Date:         Wed, 26 Oct 2005 07:38:12 EDT
Reply-To:     RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Hi beam power from the dimmer swich to fuse block divided
              into two fused cir
Comments: cc: tjhannink@YAHOO.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 25/10/2005 4:47:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

From  what I read in the installation instructions, there is one relay for
each low  beam headlight but maybe one of the vendors can enlighten :>) us
further.

In the Bentley, the low-beam headlight wiring is a single wire  from the fuse
block, through the ignition switch and to the headlight switch.  It splits
into two separate circuits once it leaves the back of the headlight  switch
before going to the dimmer switch and fuseblock, then to the  headlights. The
relay instructions call for cutting the wires in the steering  column; there
should be a wire for each headlamp at that point.

So that  brings me back to my original question - why do you need two 30-amp
relays to  switch two 55-watt (or 80-watt for that matter) bulbs?

AFAIK, the high  beam current doesn't ever go throught the headlight switch,
adding an  additional set of relay contacts doesn't make any  sense.



Tim, your sort of mixed up.  The headlight  circuit works like this: Power to
the headlight switch controlled by the  ignition switch.  Power from the
headlight switch to the dimmer switch  where it is switched to either hi or low
beams.  Hi beam power from the  dimmer switch to fuse block divided into two
fused circuits for left & right  hi beams.  Low beam power from the dimmer switch
to fuse block divided  into two fused circuits for left & right low beams.
You need two  relays, one for the hi beams and one for the low beams.  They are
spliced  in the power out wires from the dimmer switch so that the dimmer
switch is now  activating the relays thereby taking out of service the headlamp
switch and  dimmer switch as the direct path of power to the fuse block and
head  lights.  Hope this helps you understand.

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy, '90 Carat, '87 Wolfsburg  (Forsale) & Lionel Trains
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa  Valley
_Frank Condelli  & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 08 ~ 11,  2006