Electrical – Minor Harnesses and Grounds

 Minor Harnesses

Okay, I lied, there are more then the “main three” harnesses. These “minor harnesses” include the Starter Harness, Backup Light Harness, Test Connector Harness (we’ll cover this in it’s own section), Battery Harness, Fuel Gauge Harness, Fan Motor Harness and Wiper Harness.

Starter Harness

The Starter Harness runs from under the rear seat, routes out right above fuel line and into the Engine Compartment. It consists of two wires, which break out like this:

Backup Light Harness

The Backup Light Harness runs from the transmission, routes through an hole on the Passenger’s side of the Engine Compartment, then attaches to the three-way connector also in the Passenger’s Side Engine Compartment. Sometimes, this is routed behind the tar board back there. It consists of one wire, again, which breaks out like this:

Battery Harness

The Battery Harness consists of two wires and runs from the Battery Positive Terminal in two directions. One direction leads out the rear pan area on the Passenger’s Side, then to the Starter. The other direction routes under the back seat, over the hump and onto the Voltage Regulator (B+). The rear seat hold-down bar that straddles the car has a channel to route this properly.

Fuel Gauge Harness

The Fuel Gauge Harness is hidden behind the dash. It routes from the cabin, through the firewall under the fresh air box, and onto the Fuel Tank where the Fuel Level Sender lives. The harness also has two wires, which break out like this:

Fan Motor Harness

The Fan Motor Harness is also buried behind the dash. It consists of three wires which run from the Fan Switch mounted on the lower part of the dash, route out the firewall into the fresh air box, attaching to the fan motor itself. Here is how that breaks out:

Wiper Harness

The Wiper Harness again is buried behind the dash and consists of five wires. It runs from the Wiper Switch mounted on the steering column, routes out the firewall into the fresh air box, attaching to the Wiper Motor itself. Here is how that breaks out:

The Test Connector

The test connector was used by the VW Dealer to help diagnose your Beetle. I highly doubt there is a VW Dealer these days that still has the equipment to utilize the test connector jack, but I might stand corrected. The test connector has one large Red / White wire and a normal Brown, then a bunch of mini connectors that lock into a plastic receptor. This receptor is then mounted on the upper rear firewall on the driver’s side. Here is how that breaks out:

Grounds

Now let’s look at the Brown Ground wires. There are two areas in the front trunk area where screws hold down both the headlight and turn signal ground wires, on either side.

In the Cabin, there are two more areas to ground wires to, the firewall behind the dash (near the drivers right knee) and the Speedometer. Here is how that breaks out:

Back in the Engine Compartment, there are a few more grounding tabs located on either side of the compartment on the flat area that the engine seal attaches to.

Well, I hope you are far less confused. For full wiring diagrams, which are not my property, see The Samba Type 1 Wiring Diagrams. These are the best diagrams I have found on the Internet so far.