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fatgirllover
Samba Member
Joined: December 21, 2007
Posts: 11
Location: Chesapeake, VA
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 Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 5:01 am Post subject: 1973 Ghia Sport |
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| Hey everyone! I’m a longtime vw owner (71,69 bug, 71, 73 van and now a 73 Ghia Sport Edition convertible.) I’m finally to the point of rewiring after a body off resto. As I’m not an electrician, I’m having a hard time reading the prints in the book for the 73 wiring, the 72 wiring page is so much easier! Are there a lot of differences between the 2? From what I can make out, they pretty much look the same, down to the wiring colors, but terminal positions are off, as are the fuse box itself, with the connections between terminals being different, such as single,double and triple buss. Any ideas? And any pics of a 73 trunk would be awesome!! |
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xzener
Samba Member
Joined: June 03, 2006
Posts: 1777
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| Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 7:31 am Post subject: Re: 1973 Ghia Sport |
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I thought about taking a picture of the diagram I found online to Staples to have them BLOW it up. I had a hard time following the diagrams too.
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My 70 beetle was totaled Now to build the Ghia I always wanted. Rest in peace Ruby, I will miss you. Hello <insert Ghia name here>! |
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:38 am Post subject: Re: 1973 Ghia Sport |
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I assume that you have looked in The Samba Technical archives and found both the "official" VW '73-'74 wiring diagram and the alternate wiring diagram from Clymer's.
Unfortunately both sets of schematics are drawn up in that newer style, but it appears that the Clymer's version has been reworked and cleaned up a bit by some kind and talented Samba forum member.
FWIW, here's an "explanation" of how to read and understand the '73-'74 Karmann Ghia Wiring Diagram that I have previously posted in reply to someone else's wiring question in another thread some time ago ...
| KGCoupe wrote: |
I can't offer exact advice, but perhaps I can help you get started with the wiring diagram.
From THIS PAGE in the Samba Technical archives, download the 1973 - 1974 Wiring Diagram Key, ...
... and the 1973 - 1974 Wiring Diagram.
First, search the key for the component that you are interested in and find out what letter/number symbol is used to identify that component on the wiring diagram.
For example, from the key we can see that the Fuel Gauge Sending Unit is labeled "G", and the Fuel Gauge is labeled "G1".
From the component description on the key, follow along the line to the right and in the yellow shaded column you will see the Current Track number related to that component.
In the case of both the Fuel Gauge Sending Unit ("G") and the Fuel Gauge ("G1"), we can see that the Current Track number is 48.
Now move from the key over to the wiring diagram itself, and notice that all wire circuits eventually lead down to the yellow bar along the bottom with numbers in it - those are the "Current Track numbers" referenced in the key.
That yellow bar aso represents the common circuit ground for the vehicle.
The key told us that both the Fuel Gauge Sending Unit ("G") and the Fuel Gauge ("G1") use Current Track number 48, so on the wiring diagram we begin at the left and follow along the yellow ground bar until we find the number 48.
Low and behold, the Brown ground wire going up from 48 leads to "G" (a.k.a. the Fuel Gauge Sending Unit).
From the wiring diagram, we can see that on one side of "G" is the Brown wire, and on the other side of "G" is a Solid Black wire.
Following along the Solid Black wire from "G", you can see that the wire connects to "G1" (a.k.a. the Fuel Gauge).
Now that we have identified where the Fuel Gauge "G1" is located on the wiring diagram, we can see the colors of all the other wires that should be connected there.
Also notice that on many of the component representations on the wiring diagram, you can see a small number printed where the wire connects to the device - this is the Connector Number that should actually be printed on the back of the physical component itself in your Ghia.
For example, if you look on the wiring diagram from "G1" to the next component to the right, you will find that it is labeled "J2", which is the Emergency Flasher Relay.
If you look closely where the Blue/Red Stripe wire connects to "J2" on the wiring diagram, you can see the number "49a".
Somewhere on the actual plastic body of that flasher relay component in your Ghia, you should find a terminal labeled with the number "49a" and that terminal should have a Blue/Red Stripe wire connected to it.
The only other thing you may need to know in order to get started is that some of the Current Track numbers on the yellow ground bar of the wiring diagram have a small number inside of a circle next to them, and that number relates to another small key that can be found on the wiring diagram itself on the far right hand side just below the yellow ground bar.
For example, if we look at Current Track number 52 on the wiring diagram's yellow ground bar we can see the number "12" inside a small circle there.
Refering to the key at the bottom right hand side of the wiring diagram, we see that the circle "12" is used to identify the "Ground Connector, Clock".
So on the physical clock part in your Ghia, there should be terminal (likely right on the metal case of the clock itself) that should have a Brown wire connected to it.
If you follow that Brown wire up on the wiring diagram, you will see that it connects to a terminal labeled "31" on component "J2" (the Emergency Flasher Relay).
OK - if at least half of my ramblings here make any sense to you at all, you should now have enough knowledge to begin trying to sort out the wiring in your Ghia.
Hope that helps. |
Alright, perhaps my earlier comment that this explanation would help you "read and understand" that type of wiring diagram was just a wee bit optimistic. 
They are indeed a bit confusing, particularly when compared with the "old fashioned" type of schematic.
