[T3] Backup Lights

Bobsnotch at aol.com Bobsnotch at aol.com
Mon Oct 3 17:20:47 PDT 2016


In a message dated 10/3/2016 5:32:27 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
gbforsmo at gmail.com writes:

Jim  --

Not Jim,


Your  comment about the "ungrounded" bumper, just jogged my memory.

When we  pulled the car behind the motor home to Bob Heydt's garage in
Kimball, MI  in September 2012 to repair my heater tubes and install new
rocker panels,  the bumpers were NOT installed.  I carried them along for
Bob to  mount.


1. He welded in the old (but patched &  "newly painted") rear bumper
mounts &
2.  we bolted up the bumpers to the bumper brackets and
3.  inserted the bracket arms through the slots in the apron &
4. bolted the (also "newly painted")  brackets to the  body.


Could the painted brackets have "insulated" the ground  connection to the
body?

Yes. The paint created an insulation barrier. This is why a lot of parts  
are painted afterward, that are depending on a metal to metal contact for  
ground.


Since I *rarely* drive the Square at night, I almost never put  the car in
reverse and back it in the parking space ... when "the air is  dark".  :-)

To test, I will run a (temporary) ground wire from the  bumper to a known
good, chassis ground.

Yes. Maybe with the lift gate open, clip your test lead to the gate latch  
(body side).


With  the Ignition Key Switch in the RUN position and the shift lever in
REVERSE  position, if the bumper is properly grounded, the back up lights
should  light, right?

Yes


Is  the Reverse Switch accessible from the top or from  below?

>From below.


Further comments to come.
I hope this helps.

Bob 65 Notch  S with Sunroof
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.vwtype3.org/pipermail/type3-vwtype3.org/attachments/20161003/96991aef/attachment.htm>


More information about the type3-vwtype3.org mailing list