[T3] Lack of high beam and turn signals

[Adriel Rowley]

----------------------------------------
> From: Bobsnotch at aol.com
> Date: Sat, 14 May 2011 10:50:00 -0400
> To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> Subject: Re: [T3] Lack of high beam and turn signals
>
>
> In a message dated 5/14/2011 12:46:25 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> dmoller9 at earthlink.net writes:
>
> x the ground issue first. Bad grounds will cause all kinds of funky
> behavior. I don't have any experience with a 71, but if the car is wired like
> the Bentley schematic with a single ground point for all the idiot, dash
> lights, the turn signal switch and the various light switches, a 54 ohm
> resistance in the main ground to body could definitely cause most of the issues.
>
> I've done the following fixing ground issues:
>
> 1. Remove the octopus terminal or whatever the ground termination hardware
> is and clean all the spades and body ground location of all corrosion with
> fine steel wool.
> 2. Clean the ground body location to bare metal with fine sand paper,
> steel wool, scotch brite, etc.
> 3 Reassemble ground termination hardware and check resistance from a spade
> to the body. If less than 1 ohm, you are good. If not take the thing
> apart again and work on more virgin bare metal at the ground point.
> 3. Clean the terminals and check each of the ground wires individually
> terminal to terminal. Be sure to wiggle the wire near each terminal looking
> for changes in resistance. Any momentary change in resistance needs to be
> fixed by replacing the terminal or the whole wire.
> 4. Reassemble all the wires to the ground and check the resistance from
> the head end of the wire to the body. Again 1 ohm or less is what you want.
> 5. When you are all done fixing the grounds make sure to seal the ground
> octopus or ground hardware and the body seam to prevent corrosion.
>
> Its always a nasty job to fix ground issues.
>
> Dave
>
>
>
>
> Yes, this is very good advice. I too have found grounds to cause funky
> things to happen. Also I've found "inactivity" another cause. Remember, these
> cars were designed to be driven, not parked. Go thru the examples Dave
> listed above, and also find a couple of screws for the fuse box, as I know it
> needs to be grounded as well. Same applies to the hazard switch. Get ALL of
> your grounds as close to "0"ohms as you can. More than likely, you bumped
> the wire off the center black plug on the fuel gauge cluster (to the fuse
> box), which is what supplies ALL of the 12 volts to the entire cluster.
>
I went though it, and cannot get the two wire ground to go below 54 ohms.  I am 
testing at the terminal block to the gauge.  Thinking because it grounds 
something else, not getting a good test of the circuit.  I did get the terminal
block down from about 10 ohms to about three, and same for the rest.  All cleaned
too (was corrosion on the terminal block).

I did not know the tabs were ground; will do this when I get back out there.  Right
now exhausted from quite a lack of sleep, and want to take a hammer to her; so 
frustrating. ;/

Jack originally said he was going to use it if he needed to, but got scared it 
seems for reasons that are not apparent to me.  If I had the space, it be at Oma's
driven by my Father who was itching to drive it; seems he wanted to get back into a
Volkswagen.  Not sure if that is still true.

On that note, Oma now says she is reconsidering her price on the '61 four door hard
top Impala; was asking $5,000.  If that is sold, two Volkswagens find proper 
parking. ;)

> As for the turn signal switch, you've probably got the column head too
> close to the steering wheel for it to work the high beams correctly. Loosen up
> the 2 screws (6mm allen wrench), and the clamp at the base of the column
> head, and push it away from the steering wheel. You need a 2 to 3mm gap
> between the steering wheel and the column head (page 31 Brown Bentley). I hope
> this helps.
>
It was not touching one of the terminals, but I adjusted it to about just touching 
when trying to get my horn to work, before all this mess.  Turns out the used horn 
is no good.

Sent a prior letter with the issues I am now dealing with.  Seems the ground 
cleaning helped as I got all the lights in the gauge to work, but only with the 
emergency flasher activated.

Bob, you are always a help, and I thank you for it. ;D


Thank you,
Adriel