Rewiring my bus, a couple of questions

[ComfortablyNumb]

I'm replacing the old harness with its numerous splices and added wires with a new harness from Wolfsburg West and fuse block. I got the old fuse box out today and it seems to be a bit different from the WW.

The original:

The WW:

The original has a single, double, double, double, and a single. The WW order is single, single, then three doubles. Seems to me that when I hook the wires up, I should not use the original order but rather move the hookups from the eighth position to the second, then move all the double hookups over one. Am I right?

(I'm not always right, but I've never been wrong!)

Next question is, what is this? I've looked at owner's manuals and the Bentley, but can't figure out what it is.

That fits in this hole:

Whatever it is, it appears to be broken. There are threads on it to hold it in place with a bezel, which was missing. It looks like what was once attached is now even with the threads.

Thanks

[mdege]

Keep the old fuse box!

The new one is made of plastic and the old one is made of Bakelite.

Plastic gets soft when it gets hot. this will lead to a loss of tension on the tabs which hold the fuses. This leads to bad contact between the fuses and the tabs and that results in higher resistance which produces more heat. the result is, you fuse box melts.
_________________
- Michael

1965 21F: Restoration of a former '65 firetruck
1963 Typ3 Notchback project
1988 Multivan Magnum 112i
1984 Standard: My son wanted a bug for his first car

[70bus]

Dig up E&Bs ‘rebuild your fuse box’ post and solder up all the connections on original. They have to be pretty bad to be worth replacing. And the switch that goes in that hole is broken, yes. Repros and originals are available. Makes cabin lights go on. Or make it do something else!

Ps - no idea why fuse box from WW is different; I’m pretty sure mine was identical ( but I cleaned up original instead). Either you ordered wrong one, WW is wrong, or your original isn’t original.

Edit - your original fuse box is not correct.is it even for a bus? Looks like a 60s bug Try and find a good original but use WW version for now if needed
_________________
Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[70bus]

Just noticed you have a 63-65 US spec bus with hazards - I see you have the proper hazard relay and it’s hooked to the pass side turn signal Use the ‘63 US by bus owner’ diagram to get it wired properly. 6 or 12 volts?
_________________
Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[ComfortablyNumb]

Thanks for the replies.

Bus is 12 volts.

I guess no good deed goes unpunished. Wires were a mess. Some had been abandoned and replaced by new ones zip tied under the bus. Aftermarket radio and DVD player had been spliced in. And a couple of other abandoned switches that were disconnected. So, as long as I was freshening up the wires, might as well put in a shiny new fuse box. I had no idea they could melt. One would think in this day and age they would have a plastic that would stand high temperatures, at least as high as one would expect in a bus. Or use a material that won't melt.

I don't know if it is stock or not, OEM or aftermarket it is different from the WW version, which I suppose could be a one size fits all. I guess I can use it for now and look for an original later, keeping a eye on it in the meantime.

Thanks for identifying the switch. I found it on the WW site, but not in the diagrams they use to search for parts. Theirs didn't even show the hole. But I was able to find it via a search for "dome light switch". https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=211947511CGY

[70bus]

Fuse box is almost certainly a Beetle - so at least VW!

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/bug_66_USA.jpg

Note 1-2-2-2-1 fuse pattern.

The WW is fine as long as your wiring is in top-notch shape, and you aren't running huge loads; the VW boxes are Bakelite and will not soften if a fuseholder gets hot, but modern thermosetting plastics will. Well, at least the ones most folks are willing to pay for - VW people are notoriously cheap, and apparently a heat-resistant $50 fuse box won't sell but a melty 40 one does. If you aren't a purist, there's a company (Torque Resto) making repro blade-style fuse boxes for VWs. I have one as my auxillary fuse box. Might still soften, but not as prone to falling apart afterwards!

12 volts from factory, or PO job? You'd have M620/M621 on the Mcode plate if factory. If a PO did it, I am impressed they FOUND and used the proper hazard relay. Please post a pic of the turn signal relay for me!
_________________
Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[ComfortablyNumb]

M codes are 002, 043, and 425.

Here are some pictures of the hazard switch and relays.

[70bus]

Drat. Just looking at one of your earlier pics, I knew the t/s relay was aftermarket; this confirms it.
So did everything work when you bought it? Did hazards, turn signals and speedo indicator light work properly?
_________________
Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[ComfortablyNumb]

Good question, unfortunately I'm an old bugger whose memory is getting about as dim as a headlamp on a six-volt system with a bad ground. I bought the bus back in February and a couple of weeks later the engine hydro locked, I suspect it was a bad float on one of the carbs. As I recall, the lights all worked, other that the passenger taillight which had a loose wire. I don't recall trying the emergency flashers. The wiring was a real mess. Several connectors were just hanging loose. The fuel sender wire on the original loom had been abandoned and a new wire had been zip tied under the bus, along with a wire for an oil temperature gauge. An aftermarket radio and DVD player had been spliced into the system, and there was a toggle switch mounted to the left of the steering wheel that had loose wires hanging from it. I have the motor out now to address its issues (I needed a new exhaust and some engine tin) so it seemed like a good time to just replace the wiring harness. The t/s relay is just hanging and there seems to be no way to secure it to anything. I guess the silver lining is I am getting to know my bus really well.

I appreciate your help, and will probably have more questions as I go along.

[70bus]

Can relays just hung there next to the fuse box, either from a post at top, or a little clamp.

replacing harness is a good idea, and yes, it helps you get to know the bus inside and out. I kept my main system 90% stock, but I did add a second fuse box for accessories and whatnot. Disconnecting one wire removes it from the electrical system and makes it easier to troubleshoot the factory stuff.
_________________
Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[ComfortablyNumb]

Thanks for the pictures! I had a feeling that was where the t/s relay was supposed to mount, but the one in my bus does not have a way to do so. A PO decided that it would make a better place to ground all the crap he added to the bus, which has been removed.

I see that WW makes a repro t/s relays, but they don't look like the originals in your pictures. And none of them are for a 1965 according to the descriptions.

https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wolfsburg_new/electrical/bus_electrical/flash_relay.cfm
















1

[Eric&Barb]

[70bus]

E&B are correct. There are part repro people out there that go the extra mile and hope it pays off. Never think of those parts as 'too espensive,' think of them as 'one and done' - for the the life of your bus in many cases!

WW used to make a relay for 211953215C, which can be used on many 12v buses with hazards, but they stopped - either they didn't sell enough, or the fact that wiring the dash "wrong" could cause troubles blamed on the relay, I don't know. You should dig up the square Baywindow unit with that number, and the relatively-common Hella 91ES5J2s or similar units, to see what works best for you.
_________________
Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater