Checking the turn signal switch

[clbarton91]

According to the blue prints i finished installing my new wiring harness today, 1973 beetle- early model.... upon first turn of the key my headlights did not work but after testing and trying different methods i rigged up a hot wire to jump across the fuses and now it works with the switch.... id like to know where the issue was there but that isn’t simple to find out apparently. But now im not sure if the turn signal switch is bad or if there is an issue elsewhere with the wiring. Is there a way to check the switch? According to the wiring diagram after triple checking my work and having a few vw guys take a look everything looked correct yet i still had no headlights without jumping the hot wire across the terminals, now it works with the switch.... i just am bot sure how to deal with the turn signals.

[sb001]

Look at this wiring diagram here (this is for 72 model year but is virtually the same as 73 and easier to read):

Locate the yellow/ black striped wire coming off the ignition switch at terminal "X." It goes to fuse #10 on the fuse box and then another yellow/ black striped wire branches off the same side of the fuse (so unfused-- never actually goes through that fuse) and goes to terminal X on your headlight switch. This is your headlight circuit. Unlike earlier beetle models, which had the headlights directly hotwired to constant power from the battery, your model year requires the key to be in the ignition and turned to ON in order to energize that "X" circuit for your headlights. (Your PARKING lights should work without the key in but not the headlights.) It's actually a pretty simple circuit path- just trace the yellow/ black striped wire off your ignition switch to fuse #10 and then from there to the X terminal on your headlight switch, see where the issue is.
I have no idea about your turn signals because even though that's what your thread is titled, you described an issue with the headlights.
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I'm the humblest guy on this board.

1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
1600 SP engine
Solex 30 PICT 3 carburetor
Bosch 113905205AE autostick distributor

[clbarton91]

On my turnsignal switch i just dont have any part of it working. No turnsignals or highbeams

[empi3]

[ashman40]

What did you do to fix your headlights? Would be useful for someone else who had the same problem.
The headlight wiring is very unusual. In '73, it starts from the black/yellow (X) wire from the ignition switch ('71-later Beetle headlights are powered from the ignition and not the battery)...

it stops at the #10 fuse w/o going thru the #10 fuse;
the black/yellow wire continues to the headlight switch #X terminal;
from the headlight switch to the dimmer relay;
then from the dimmer relay it splits to either the #3+#4 low beam fuses or the #5+#6 fuses;
then on to the headlights.

The circuit touches the fuse box at five different fuses but only passes thru four (and only uses two at a time). If you had to jumper across a fuse to get it to work you have a wiring problem or a fuse problem. If you had to jumper across the #10 fuse then you have a wiring problem because the headlight circuit doesn't pass thru the #10 fuse. If you had to jumper one of the #3~#6 fuses you have a fuse or wiring problem. Is power coming INTO the INPUT side of the fuse box? One long edge of the fuse box is INPUT, the other is OUTPUT.
Can you describe in detail what bypass jumper you did?


The turn signal is a VERY simple switch. It has one INPUT wire (black/green/white) and two OUTPUT wires (black/white = L and black/green = R). To test, use an ohmmeter or continuity meter. Place one probe on the INPUT wire and the other probe on one of the output wires. Move the turn signal lever into the appropriate position. Do this while the switch is disconnected from everything. This means you will need to crawl under the steering column and pull the connector from the bottom of the switch wires. You will probably need to ID the wires by the color of the wires in the plug as you probably can't see the color of the switch wires.
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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!}