[T3] Emergency Flasher Wiring

[Jim Adney]

Okay, I was wrong. The horn circuit is only the SECOND MOST complicated 
circuit in our cars.  ;-p

Working from memory, I thought the relay in your picture looked right, but 
the wiring diagram clearly shows something different. Now, with extra time 
searching multiple other manuals, as well as the official VW E Workbooks, I 
have come up empty. No other '67 wiring diagrams found.

Then I went to the official Type 3 Parts Book. That's when this became 
complicated. It reminded me that in '66-7, I believe the 4-way flasher was a 
mod or add-on, with the flasher switch mounted to the underside of the dash 
with a little bracket.

So, Complication #1: The wiring diagram probably just shows the sysem 
without the 4-way flasher. (I did not find any wiring addendum for adding the 
flasher.)

Complication #2: You have a replacement wiring harness. Regardless of 
whether they told you it was for a '67, it's probably made for a range of years 
and may not be exactly correct for a '67.

Complication #3: The relay you have may not be correct. I'm not sure what a 
'67 Type 3 TS relay looked like. '68 came with fully integrated 4-way flashers 
and a smaller 3 terminal relay. '69-70 relays look just like '68s, but have an 
added ground terminal. I may have one of those here. '68-'70 TS relays 
mounted above the steering column on a little (round?) platform there. Does 
this sound like your '67? The parts book also indicates that the TS relay 
changed for some models in mid-67.

It looks like you found a NOS early TS relay, probably for big bucks. What's 
the VW part # on it? There are more than a half dozen different ones listed 
in the parts book, for different voltages, mods, years, and countries. Some 
are 311 parts and others are 111 parts. It's not easy to sort out.

Do you still have the old relay? If so, what did it look like and what part # 
was on it?

Yes, the 4-way flashers need to work with the key OFF. The horn, not 
necessary.

Odd that the new steering shaft coupling has turned resistive. What's the 
resistance? It may be high enough that it won't be a problem. It's also 
possible that the resistance will increase with time and use. It's resistive 
because some of the tiny carbon black particles in it touch one another and 
create a resistive path between the boltings. Over time, flexing of the rubber 
may break up particles that touch, reducing the number of remaining paths.

The best way to test this would be to insert a meter in series with the horn, 
with the circuit energized but without touching the horn ring. If you see less 
than 10 mA, I doubt if you'll ever notice that amount of drain on the battery. 
With luck, it will be less than 1 mA.

Jim

On 3 Mar 2026 at 14:48, Max Welton wrote:

> In my recent trip into my wiring I have partly solved an issue with
> the E-flasher. Wired the way the diagram shows with the switch across
> the relay's S and 49a the relay would just buzz when the flasher
> switch was closed.
> 
> I'm using this diagram:
> 
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/type3_1600_67.jpg
> 
> The relay I have has the 54 and 54f terminals, not shown on the
> diagram. I found that connecting one side of the switch to 54 resulted
> in a working hazard function.
> 
> This is the relay:
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2654476.jpg
> 
> My problem now is that the hazard lights only work with the key on. Not ideal.
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> The only other change I've made is to move the horn to switch power.
> 
> Max
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-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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