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Please check lighting relay plan
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tomfreo
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PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2016 12:22 am    Post subject: Re: Please check lighting relay plan Reply with quote

Thanks everyone for helping me out. All's wired and tested, just waiting for the epoxy to set on relays' mount. Headlights appear much brighter but I'll wait for a nighttime drive to see for sure.

Attached is the final wiring plan and materials list. It would've been nice to have had correct-colour wires. All connections beautifully soldered Wink . Replaced park lights wire. Went with 50A fuse on main feed. Still have to fashion grommet for main feed wire where it enters bonnet above fuel tank, and tidy up wire with cable ties.

Termite man inspecting house under offer for sale next door, came over, made appreciative grunting noises while I sanded clean grounds. Asked if I was an auto electrician. Nah, just .... Said he'd recently bought an old HT Holden to do up but wouldn't do the electrics himself, touch this and something else goes wrong, or something. Would've likes to have said, find a Holden forum, they'll guide even the compleat idiot. But then, maybe you have to be into VWs! Laughing

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VOLKSWAGNUT
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PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2016 6:31 am    Post subject: Re: Please check lighting relay plan Reply with quote

^ What,, no beer in the materials list... come on.. Laughing

12 gauge all the way for the light supply .. even better.. ... outstanding... Applause

I see you combined the front parks with the applicable tail circuit fuses.. awesome..
That is also something I normally just.. do..
That's just common sense..
14 gauge for the parks is large.. but.. wont hurt a bit. Wink

.
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Its your vehicle- stop askin' for approval-do what YOU like for cryin' out loud
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tomfreo
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PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2016 8:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Please check lighting relay plan Reply with quote

Yes, missed out listing the required beer - but that's more a general daily expense. The whole process took a few days, probably about 6-7hours not including time on thesamba and drawing pretty diagrams Wink

Volkswagnut, thanks for the plaudits, but can't say I did anything with the tail light circuit/parking light circuit except to put in new park light wires just 'cause didn't want to be ripping them out of the original headlight wiring sheaths.

Went out for a drive last night and the improvement is remarkable. I think I need to go align the beams. Laughing

For those thinking of doing something similar, a few notes. (Many of them are things I would do if doing the job again.)

1) If done again I'd take the time to take measurements of the circuits before and after - voltage drop, resistance, etc - for comparison.
2) Split job into two parts: consider wiring the relays first and see how well the remaining (original) wiring performs. It might be you don't need to replace the headlight wiring to the fusebox.
3) Think carefully about how best to approach the wiring so that most of it, or at least the trickier crimping/soldering jobs can be done on a bench undercover and not hunched under the bonnet in the rain. Take time to do a solid job of connecting terminals etc - good mechanical join, solder, heat-shrink/tape to keep moisture out. You can do a better job of this than was done at the factory. At least then, when someone looks at your wiring they'll have reason to pause before declaring it another hack-job needless addition to 'well-designed' original wiring.
4) Take the time to source decent wire - there's some crappy wire out there that might claim to meet standards, but isn't tinned, doesn't have good insulation, is a funny colour etc. Try and get properly colour-coded wire.
5) If it fits, go as large as possible with the wire. 3x12G, 1x14G wire is about the max I was able to stuff in through the original tube and hole to each headlight bucket.
6) Find some good, long wiring sleeves - keep it tidy.
7) Ignore those who say not to touch the original wiring regardless of circumstance - relays are a technological improvement, and the original wiring can only be called "well-designed" considering the time and need to keep costs down.
8.) Don't go drilling holes under the hood to fit the relays. Screw the relays to wood blocks and glue with epoxy (or something similar). If someone wants to put it back to original it's a simple matter to snap the blocks off and scrape the epoxy off with a knife. Save the original wiring. Simple matter for the anally-purist to rip out 'new' wiring and restore to original. Then they can go source new light switch, new fusebox, new dimmer switch and then worry about whether more powerful bulbs will overload the circuit.
9) Make notes on changes for later reference, for new owners or if you're a chronic amnesiac.
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VOLKSWAGNUT
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PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2016 10:01 am    Post subject: Re: Please check lighting relay plan Reply with quote

tomfreo wrote:
, but can't say I did anything with the tail light circuit/parking light circuit except to put in new park light wires just 'cause didn't want to be ripping them out of the original headlight wiring sheaths.
.


Sure you did..
VW for some reason didnt fuse the parking lamps...
You did..by combining it with the applicable tails (per side) Applause
So do I.. Wink
..
_________________
aka Ken {o\!/o}
Its your vehicle- stop askin' for approval-do what YOU like for cryin' out loud
Better to roll em' how you want and wear em' out-than lettin' em' rot out
Its about the going not the showing
Rebuilt to drive not decorate
WANTED: Local Eatin' Joints, Triple D for TheSamba contributions here http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=570510
Search "VOLKSWAGNUT" on YouTube since you cant watch a "certain" BELT change video round here
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LorenzoVW1964
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 11:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Please check lighting relay plan Reply with quote

@Tomfreo

Thank you for all the suggestions and detailed wiring relay plan, very useful. I'm planning to do the same and I will follow all your tips.

It would be very useful if you could post some pictures of the final work to inderstand where and how you placed the relays and 50A fuse box.

Many thanks,
Lorenzo[/quote]
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herbie1200
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:04 am    Post subject: Re: Please check lighting relay plan Reply with quote

Anyway for me those remedia are simply wasted time.

The 6V system is originally designed to use 35W lamps.

To avoid a lot problems on battery, generator, regulator, wiring, etc. remaining on 6V, simply use a pair of H4 LED lamps; they absorb only 1.5A each, you can leave all original without relais and added wires.
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tomfreo
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 03, 2020 11:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Please check lighting relay plan Reply with quote

The 50A fuse sits in the pan gutter off-center of the car about 20cm from the battery.

The two relays are mounted on wooden blocks epoxied to the body under the bonnet / behind the dash on the opposite side of the glove box - where there's a bit of room.

As an update - four years later everything (still) works well.
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