On any classic beetle you might be surprised at what you might find. I’m still slowly going through the wiring of my 66 beetle, and I have uncovered a couple of weird things.
The first thing I found was that the radio speaker wires connections were covered in electrical tape. I was pretty certain that bare wires would lay beneath the yard of black electrical tape. However, I was wrong. What I found instead was quick connectors which had been soldered onto the wires then wrapped in the tape. The solder joints were pretty horrible, and the connectors were cheap. So I cut those wires, stripped them back and added insulated quick connects on both sides – a major improvement.
That didn’t do anything to improve the output of the 6-volt Sapphire 3 radio – but I felt better!
Next I found two three-way spade connectors that looked like they had built up quite a bit of resistance over the last fifty seven years. I could actually see some marks from overheating. I ordered a couple connectors and a few days later I replaced those. The wires from those connectors go both the turn signals and the dreaded nine pin relay.
Next I moved on to check the grounds at the headlights. Oddly, I found a wire that had been connected to the headlight ground wire screw (inside the front of the trunk), which had been cut and taped. Looking at the color code of the wire, I determined that it would have been used for an indicator bulb in the speedometer. No idea why a loose wire would have ever made it’s way up here acting as a ground. That ended up going in the trash.
Then I removed the headlight ground screws and cleaned the connections and reinstalled the wiring.
Next I moved in the beetle underneath the dash to the fuse box. The beetle takes bullet style fuses and they were smothered in dielectric grease which is non-conductive. That means it can impede the flow of electricity. I pulled every fuse, cleaned all the contacts, and replaced each fuse with a brand new one.
Next I turned on the headlights and I did notice a modest improvement in the amount of light given off. It seems as if I am slowly moving in the correct direction.
So the fun continues! I am planning a visit to the battery ground strap where it connects to the transmission in the next few days. The challenge will be getting under the beetle to work on it. It is so tight I may need to jack the car up, and I’m not a big fan of that.
I am guessing there is even more fun heading my way!
