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I had so many issues with my original wiring I just had to gut it and start over!
Some problems I’ve had with the headlights.
1. Switch burnt out. My original wiring did not use relays. So the headlights, which pull a significant amount of power was routed through the through the switch, causing it to fail in time.
2. The glass fuse holder became loose and good contact was intermittent. Bend the clips to make them tighter.
3. Another time on my my motorcycle, the poor contact in the fuse holder caused one end of the glass fuse to heat up and melt the solder and causing the foil strip to be come unattached. The fuse looked okay, but in testing is was ok/not ok depending on the position of the fuse. I only found it because I noticed the movement of the foil strip when I was holding it – weird!
You need to get a 12 volt test light probe (auto store or hardware) to track this down and isolate the problem. It would be unusual, but unheard of to have an inline fuse on the lights. The biggest problem with kit cars is the multitude of owners building and rebuilding. No two are the same!
My new wiring has 7 relays to route the heavy load items away from the panel switches. (High beam, low beam, horn, defroster fan, wipers, fog lights & a heavy duty for the ignition accessory circuit. I also replaced the 6 glass fuse panel with a modern one that gave 12 seperate circuits. I was very anal and used marine components and wiring. A lot of work, but worth it.
Greggs
Exactly what I did, using marine grade switches with 15 amp ratings and 15 amp rated relays. I also separated circuits between ignition switched loads and switched loads on two marine grade spade fuse panels. Also upgraded grounds so there was no difference in resistance for any electrical loads, essentially a copper buss bar in front and at rear of vehicle with 10 AWG from battery to each buss. Was able to use some of the existing wiring but bulk of it was upgraded to 14 AWG and 12 AWG soldering all joints and putting heat shrink wrap over the joints. Have had no electrical problems save one. When I activate the 4-way flasher the windshield washer motor sprays.David B Dixon
Port Perry ON CA
SabineDavid, I was lucky to find a marine panel that was divided into two 6 fuse sections plus an additional section for grounds. Biggest problem for me was the two speed wiper motor. VW’s original wiper switch was unique Fiber Fab’s answer was to make it single speed and ignore the parking circuit. I figured something out to make it work correctly. I had a wiper motor that was only in use for two years and I did not want to remove it to find out what the terminal numbers were. It took hours of being on line to find a picture of one that displayed the numbers!
Soldering the joints is the best way, but I took the easy route and used heat shrink fittings with the adhesive.
I believe the hazard lights should come on when washing the windshield anyway. I can’t imagine what being sprayed in the face will do to the driver! I’ll rewire mine immediately….
I did the same, with my toy. Marine Grade all the way! West Marine is where I purchased my fuse panel (12 fuse capacity), relays, switches and even the wire! I’ve yet to have a single problem, since I rewired her…I also went crazy with grounding posts. All of my electrical items are on it’s own fuse, relay, and ground connection. I just check the connections frequently. I have the peace of mind knowing that if anything ever goes out, there’s only a couple places I need to check. I also got rid of those mid line spade connectors that my kit was wired with…All of the wiring goes straight from point A to B and so on…
how-to-build-hotrods.com has a fantastic wiring schematic that I used to rewire The Penny Marie…It was even easier than the map I got from the VW shop for wiring up a new harness kit! It’s so simple even your Village Idiot could do it!!! AND I DID!!! Lol! They also have some other great advice on how to get things done, under the hood, I think you’ll like! Even a quick and easy guide for wiring up turn signals and hazard switches!
I literally started my wiring project with a bottle of beer, in one hand and clippers in the other…I went from front to back and Cut…Cut…Cut…The Old Stuff out. (Disconnecting and removing the Battery first!) Then I used the Schematic, from the website, and rebuilt her from Fresh Scratch!
Hope this helps…
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