Great video but please just slow down a little talking so fast I need to rewind all the time to catch what you saying and doing and I'm English . Don't forget you have an international audience watching other than that it's really helpful.
I purchased all the wiring needed for my car. It's pretty heavily modified and I plan to add some aftermarket, non vw headlights in the front. I definitely need some guidance. I have a 1958 beetle. HELP?!?
We do a lot of customizing on the wiring of our 1971 Super Beetle if you want to watch through some of that series. Otherwise, take it one section and one wire at a time.
@@Sam_Mebane I definitely appreciate that. I need more help than just the wiring. But here's a question for you, do I need to drop the engine and transmission to get the wiring through the car? If so, it's definitely not part of my expertise.
Rearranging the fuse box (1:20 to 2 minutes) with a flat head screw driver and plyers is a major pain. The fact that the video is sped up at that portion does not help much. How does one get these very tight parts out without bending the contact points? Thanks!
After experimenting, I found that alternating between a small screw driver and the pliers does work. As for getting the terminals to set without bending everthing up, I used a vice as a staging table--and--gently--tapped on back side with a screw driver and a hammer. For 17.95, hard to believe the manufacturer did not put them in the right place. Yikes!
@@patoconnor6089 It's all technique, glad you got it figured out. We agree it would be nice if the terminals were in the correct position, the problem is, they are, just not for the Beetle!
A couple questions for you.I have what looks like a stock cigarette lighter went to use it to charge phone but it did not charge.Turns out it's not connected.Cant find no diagrams on the wiring of the lighter l did find a red wire with a round push on type connector with a split off connector again red in color but could not follow where it connected to power wise.lt may have been used to power an after market radio they installed but then removed Would greatly appreciate your help on this.Also the same previous owner looks like they installed a new turn signal switch the problem is both indicators on the dash blink at the same time when indicating a left or right hand turn but not on the outside of the bus..Thank you Walt
Cigarette lighters/12 volt outlets typically get ground through the metal outer housing, on the back side of the dash. The metal housing should ground out against the back metal of the dash. If the back of the dash isn't metal, there is usually a male electrical terminal built in to the metal housing. Run a wire from that terminal to screw or bolt that is grounded out to the metal of the car. To power the outlet, the back center of the housing should have either a male terminal or a wire. Run a wire from that terminal, or run that wire to either a fused key hot (only on when the key is turned on) or a battery hot (always has power) based on when you want the outlet to have power. You can use grounded out test light to identify terminals on the fuse box that are key or battery hot. If you don't have any open terminals on the fuse box you can use a piggyback electrical terminal available at most auto part stores. Troubleshooting the turn signals takes some work. Not knowing what year Bus you have, it's hard to say where to start but basically, power comes in to the switch from the flasher relay and then out to the left or right bulbs. The indicators operating in the dash (VW connected them so the blink together regardless of whether the left or right indicator is on) tell me that power is coming in to, and out of the switch so the problem is most likely in the wiring from the switch out to the bulbs. Double check that all the bulbs not burnt out and that the housings have a good ground. From there, it is just a process of working from the switch to the lights themselves making sure the power is getting from the switch to the bulb.
@@Sam_Mebane Thx for getting back to me your info was very helpful.I didn't know both indicators on dash blink at the same no matter if you indicate a left or right turn..Kinda weird.l the knew the emergency indicators flashed at the same time..appreciate the help saved me alot of time...Walt
@@waltercannon86 no problem at all, glad to help. I don't know why VW tied the indicators together. It would be simple to just wire them into the left or right side power wires. Perhaps as they started with one indicator on the Beetle, maybe they just wanted to keep the wiring similar through out the model line up.
In as simple of an answer as possible, it was one of the first video series we made.We’ll take that as a compliment that our work in making videos has improved. We’ll continue to try improving but at the end of the day, we’re VW hobbyists, not Hollywood producers, our apologies!
Typically VW mechanics don't get this far into a VW. For myself, a fairly stripped down car, running with no interior, a complete driving in kind of working to driving out completely working installation takes about 4 to 6 hours if everything goes well. Rarely does that happen though.
@@jdhalvo No trick, unless your terminals happen to be soldered together on the bottom side. We used nothing more than a flat head screwdriver to wedge underneath the terminals and pop them out.
