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Wed Apr 06, 2016 8:07 am

71 bus headlight confusion. Switch has 8 spades or terminals. Bentley shows seven wires. Terminals are as follows
x-red/black to ignition switch
30-to power at fuse 9
58:|to K4 dash parking light reminder. This terminal has no power in any test mode
56-to dimmer relay
58-to fuse 2
58L- ?? Not on Bentley diagram
58R- ?? not on Bentley diagram
Additional terminal at 30 shows to clock-no clock

58L and 58R are confusing me.

Need clarification please.

Thanks
Bruce Crail

Wed Apr 06, 2016 10:09 am

Those terminals are used on models with a European parking light option as far as I can tell (still have yet to see a diagram for the system on a VW), either one should do the same thing as 58 on the diagram (grey wire).

Wed Apr 06, 2016 10:12 am

Don't know if this will help, but here are photos from my '69 camper headlight switch with eight spades.

It has been my experience that the rheostat for the instrument light dimming disintegrates and breeds gremlins.

Aloha
tp

Wed Apr 06, 2016 10:41 am

Tom Powell wrote:
It has been my experience that the rheostat for the instrument light dimming disintegrates and breeds gremlins.
Aloha
tp
That happened to me. The old (original?) one had a catasrophic fail and when I pulled it out the rheostat coil had sprung and shorted everything. The brand new one looked nice but the first time I turned it lock to lock the spring sprang out. I was able to remove the spring and all the switch functions still worked. The dash lights are stuck on full bright which isn't a bad thing.

Wed Apr 06, 2016 10:48 am

OB Bus wrote: Tom Powell wrote:
It has been my experience that the rheostat for the instrument light dimming disintegrates and breeds gremlins.
Aloha
tp
That happened to me. The old (original?) one had a catasrophic fail and when I pulled it out the rheostat coil had sprung and shorted everything. The brand new one looked nice but the first time I turned it lock to lock the spring sprang out. I was able to remove the spring and all the switch functions still worked. The dash lights are stuck on full bright which isn't a bad thing.

That was an easy fix. My engine would not start and run unless the parking lights were on, and only the parking lights. Lights off, no start and run. Headlights on, no start and run. Parking lights off or headlights on, the engine dies. What is the troubleshooting method to find that problem? I think I finally found the problem by reading the wiring diagram and then using a jumper wire to bypass the headlight to ignition switch connection. That headlight switch is a breeding ground.

Aloha
tp

Wed Apr 06, 2016 10:48 am

My Rheostat also failed similarly.. They deteriorate after time, and my replacement is absolute junk! I have to have it pulled out at a perfect position, not to far, in order for all the lights to turn on. A big bump may turn the headlights off which makes for interesting night driving. I don't dare touch the dimmer. I plan on ordering a different one, it's just one the local shop in Reno had in stock when my rheostat went out!

Wed Apr 06, 2016 6:43 pm

Thanks a lot. Will give it a shot.

Bruce

Wed May 04, 2016 9:24 am

This is the original stock Headlight switch

This is the Jbugs aftermarket switch

so my problem is no dashboard lights are working so i thought it would be the headlight switch. when i switch over all the wires, there is a terminal 57 on the stock switch but not on the new one. I put 57 on next to 30 even tho they are almost touching but all it does is keep the green headlight dash-light on with the key on or off in the ignition. i don't have a clock, so i tried all sorts of combos but still no dash lights. new bulbs in too.
Any Ideas?

Wed May 04, 2016 9:52 am

Here are photos of my OG switch in my '69 camper. Note that my part number is ...531A

Aloha
tp

Wed May 04, 2016 10:45 am

http://www.jbugs.com/VW-Tech-Article-Headlight-Switches.html

211941531E VW Headlight Switch:
VW Bus 1971-79
VW Thing 1973-74

Replacing the Headlight Switch (and most all the VW Switches) is very simple. The headlight terminals are numbered, their designations are:

30 - Battery Power from the Fuse Box
- 2nd 30 terminal not used
56 - Power to Headlight Relay
58 - Power to the Running Light Terminal on the Fuse Box
X - Power from the Ignition Switch
58b - Power to the Dash Bulbs
58L and 58R - Not Used - (powered on at first position)

jamesdagg wrote: I've done some reading since this post and I believe 58L and 58R were used in Europe for "city lights" as was the warning lamp at the 9 o'clock position in some speedos. Canadian speedos usually have this warning light but blanked off.

