wiring rear lights

Post by **ally** » 26 Jul 2006, 08:16

hello

My left rear lights are not wired for some reason, the right lights are but i cant copy them because the wires are different colours.

Has anyone got a diagram of what colours go into what numbers (1-6) in the back of the box?

Post by **Grun** » 26 Jul 2006, 08:46

ally,
The famous 'book of lies' says:-

Tail light left - grey /black
Turn signal left rear - black/white
Brake light left - black/red

For the right hand side it says:

Tail light right - grey/red
Turn signal right rear - black/green
Brake light right - black/red

Earth is normally brown.

That should help you blow a fuse or three.

Additionally the wiring diagram shows these numbers on the live side of the bulbs:-

Tail light left - 58
Turn signal left rear - BL (yes this is not a typo on my part - surprise1!!)
Brake light right - 54

Earth sides are all shown - 31
Don't know if they have any relevance.
Mike

Post by **ally** » 26 Jul 2006, 09:09

ok the colours for the right side should help me work out what numbers the left side go into.

Thanks for that, why dont they just have a diagram showing the numbers of the sockets and the colour wire going in?!

Post by **Grun** » 26 Jul 2006, 10:20

ally,
Couple more colours:-

Reversing lights left and right - Black/blue (RF shown live side both)
Fog light (they show Left and right) - Yellow/white

Guess if they made it too easy there'd be less custom for the VW agents

Post by **ally** » 26 Jul 2006, 10:33

thanks - yeh and if you take to a normal garage they never have a clue!

i have indicators now both sides -

the right side has a black and green PLUS a green cable which comes from a different loom (from the number plate light) - the left side has three plain colour wires too, does one of them need to go on also?

I still have no break lights or tail lights either side - fuse box?

Post by **Grun** » 26 Jul 2006, 11:12

ally,
I'm just working from the Haynes wiring diagrams , which are "typical" i.e. not for a specific year / model, I am not looking at the actual vehicle wiring. Fuse boxes also differ in layout. You will have to get a multimeter or a lamp and wire and do some investigating.

Mike

Post by **ally** » 26 Jul 2006, 11:49

ok - then that means a garage, i dont know what to do with a meter and a lamp.

I've figured out if socket number 6 on the right side is the indicators, its socket 1 on the other side - obvious, yeh right!

Post by **ally** » 26 Jul 2006, 12:16

ok i have everything now apart from break lights - either side.

all the other colours you gave were right, so im wondering - there are 2 black and red cables on the left side not connected, maybe they connect differently to the other lights. hmmm - any more ideas?

Post by **Grun** » 26 Jul 2006, 14:33

ally,
Brake lights cables (left and right) are black/red, in the wiring diagram, as my earlier reply says. Glad you are making progress.

Mike

Post by **ally** » 26 Jul 2006, 15:50

yeh thats the problem

there are two black and red cables on the left loom, but none on the right.
im wondering if there somehow wired through the left so they both need to be connected on the left.

Website · Post by **dingleyhythe** » 26 Jul 2006, 18:12

Just fitted a trailer socket to mine (1990) - the brake lights on mine were wired through the left light cluster to the right - ie the two red/black cables should be connected to each other AND to the left hand light cluster.

Post by **Grun** » 26 Jul 2006, 19:00

Ally,
It makes no difference where the wires are coming from, if they are correctly colour coded, and they have been so far, just connect one red/black to the left brake light, and one to the right.
Mike

Post by **ally** » 26 Jul 2006, 19:38

kk

I cant connect one to the left and one to the right, because they are in a sealed loom on the left and there are no holes left on the right.

All the wires in the rear right are wired into light box already and look like they have never been tampered with One of the red and black wires on the left side has a small junction box so it must have had another wire connected to it. Ill try connecting the two red and black wires together, and try the spare holes one by one.

Im still left with three wires coming from the number plate - three go right (all doubling up some of the main loom wires, not shown in the wiring diagram) and three go left, which i have no clue what to do with.

the quest continues

Website · Post by **dingleyhythe** » 27 Jul 2006, 07:39

Ally,
joining the brake wires as you suggest should work (one of the red/black will already be connected to the right hand light if they have not been butchered that side, but the live feed is only on the left), then to which ever pin on the left cluster is the brakes, the number plate lights should probably be wired into one of the sidelights - if you cannot sort out what you have then brown to earth and the other two joined together and to either sidelight wire should sort it out. If there are six no plate wires (from your description) then just joining like colours together will probably be it.

Good luck! - been there, cut them off in a second, takes a week to sort out what was so obvious no one wrote it down

Post by **ally** » 27 Jul 2006, 11:49

thanks people

its all working now

i connected the two red and black on the left, into socket 6.
The number plate light had a little male socket so i found the female and mated.

The spare wires, with help from starspider, were the towing bar ones.

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