Yeah, I've known 16 year old kids with no auto experience that installed the same harness in an afternoon. Perhaps the fear of wiring holds back those with some experience and someone without experience is better suited.
@@Sam_Mebane Perhaps. But it's been my experience when it comes to $h!t like working on my old VW nothing is ever as easy as it's alleged to be. Especially when it comes to something major like rewiring the whole car. Idk, maybe i've got bad luck or maybe i'm just dumber than $h!t.
@@JohnnyRebel1776 it all comes down to luck, and making sure ahead of time that all the switches, etc are in working order ahead of time. The wiring is just "plumbing" in a sense. If all the valves and faucets work, hooking up the pipes is pretty simple.
No, the earlier the car, the less wires there are. The harness (and all Beetle harnesses really) are similar, but VW added more and more circuits as the years go on.
Currently we do not have any videos specifically on an Oval Window but we do have a number of videos on our 1963 Resto Custom Beetle which shares the same style front and rear suspension.
In general, as long as the 1973 is a Standard Beetle (not a Super), yes, the wiring is similar. There are a few more wires added throughout the years of course but our wiring harnesses come with instructions that cover the specific installation of the particular years.
@@brysontrotman5865 The main harness installation is identical (www.jbugs.com/product/WM-111-65-66.html). The installation of the wiring at the engine would only change based on the charging system (6 or 12 volt, generator or alternator).
You guys are awesome with all of your great informational videos.
G'day Kevin here from Australia. While I'm coming to the end of building my 63 🐞 your videos have been extremely helpful thanks. 👍
Great video but please just slow down a little talking so fast I need to rewind all the time to catch what you saying and doing and I'm English . Don't forget you have an international audience watching other than that it's really helpful.
Click the gear and change the playback speed to whichever is easiest for you to understand.
You guys are just wonderful great job
I purchased all the wiring needed for my car. It's pretty heavily modified and I plan to add some aftermarket, non vw headlights in the front. I definitely need some guidance. I have a 1958 beetle. HELP?!?
We do a lot of customizing on the wiring of our 1971 Super Beetle if you want to watch through some of that series. Otherwise, take it one section and one wire at a time.
@@Sam_Mebane I definitely appreciate that. I need more help than just the wiring. But here's a question for you, do I need to drop the engine and transmission to get the wiring through the car? If so, it's definitely not part of my expertise.
@@ratrodpunk87 it's shown af 3 minute mark
Thank you
Nice video
Very helpfull
I have a 1964 bug with a 12V conversion, would the fuse terminal configuration be the same?
6 or 12 volt makes no matter, but yes. The fuse box configuration is the same from 1961 to 1966 (as long as the fuse box was used from VW).
I wonder if the fuse box rearrangement applies to the '67 model also.
Rearranging the fuse box (1:20 to 2 minutes) with a flat head screw driver and plyers is a major pain. The fact that the video is sped up at that portion does not help much. How does one get these very tight parts out without bending the contact points? Thanks!
After experimenting, I found that alternating between a small screw driver and the pliers does work. As for getting the terminals to set without bending everthing up, I used a vice as a staging table--and--gently--tapped on back side with a screw driver and a hammer. For 17.95, hard to believe the manufacturer did not put them in the right place. Yikes!
@@patoconnor6089 It's all technique, glad you got it figured out. We agree it would be nice if the terminals were in the correct position, the problem is, they are, just not for the Beetle!
A couple questions for you.I have what looks like a stock cigarette lighter went to use it to charge phone but it did not charge.Turns out it's not connected.Cant find no diagrams on the wiring of the lighter l did find a red wire with a round push on type connector with a split off connector again red in color but could not follow where it connected to power wise.lt may have been used to power an after market radio they installed but then removed Would greatly appreciate your help on this.Also the same previous owner looks like they installed a new turn signal switch the problem is both indicators on the dash blink at the same time when indicating a left or right hand turn but not on the outside of the bus..Thank you Walt
Cigarette lighters/12 volt outlets typically get ground through the metal outer housing, on the back side of the dash. The metal housing should ground out against the back metal of the dash. If the back of the dash isn't metal, there is usually a male electrical terminal built in to the metal housing. Run a wire from that terminal to screw or bolt that is grounded out to the metal of the car. To power the outlet, the back center of the housing should have either a male terminal or a wire. Run a wire from that terminal, or run that wire to either a fused key hot (only on when the key is turned on) or a battery hot (always has power) based on when you want the outlet to have power. You can use grounded out test light to identify terminals on the fuse box that are key or battery hot. If you don't have any open terminals on the fuse box you can use a piggyback electrical terminal available at most auto part stores.