X is used to turn the headlights off when cranking and to turn off with the key. Anything connected to X powers on with the key but goes off when cranking. They eventually incorporated this into the fuse box and included defrost fan, wipers and rear defroster.

E-Code H4 Headlights with City Lights - PAIR
http://www.busdepot.com/hq6014

Defiant,
As onegeenewbie said, it's done in Europe. Many places are lit well-enough that you don't need headlights to see with, plus the speeds in those places aren't very high. But the city lights will show other traffic and pedestrians that you're moving, without glare or blinding.

Tcash

Wed May 04, 2016 11:09 am

Thanks Tcash, i went and put 57 on the second 30 prong and took the bulb out of the green headlight dash light to keep it from staying on. If i leave 57 off and just keep the one 30 i get headlights when headlight switch is all the way out but no parking lights, and when its in parking light mode on headlight switch they work fine.

Wed May 04, 2016 11:46 am

Is it bad to have 57 plugged into 30 next to 30?

Wed May 04, 2016 12:21 pm

I would wire like JBugs suggest

30 - Battery Power from the Fuse Box
- 2nd 30 terminal not used
56 - Power to Headlight Relay
58 - Power to the Running Light Terminal on the Fuse Box
X - Power from the Ignition Switch
58b - Power to the Dash Bulbs
58L and 58R - Not Used - (powered on at first position)

Tcash

Wed May 04, 2016 12:41 pm

Thanks Tcash, now that I have wired it that way, anybody else have any suggestions? I understand that Jbugs suggested that way and it is, except for 57. 57 is on unused 30. It all works this way and does not work w 57 floating in space. Can anyone give me more detail on this ?

Wed May 04, 2016 2:51 pm

Stock headlight switch. 57 on the left, i plugged into extra 30 tab of new aftermarket headlight switch that has no 57. Dash-lights work now too, except for the fact that the green headlight light had to be taken out and replaced with a dead bulb so it wont stay on.
Any thoughts

On the Jbugs website for the 1968-1970 bus it says:
57 - Power to Front Running Lights - NOT FUSED!
- We omit this wire nowadays and run the lights off the 58 terminal on the Fuse Box

Should I connect 57 with 58 and take it off 30?

Thu Mar 21, 2024 7:38 am

Does anybody have a wiring diagram for the european parking light option? I never saw one. I just read that you had to use the turn signal lever to the left or right while the headlight switch was in first position, and that side marker lights would remain lit.

Thu Mar 21, 2024 7:54 am

I did see one once, but can't find it now. There are somewhat similar circuits on the type 3 and type 4 diagram pages, but some of those use the single small side light instead of the ones in the tail and signal lights.

Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:06 am

I think the diagrams were on Vintagebus.com, it's gone now sadly. :(

And giving this some more thought..., some have a bonus wire on the ignition switch, others have the bonus terminals on the headlight switch, it's possible there were two different systems. Or are they just split for separate fuse box positions in some market?

The type 34 and 411's use separate side lights, there's no R & L terminal on it's headlight switch so power must come from the ignition switch (the diagram shows it and the signal switch as one unit), the bus could use lights very similar to the ones shown here: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=643188
Type 34 diagram: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/type34_67.jpg

Thu Mar 21, 2024 8:28 pm

This is the bus world's most valuable headlight switch. It has both the 57 terminal and the X terminal, and will work electrically in ANY US bus. Why the aftermarket didn't standardize on this switch rather than the "E" version, I'll never know...

If you have a good one of these that you don't want, please PM me.

Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:23 am

telford dorr wrote: Why the aftermarket didn't standardize on this switch rather than the "E" version, I'll never know...

This is because many (most?) of the people making product decisions in the aftermarket don't know sh*t about the parts they are making and selling.

I needed a good one of these for a '71 Bus and it was incredibly hard to find. I ended up buying one on eBay from a seller in Norway.

(I wasn't aware that this switch is a universal fit on an NA Bay Bus, good to know, just knew it was needed for the '71 I was working on)