Presumably the later style schematics were developed in response to circuits becoming much more complicated with many more wires, at least generally speaking.
Imagine trying to represent a modern cars electrical system with the "old fashioned" schematics. 
As you correctly pointed out earlier, the Karmann Ghia's wiring loom changed very little between 1972 and 1973 so the change in schematic style doesn't seem absolutely "necessary" ... at least to me, anyway.
I'd guess it was done in response to a Volkswagen company wide poilicy change necessitated by many of the other VW models with more "modern" designs (and much more complicated electrical systems). |
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:47 am Post subject: Re: 1973 Ghia Sport |
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BTW, fatgirllover ( ), that's an awesome old photo of your Sports Ghia I see in your Samba Gallery ...
I presume that photo was taken when the Ghia was relatively new, and boy does it indeed look "Sporty".
The OG window sticker also found in your gallery contains some very interesting information about a super rare Special Edition Karmann Ghia ...
Thanks for sharing it. |
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fatgirllover
Samba Member
Joined: December 21, 2007
Posts: 11
Location: Chesapeake, VA
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 3:24 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Ghia Sport |
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KGCoupe, thanks for the info! I forgot I had posted that pic, it came with the car. Bought it from the original owner in 2005, drove for 6 yrs or so, till the rust started showing thru the PO’s paint job. Pulled it off the road for a body off resto, was supposed to be a 6 month project, it’s been 7 years now!
My biggest question is, the 72 and 73 drawings show the fuse boxes with different busses on them, example. 1972 shows 2,1,3,2,2,2 and the 1973 shows 2,1,2,1,2,2,1,1. My original fuse box is set up as the 73, but my replacement has a different buss config. Can I just cut out the buss bars to set it up the same??? Thanks! |
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Braukuche
Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004
Posts: 10999
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 3:48 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Ghia Sport |
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Didn't know they had that model, super cool.
_________________
Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now |
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John Moxon 
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Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 13952
Location: Southampton U.K.
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sputnick60
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Joined: July 22, 2007
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Location: In Molinya Orbit
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fatgirllover
Samba Member
Joined: December 21, 2007
Posts: 11
Location: Chesapeake, VA
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 1:18 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Ghia Sport |
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Ok all! I’ve got the wiring in the trunk completed, just one more question. Coming from some of components,say K7, duel circuit brake warning light, there is brown wire going to a yellow square with “57” in it. I know that is some sort of ground, but can’t find anything in the book except squares with 1,2 and 4. Can someone explain??
As soon as I triple check all connections and neaten it up, I’ll post some pics. Thanks for all the help!! |
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 9:01 am Post subject: Re: 1973 Ghia Sport |
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| fatgirllover wrote: |
Ok all! I’ve got the wiring in the trunk completed, just one more question. Coming from some of components,say K7, duel circuit brake warning light, there is brown wire going to a yellow square with “57” in it. I know that is some sort of ground, but can’t find anything in the book except squares with 1,2 and 4. Can someone explain??
As soon as I triple check all connections and neaten it up, I’ll post some pics. Thanks for all the help!! |
If I'm not mistaken, the yellow "57" box coming off K7 refers down to the "57" location along the yelow Ground Bus drawn across the bottom of the schematic.
If you look there (location "57") on the Ground Bus, you'll find a circle with "11" in it.
That number "11" refers to the list of footnotes found at the botton of the schematic immediately below the "57" location on the Ground Bus.
According to that list of footnotes,"11" means "Ground Connector, Speedometer Housing".
So in a roundabout way, the schematic is telling you that the Brown wire coming off K7 is supposed to be connected to the Ground Tab on the back of the Speedometer Housing.
The other devices on the schematic that also have wires terminating in a yellow box containing a nunber are all connected to the Ground Bus locations specified by the particular footnote referenced.
 This explanation is fine until you come to the "44" location on the Ground Bus referenced by device K6.
As you can clearly see, there is no circled footnote number there at location "44".
However, if you follow a line straight up the schematic from location "44" you will eventually see the same yellow "57" box coming off device K7 that we've already discussed.
Referring again then to location "57" of the Ground Bus eventually leads us back to footnote"11" which then directs us to connect the wire to the Ground Tab on the back of the Speedometer Housing.
In Volkswagen's defense, if they made the schematic too easy to read and understand then less people would have had to bring their cars back in to dealership to have them repaired.
and they wouldn't have made as much profit.  |
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fatgirllover
Samba Member
Joined: December 21, 2007
Posts: 11
Location: Chesapeake, VA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 10:24 am Post subject: Re: 1973 Ghia Sport |
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| KGCoupe, thanks again , you are a font of information. As. I said before, I’m no electrician and I do appreciate the help. I’m in the middle of checking and rechecking all of my connections, but have been told by an old vw guy to have 2 peeps when hooking up The battery, 1 for smelling for burning components and the other at the battery to disconnect quickly!! I want to make sure all wirin is correct before I start installing dash vents etc. which is next on the list. I also just bought a cheap( harbor freight) engine stand to work on the motor before it goes back in, been sitting under my workbench for 7!years!! Looks like I’ll have to do some modifications to the stand first. Any pictures that may help???? |
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