rats nest - no power to AAV

Bit of a long story that goes with this, but I'll try to keep it short.  Its a problem with  my recently aquired '83 GTI.  There's no current going to the AAV which, therefore, is always open.  In order to keep the car running we've clamped the hose up so the AAV is effectively closed.  Haynes isn't too hot on the relay board so I can't figure out where its meant to be plugged into (supposedly into the fuel relay but I'm not great at electrics and can't see which one that is) it looks like the wiring has been previously bodged too:

http://www.m4-p.com/ratsnest.jpg

http://www.m4-p.com/relays.jpg

Can anyone tell from these pictures which wires I should be checking or what's missing?

The wire that supplies voltage to the Auxilary Air Valve is also supplying voltage to the Warm-up Regulator - it's a red & white wire which comes from terminal E14 (no. 14 on block E on the rear of the fuse board)

hi, thanks.  I gleened that much from Haynes, but I don't know what block E is…. any ideas?

All of the larger coloured blocks on the back of the fusebox go into sockets that are labelled with letters. Can't remember which is E, but each socket has its letter moulded into the plastic.
All of the big ones are different shapes and sizes, so you can't put them back incorrectly, but some of the single connectors around the edge may need labelling, so you can remember where they go back.

ahhh, its starting to sound like I've got more than a snowballs chance in hell of working this out!  Thanks for the help.

Right, thanks for the help so far, I located E14 and did a continuity test from there to the connector into the AAV, and also from the earth connector to the AAV and the multi pronged circular earth junction box type thing behind the fuseboard.  Both have continuity…  Looking through Haynes the other connections to the E block are interior / exterior lights, which are all working (except the reverse light, but I think that's because of the bodge in the engine bay to the reverse light switch on the gearbox).

Has any one got any idea why, if the wires between the AAV and the fuseboard are ok what, pressumably on the fuseboard, could be stopping any current going to the AAV?

Help really appreciated!!

and curiouser… OK, maybe a bit stupid that I hadn't checked before, but there isn't a fuse in position 5 (where Haynes says the fuel pump relay should be going through… First off, surely if there's no fuse there then the engine should be getting any fuel (unless some one's bodged the fuel pump wiring), secondly what rated fuse should be there?

right, answered my own question there, I've put a fuse in and thre's no voltage to the AAV, but I've now found both the one that was on the car and the one I got from the breakers last weekend don't work.

Can I just check with you guys that the valve should close after just a few seconds and should certainly have closed within 1 minute of the car running?

Strange about fuse 5 being absent, but the fuel pump still working. To see if the fuse board is OK, or if something has been bodged, you might check for continuity between terminal 3 on relay position 2, and terminal E14 on the rear of the fuseboard (when there is a fuse in position 5) - there should be continuity here.

Fuse 5 should be a 15 amp, by the way.

Haynes says that it shouldn't take longer than five minutes for the Auxilary Air Valve to close, so you need to give it more of a chance…

Thanks, I'll do the tests in the morning. Feels like we're making progress…

Thanks to Paddy I got yet another AAV (the one from the breakers last weekend didn't work), this one does.  I've still got a problem, but I'm not sure it fits in the electrics forum so will start a new topic.

Thanks for all the help people.