Electric Help!!

Hello,

I’ve started to do a bit of work on my 83 GTi and got a few questions regarding the electrics.

1. I have the front headlamps/sidelights all working but no indicators at the front nothing at all when trying hazards or indicators?

2. I have now moved onto the back lights and can only get one bulb to illuminate on the passenger rear lights there are 3 x wires which go to the earthing bar I don’t have a bolt for this so have just been using something to hold these temporary so don’t know if this is not helping things?
What is needed to hold these 3 x wires to the bar is it a threaded bolt?

3. The wiring for the number plate lights see pic I have 2 x female spade connectors and 1 x small male spade connector I attach the female ones to each light and the male one to one of the lights and this lights up but the other one does not? Am I missing and connectors.

4. I have take a picture of 2 connections see picI have found in the engine bay any idea what this is or where it goes?

front and rear wipers are all working so it’s just the rear lights.

any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks


 

Knowing wire colors on the plugs help.
Is this a GTI tin top, or Vert?

The one light in the first picture needs a ground? I only see one wire, and one wire won't get you anywhere. If you take one of the mounting plates and attach it to a ground, (some things acquire grounds when you bolt them) does it light.

HINT.  You can take it to the bank that Brown wires are ground, and Colored or Striped wires aren't. (there are some exceptions).
You can short a ground to ground and not blow a fuse, but you can't short a Powered (colored) wire to ground..Well you can but you usually see sparks and blow a fuse.

A 12V test lamp and or a DVOM are going to be your friends going forward.

No indicators front? No Hazards nor Turns?
Verify that your bulbs are good and the sockets are clean.

Verify that you have a ground to them.  Turns and Hazards at the rear work?

Hazards and Turns are on separate fuses and the really only common parts are the switch and the flasher.
So it some work and others don't then you have a wiring issue or a ground issue.

Time to break out the DVOM and start seeing what you have at the socket.  As in one do you have 12V to ground when it is turned on, and then if you do then you are missing a grounding point for the lamp. Also then you can measure resistance to ground on the socket to frame to validate that as well

an 83, I would suspect that you need to clean your grounding points….and possibly replace the Battery to Frame and Frame to engine grounds.

 

Thanks for the reply the car is a tin top I will try and ground one of the number plate lamps and see if this makes it come on I was just wondering if I was missing a wire as I have 2 x female spade connectors that go to each lamp and then I have 1 x small male spade connector?

I didn’t know if anyone could tell me what the wires I pictured were from the plugs on them?

no indicators at all front, back or hazards?






 

Seeing a 2 pin plug, with out knowing the color of the wires by pulling the sheath back a bit is like asking a generic question, as I can see one is over by the transmission, and the other is by the alternator area….

We the majority of the forum are not clairvoyant, (save for "Rub" ) and need more specifics.  Knowing what you have as in Tin-top, or Vert is for those of us across the pond and to which book Bentley/Haynes that we have to refer too, as there is a vast difference electrically between an "Merican Rabbit/Golf/GTI " than there is a Euro version.

I would suggest that you acquire a Haynes, or Bentley for your ride and in the REar of the newer ones, or i the middle of an older version are Electrical Diagrams, the older books are actually in color for the wires.  Will serve you well.  After a few weeks the Bulb will come on and you will get to understand the squiggely lines.

Brown is Ground and at the bottom of most pages.

Electricity in voltage is felt on a Circuit Current Flows,
Voltage is like sticking your finger in a river, and saying it's wet and cold.  Current is the Rate of the water flowing in the river.

Without a ground path (direct) Voltage on the Battery will seek it's own way around and do some weird things.

Grounds seek the Positive things a Battery can do for them as in lighting a bulb, or giving a starter a spin.

Every thing in the circuits acts as a Resistor to impede current flow…. Knowing how an object reacts is paramount to determining the result.

There is a Law that you can't get around, it is written in stone similar to the ten commandments, and it is Called OHM's law, that states E=IR or Electrical force expressed in Volts is equal to Current (I) expressed in Amps times the Resistance in a circuit…..

More resistance the lesser the current. A switch or relay that is open is Maximum Resistive to a Circuit.

Where as a Lightbulb is weaker resistively, and actually needs to be measured in Impedance, and not Ohms, as speakers are rated in Impeadance but expressed in Ohms.  

Nuff on the Electrical primer, and yes, occasionally I can spew on Electrics, as I understand it…

I’d try putting the hazard switch in between on and off halfway that’s usually a good way of seeing whether the switch is any good.
Like Briano says relay and switch are the common points.
Dirty contacts on turn indicators and other switches is plain old dirt and tarnish on the insides etc
My go to is blast some WD40 into the switches and stalk contacts.
You can use very fine emery paper on the stall contacts.
I’d undo the steering cowling and drop the covers and have a look.


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Ok I will take all this into account many thanks I have just checked the wire colours of the connectors see pictures any idea what these are and where they go?