Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2002 22:26:52 +0100
Reply-To: Robert Steven Fish <fish@SALZBURG.CO.AT>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Steven Fish <fish@SALZBURG.CO.AT>
Subject: Re: running light out-break in wiring and question
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
------ snipped -----
got voltage at all other terminals, just not the running light.
----- end snipped ------
Hi Scott,
I have been working a bit with my wiring diagrams to set up a trailer hitch
on my 87. What you will notice, as you examine the wiring diagrams, is that
the left and right "channels" are seperated on the headlights, as well as
the tail lights. On my Vanagon, the wire supplying power to the Right Rear
Tail Light is "gray/red" and the Left Rear Tail Light is "gray/black".
The reason for keeping them seperate is that if something goes wrong in the
circuit, you will only lose one side. This is rather important, as when you
blow the fuse due to some crazy short circuit, or other contact problem,
only one side goes out, and you still have one functional light. Cars with
no tail lights at night are almost impossible to see in bad conditions.
If you were to bypass the original wiring (I would not recommend this), both
sides would then be fused to the same fuse, and this, in my opinion is
neither wise, nor safe.
The other thing to consider, as you tweak your wiring, is that your tail
light which is not receiving current at the light, may very well be sending
current from the fuse box (have you checked this?). If it is, and you have
a broken wire somewhere, then you will get a short, and if all is working
well, the fuse should blow. If your fuse is not blown now, and the wire is
hanging broken somewhere, you will get a short eventually.
I would suggest testing the wiring by grounding your test light or
multimeter, and then locating the gray/red and gray/black wires. See if
they have power... be certain that the fuses are not blown... then check for
power at the fuse block. Generally if these wires were to be broken, or
corroded, they should be damaged in an area which is able to be found,
relatively close to either the fuse block or the light... see if you can
trace the wire as far back as possible and find a defect.
For the time being, if running a jumper over from the other side solves your
immediate problem, go for it... but do yourself a favor and fix it
correctly, even if it does mean pulling a wire from front to rear (which is
not all that difficult) eventually.
See ya,
RSF
IMPORTANT!!! In order to reply to me, you must have the word "FISH"
somewhere in the subject line of the email. Otherwise it goes directly in
the trash.
<º)))>{ <º)))>{ <º)))>{ <º)))>{ <º)))>{ <º)))>{
Robert S. Fish
Salzburg, Austria
1987 Wolfsburg Vanagon 2.1 GL Weekender
1987 Golf Cabriolet
1991 Golf
| 
