beetle).

Where did you install it?
Do you have a photo?
Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks

Mon Oct 27, 2025 3:51 am

To the starter body, shortest run possible.

Mon Oct 27, 2025 5:40 am

Mine is under the rear seat, where it's out of the elements.

Mon Oct 27, 2025 5:42 am

The JBugs website has a wiring connection illustration.

Mon Oct 27, 2025 6:00 am

https://www.glenn-ring.com/tech/relay_starter.htm

Mon Oct 27, 2025 7:09 am

Glenn wrote: Mine is under the rear seat, where it's out of the elements.

I thought the same thing but longer cables means more current leakage :?

Mon Oct 27, 2025 7:24 am

Out of the elements, yes! Back in 2017 when I was in No FL, hurricane flooded my garage--- water got under rear seat and hit the relay-- car was moving forward since it was in gear and engaging the starter! I made a dash to disconnect battery. Keep your relays dry.

Mon Oct 27, 2025 7:43 am

62ItalianRagtop wrote: Glenn wrote: Mine is under the rear seat, where it's out of the elements.

I thought the same thing but longer cables means more current leakage :?
30 years and never a problem.

Mine is connected directly to the battery... which is under the seat.

Mon Oct 27, 2025 7:52 am

Under the seat, out of the elements.
Otherwise every new connection is an extra failure point.

Mon Oct 27, 2025 8:32 am

Just keep one of these under the back seat. :P

The thing is, on late models the wire for this junctions under the back seat. Not so on a 62. So you'd have extend wires into the car for it. Putting it under the car means less wiring to deal with but it's exposed to the elements and I'd rather not have it there if I could help it.

Now in my 61 body Baja, before I finally got a good solenoid (autostick starters are notorious for this) I had heat-soak start issues. I got tired of crawling under the car to short the starter terminals. That solenoid has two 50 terminals on it so I ran a wire to the 2nd one under the back seat and to a spring loaded toggle switch. However I intended to extend the harness 50 wire there as well and use a WR1 kit relay, but never got around to it. (I bought the kit but used it for something else)

Mon Oct 27, 2025 8:32 am

It seems to me that, despite the current leakage problem, you all agree on installing the relay under the rear seat.

Here the connection instructions by Wolfsburg West

https://serial-kombi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/111998611_relais_aide_demarrage_6v.pdf

If I put the relay under the back seat, red, black and blue cables will have to come out the compartment to go towards the starter motor

Mon Oct 27, 2025 8:36 am

glutamodo wrote: Just keep one of these under the back seat. :P

The thing is, on late models the wire for this junctions under the back seat. Not so on a 62. So you'd have extend wires into the car for it. Putting it under the car means less wiring to deal with but it's exposed to the elements and I'd rather not have it there if I could help it.

Now in my 61 body Baja, before I finally got a good solenoid (autostick starters are notorious for this) I had heat-soak start issues. I got tired of crawling under the car to short the starter terminals. That solenoid has two 50 terminals on it so I ran a wire to the 2nd one under the back seat and to a spring loaded toggle switch. However I intended to extend the harness 50 wire there as well and use a WR1 kit relay, but never got around to it. (I bought the kit but used it for something else)

The WW kit already has long cables with connectors

Mon Oct 27, 2025 8:43 am

You'll only need to extend the existing terminal 50 wire to inside the car, plus run another wire along side it to go back to terminal 50. Connect the others to the car battery.

One thing about wires with ends already crimped on them, is getting them through the rubber grommet already occupied by the battery cable.

Mon Oct 27, 2025 8:54 am

According to WW instruction:

BLUE WIRE --> connect to wire attached to terminal 50 on solenoid
RED WIRE --> terminal 30 on solenoid
BLACK WIRE --> terminal 50 on solenoid
BROWN WIRE --> ground

So blue, red and black wires will pass through the rubber grommet already occuped by the battery cable.

Mon Oct 27, 2025 8:57 am

I don't have such hard start relay in either my 1970 or my 1971. Might be because I'm in Arizona and have owned both since the 1970s.

Note that I'm not opposed to such hard start relays, but I never trouble trouble unless trouble troubles me.

Mon Oct 27, 2025 9:08 am

62ItalianRagtop wrote: According to WW instruction:

BLUE WIRE --> connect to wire attached to terminal 50 on solenoid
RED WIRE --> terminal 30 on solenoid
BLACK WIRE --> terminal 50 on solenoid
BROWN WIRE --> ground

Terminal 30 is the big-ass wire going to the battery. Terminal 31 (brown, ground) is the ground strap to the battery. Just connect to the battery!

Mon Oct 27, 2025 9:42 am

62ItalianRagtop wrote: Hi everyone, I purchased a Wolfsburg West 6V hard start relay and I would like to install it under the bench seat, in the battery compartment (62 beetle).

Where did you install it?
Do you have a photo?
Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks

This is what I did in my '63 6v ...

Red from ignition 50.
Black to starter 50. You will need to drill a hole for this wire and add a grommet.
Yellow to battery positive with inline fuse.
Green to battery negative ground strap connection at frame.

Tue Oct 28, 2025 12:41 am

Thank you very much, so

BLUE WIRE --> connect to wire attached to terminal 50 on solenoid (wire from ignition)
RED WIRE --> to battery positive
BLACK WIRE --> terminal 50 on solenoid
BROWN WIRE --> to battery negative

Tue Oct 28, 2025 7:22 am

62ItalianRagtop wrote: Thank you very much, so

BLUE WIRE --> connect to wire attached to terminal 50 on solenoid (wire from ignition)
RED WIRE --> to battery positive
BLACK WIRE --> terminal 50 on solenoid
BROWN WIRE --> to battery negative

The drawing you posted shows two black wires and no brown wire. On a 5 pin relay the terminals are typically labelled 30, 87, 87a, 85 and 86.

30 connects to the battery positive terminal (use an inline fuse on this wire)
87 connects to the starter 50 terminal
87a is not used (you can put an insulated female connector on it to protect from accidental contact with ground)
85 connects to the ignition switch 50
86 connects to ground

The colors of the wires will vary from kit to kit or if you make up your own, so just be sure the wires on the relay terminals are connected are described.

Tue Oct 28, 2025 8:16 am

Here a better picture where you can see the brown wire

I will check the labels on the relay, thank you.
You say "30 connects to the battery positive terminal (use an inline fuse on this wire)" ... As you can see, the kit already has all the connections ready. Is this fuse really necessary? What's the risk of not using it?