Where should this wire from fuse 9 go?

[Poorjimmy5]

While troubleshooting the speedometer, I found a wire in the dashboard that was unattached on one end. It comes out from the 9th fuse slot and leads nowhere and has no connector on the end. It is a single red wire and doesn't appear to be the one that splits immediately after leaving the connector into two different gauge wires, both of those are also red. (See just above the number "9" in the picture above.

[kenj06]

Do you have a gas heater? Guessing it used to go there. If it isn't going anywhere, I'd remove it so you don't have a live wire just hanging out there.

[Poorjimmy5]

Thanks, but I don't think so. If you look at the top picture (which admittedly might be a bit confusing) you'll see just behind the number 9 is a connector that has two red wires running from it. I assume the thicker gauge one goes to the Heater and the thinner gauge one goes to the Socket Assy as specified in the diagram attached to the bottom of the initial post. It is the third red wire on a separate connector that is leaving the same fuse (9) on the same side of the fuse box that I'm trying to figure out?

I initially was hoping it was the cause of my fuel gauge and some of my speedometer lights not working not working. God this electrical stuff befuddles my small ape-like brain!

[kenj06]

OK, next guess, used to go to accessory socket. The small red wire goes to terminal 30 of the heater switch, the thicker to terminal of the heater relay.
on the diagram at the link below, find the fuse panel S. you'll see two red wires come off of it and go to the heater and switch. There is a black/white wire in the diagram going to U, accessory socket.
Those are the only 3 wires on that side of fuse 9.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/181_Wiring_Diagram_4-73.pdf
If you have the accessory socket, trace where the wire from there goes. Someone may have rewired it elsewhere.
Hopefully the battery is disconnected messing around in there. Easy to short something out with all the spaghetti.

[Bashr52]

Are you sure that is the #9 position that is empty? According to that diagram you posted #9 is only used on gas heater cars.... Unless there are 2 terminals on #9, and the existing heater wires are plugged in there.

Does your heater work?

[Dougster43]

Is this on a 73 or 74?

I can double check mine tonight, but on a 73, fuses 9 and 10 are tied together on the input side, and there is one red wire with a white stripe that goes to terminal 30 on your headlight switch, and a solid red wire that goes to terminal 30 on the ignition switch.

On the output side of fuse 9 there are two red wires. One goes to the relay on the gas heater and the other to the heater switch.

If yours is a 73 and I am seeing the picture correctly, it looks like the additional wire is coming off of the input side of the fuse block. My guess is that it is a wire that someone added somewhere along the line or it belongs somewhere else. How long is the wire and is it hooked to anything now?

[Dougster43]

I looked last night and I do not have this wire on my 73.

There is also a white wire with a black stripe on the output side of the fuse 9 that goes to the accessory plug. The two red wires that are for the heater are both coming out of a single spade connector on the output side. There are only the two wires I described in the last post on the input side.

[Poorjimmy5]

[Poorjimmy5]

[Poorjimmy5]

[Poorjimmy5]

[Poorjimmy5]

OK, BIG CORRECTION!

Upon further investigation, the black/white wire IS present from the output side of Fuse 9 to the Accessory Plug. Evidently it was hidden behind the Heater "Egg Timer", but now this means 4 wires are attached to the output side of Fuse 9. Perhaps I should just remove this wire all together if no one can tell me what it was for and it doesn't appear on any electrical diagram.

ALSO! The mystery wire is much shorted than the 18" I quoted above. It is less then 12", maybe even just 10".

Oh and one other thing...I can now see the wisdom of disconnecting the battery. While I was moving this wire back into the dashboard, the exposed end accidently slipped into the slot between the steering wheel and the steering wheel shaft and entertained me with a little noisy spark show. Check to see if the car started after and it did so I got that going for me. But the horn still doesn't work.

[Poorjimmy5]

So like I said, I guess I should just remove the wire then huh? Does that seem to be the general consensus of this learned body?

[Dougster43]

Sounds like it to me. It is either in the wrong spot or was an addition somewhere along the line. Since it doesn't go anywhere I would probably remove it. There were only 2 solid red wires that should have been connected to the output of the fuse block - these are the ones that combine into one connector on fuse 9 and go to the heater and heater switch.

Regarding your fuel gauge and lights on the speedometer - there should be a smaller black wire that runs from the input side of fuse #1 to the speedometer (I think it connects on the back left side somewhere?). This wire provides power to the fuel gauge vibrator (and gauge), and some of the lights which I think includes the generator warning light, oil pressure warning light, and the turn signal indicator lamp. If that wire is not present those probably wouldn't work.

[Captain Spalding]

Before you remove the wire, confirm that everything works as it should. (I understand that the heater doesn't work.)

[Poorjimmy5]

Good idea! I will just tape up the end of it for the time being.