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Vince007
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 19
Location: Boston
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 Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:46 pm Post subject: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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I apologize in advance for the long story but want to provide as much detail as possible. In another thread everyone was very helpful on how to remove and replace the Fuse Box on my 1973 Ghia Vert. I finally had the part and the time to do so. As I started to remove the fuse box I noticed that the broken fuse clip was actually not broken but had been pushed up. I was able to push it back and reattach the few wires I had removed- replaced the fuses and tested that my right head light was now working (the original issue).
I was removing the Negative lead from the battery as I was doing this and would put it back on to test that everything worked - and then remove it again. Once I finished and screwed in the fuse box I reattached the battery.
When I went to test things again everything is dead. Nothing - no lights - turn the key and nothing lights up - it is like the battery is still disconnected. What could I have done to make this happen?
There are 2 in line fuse holders by the battery and one had the wire come out - but that could have been that way for years. Happy to try anything otherwise I am looking for someone that makes house calls in the Boston area or towing it somewhere. Also happy to add photos of anything.
Electrical is not really my thing so I am a bit lost - But I am really good at following directions or checking things - I just do not know what to check or where to start. |
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simon varley
Samba Member
Joined: March 12, 2020
Posts: 175
Location: Geelong Australia
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| Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 4:18 pm Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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just recheck that battery ground lead again. If it doesn't earth properly nothing will work at all. Clean both ends well and also clean the battery terminal and the ground point on the body. Also flex the lead a bit and see if you can see any damage to the sleeve, or any indication that the wiring is damaged.
replace the battery earth should be cheap if there is any doubt. |
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Vince007
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 19
Location: Boston
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:39 am Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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I have checked the ground lead and it is solid (replaced last year in fact) - Included photos of the battery as well as where the ground lead connects to the engine.
Also included a photo showing the connection that came apart and had the inline fuse - fuse is good, and I taped the two ends together temporarily to see if this was the issue (no change) I will re crimp the end and fix it this weekend.
Any other suggestions?
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Trylon
Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2019
Posts: 4853
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:06 am Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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I will reiterate what has been said as it was the cause of the same problem for me— make all the ground connections clean and shiny.
_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire
More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel! |
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scotty timmerman
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Joined: January 10, 2010
Posts: 1000
Location: gigharbor W.A
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bhartwell59
Samba Member
Joined: December 28, 2014
Posts: 791
Location: dallas, tx
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:26 am Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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Is this an autostick? Looks like a Control Valve (upper right) in your battery pics.
The black torpedo fuse holder would be one of these two:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/8_72ghia/45.jpg
And all your connections at the fuse block are connected?
_________________
'74 Zambezi green Ghia vert, autostick, 101k
'87 Jeep Wrangler, 4.2, 330k |
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jeffrey8164 
Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2018
Posts: 3815
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:21 am Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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Just for fun take the ground cable off the battery and clean all those terminals real well stick it back on and tighten it down very tightly. I just put a new battery in my Ghia and for some reason the car wouldn’t start. Turned out I needed to do another quarter turn to tighten the battery lug on. It seemed very tight and I couldn’t move it by hand so it’s just one of those weird things I’m betting.
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Volkswagen!
Turning owners into mechanics since 1938.
“Let he that is without oil throw the first rod”
(Compression 8.7:1) |
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Vince007
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 19
Location: Boston
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 1:01 pm Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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All - Thanks for the suggestions and advice - Please keep it coming
I have tightened and cleaned all the ground connections with still no success.
There is no power on the #9 fuse (or the #1 which I think also should have power) - I also changed out fuses for new.
bhartwell59 - It is an Autostick and those are the two fuses - they should not impact the issue even in their current state.
I found the following thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8694727
and will try to compare the 1973 Ghia wireing to it when I get a chance this weekend.
I suspect their may have been a wire come off the fuse block - Any idea as to which connections I should focus on? it is a bit of a wiring mess by the block and hard to see everything even when trying to take it out.
Open to any ideas. |
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Buenos Diaz
Samba Member
Joined: May 01, 2006
Posts: 57
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 3:12 pm Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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Is the battery dead?
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1967 21 Window Bus
1965 Beetle
2019 Atlas |
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bhartwell59
Samba Member
Joined: December 28, 2014
Posts: 791
Location: dallas, tx
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:15 pm Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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| Vince007 wrote: |
| I suspect their may have been a wire come off the fuse block - Any idea as to which connections I should focus on? |
This happened to me once... everything was dead. If I remember correctly, it was a thick red/black stripe wire that had slipped off it's connection.
Yeah, those black torpedo fuse holders are for either the back up lights or rear window defrost. Not part of your overall problem right now.
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'74 Zambezi green Ghia vert, autostick, 101k
'87 Jeep Wrangler, 4.2, 330k |
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Vince007
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 19
Location: Boston
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| Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 5:12 am Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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The battery is well charged and shows 12.6 on my multimeter -
bhartwell59 - the wire you had come off - I had a similar wire off when putting the fuse box back in - Do you recall where it went? There is every possibility that I put it back to the wrong location. (visibility was a challenge I was doing it by feel). |
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DucksHockey
Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2016
Posts: 27
Location: Orange County CA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:14 am Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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Have you checked the ground strap from the transmission to the body? The battery ground connects to the engine which then connects to the transmission. The transmission then connects the ground to the body of the Ghia. Make sure that both ends of the transmission ground strap are clean and shiny.
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1971 Bus
2161 Full-flow Engine
Dual HPMX 44's
Vintage Speed Exhaust and Shifter
1972 Karmann Ghia Convertible
2007 Full-flow Engine
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Vintage Speed Exhaust and Shifter
1973 Thing
1904 Full-flow Engine
Dual HPMX 40's |
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scotty timmerman
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Joined: January 10, 2010
Posts: 1000
Location: gigharbor W.A
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bhartwell59
Samba Member
Joined: December 28, 2014
Posts: 791
Location: dallas, tx
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| Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 11:19 am Post subject: Re: I broke my electrical - would love some advice |
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| Vince007 wrote: |
| bhartwell59 - the wire you had come off - I had a similar wire off when putting the fuse box back in - Do you recall where it went? |
Sorry, not exactly. For me it was the only one off so it was easy to know where to pop it back on
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'74 Zambezi green Ghia vert, autostick, 101k
'87 Jeep Wrangler, 4.2, 330k |
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