Both running lights on the same terminal?

[Bustercat65]

Previous owner disconnected the running lights on my 65 beetle as they would blow a fuse. He thought they were grounding out early.
After looking at the wiring diagram, I was surprised to see they are supposed to be on two terminals.
Is this possibly the cause?

[KTPhil]

What do you mean by "running lights"? parking lights? taillights?

Correct details here (click to enlarge):

Warning: if you mean "parking lights" be aware they are not fused from the factory, and connect directly to the light switch. Many add fuses or wire them to the taillight circuit so they are protected, and stay on with the headlights for safety (you don't look like a motorcycle when a headlamp burns out).
Second Warning: Find out where/why they short out and fix it!

[Bustercat65]

M1 and m2 bulbs, the small parking ones

[KTPhil]

OK, so look for the short, since they are not fused form the factory, this is dangerous... fire potential. Often they get pinched, or frayed and short inside the headlight bucket. Check the ground for the headlights while you are in there.

I put mine piggyback on the taillight fuse terminal for the reasons above.

[Bustercat65]

Doesn’t this diagram show them unfused and wired individually to the tail lights?
By puttin them on the rear facing terminals they’d be fused, right?

[bluebus86]

M1 and M2 are european lights for use in Non sealed beam Bugs, US specification cars have sealed beam and thus use M3 and M4 instead, see dotted lines on the diagram.

Usually you want tail lamps to be on separate left and right fuses, The factory did it that way, Why? becuase you will omly lose one side not both sides if a fuse blows, better to have one tail light out than both, safety issue!

us spec front running lights are not fused, wise to fuse them, see dotted lines.

bug on!
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[Bustercat65]

Aha. So they are supposed to have one terminal, but they plug Directly into the lighting switch instead?
I wonder what fuse the seller was talking about then.

[mukluk]

Maybe the seller had them connected to one of the rear parking light outputs on the fuse block. With as easy as it is to move wires from terminal to terminal and given the passage of over fifty years and who knows how many owners doing their own maintenance during that time, it's usually not safe to assume your wiring will match the factory diagram.

Your best bet is to compare the factory diagram against what you currently have in your car -- many people will print out the diagram from this site enlarged to poster size and have it laminated to make the task easier. If you don't already have a VOM and know how to use it, now would be a good time to do so.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[Bustercat65]

Will do. I'm pretty new to electrics.
The wiring to too short to reach then lighting switch, could i just attach it to the fuse side of terminal 58?

[mukluk]

Yes, you can attach them to the output side of the fuses getting power from terminal 58. It's still recommended you pair up the left front/rear on one fuse and the right front/rear on the other versus pairing the front together and the rears together for the reason pointed out earlier -- you don't want to lose the function of both tail lights due to one fuse popping.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[Sharp64]