Troubleshooting the turn signals takes some work. Not knowing what year Bus you have, it's hard to say where to start but basically, power comes in to the switch from the flasher relay and then out to the left or right bulbs. The indicators operating in the dash (VW connected them so the blink together regardless of whether the left or right indicator is on) tell me that power is coming in to, and out of the switch so the problem is most likely in the wiring from the switch out to the bulbs. Double check that all the bulbs not burnt out and that the housings have a good ground. From there, it is just a process of working from the switch to the lights themselves making sure the power is getting from the switch to the bulb.
@@Sam_Mebane Thx for getting back to me your info was very helpful.I didn't know both indicators on dash blink at the same no matter if you indicate a left or right turn..Kinda weird.l the knew the emergency indicators flashed at the same time..appreciate the help saved me alot of time...Walt
@@waltercannon86 no problem at all, glad to help. I don't know why VW tied the indicators together. It would be simple to just wire them into the left or right side power wires. Perhaps as they started with one indicator on the Beetle, maybe they just wanted to keep the wiring similar through out the model line up.
Why isn't the 1969 video as good as this one?
In as simple of an answer as possible, it was one of the first video series we made.We’ll take that as a compliment that our work in making videos has improved. We’ll continue to try improving but at the end of the day, we’re VW hobbyists, not Hollywood producers, our apologies!
Just out of curiosity, given an experienced VW mechanic, about how many man hours would you say this should this take?
Typically VW mechanics don't get this far into a VW. For myself, a fairly stripped down car, running with no interior, a complete driving in kind of working to driving out completely working installation takes about 4 to 6 hours if everything goes well. Rarely does that happen though.
My bug already has wiring but Its untidy and I just want to tidy it up what do I do?
Clean it up, take it one wire at a time and reroute the wiring as necessary.
Is there some trick for getting the terminals out of the fuse block? The first one came out looking like a pretzel.
And now the plastic broke...
@@jdhalvo No trick, unless your terminals happen to be soldered together on the bottom side. We used nothing more than a flat head screwdriver to wedge underneath the terminals and pop them out.
Does the kit come with all of the grommets as well?
The kit only includes 3 grommets, for the tail light wires and the power wire to the starter in the engine compartments.
"Can be installed in a few hours by just about anyone"😂
Yeah, I've known 16 year old kids with no auto experience that installed the same harness in an afternoon. Perhaps the fear of wiring holds back those with some experience and someone without experience is better suited.
@@Sam_Mebane Perhaps. But it's been my experience when it comes to $h!t like working on my old VW nothing is ever as easy as it's alleged to be. Especially when it comes to something major like rewiring the whole car. Idk, maybe i've got bad luck or maybe i'm just dumber than $h!t.
@@JohnnyRebel1776 it all comes down to luck, and making sure ahead of time that all the switches, etc are in working order ahead of time. The wiring is just "plumbing" in a sense. If all the valves and faucets work, hooking up the pipes is pretty simple.
Is this harness and the 1961 wire harness the same?
No, the earlier the car, the less wires there are. The harness (and all Beetle harnesses really) are similar, but VW added more and more circuits as the years go on.
Hi JBugs, have you got a video for a VW oval sedan beetle 1956 and also 1957?
Currently we do not have any videos specifically on an Oval Window but we do have a number of videos on our 1963 Resto Custom Beetle which shares the same style front and rear suspension.
Would the 1973 VW wiring be mostly the same?
In general, as long as the 1973 is a Standard Beetle (not a Super), yes, the wiring is similar. There are a few more wires added throughout the years of course but our wiring harnesses come with instructions that cover the specific installation of the particular years.
Hi i need help with my superbeetle 1302 rewiring I'm from Egypt
You should probably start with this video then: ua-cam.com/video/tBdVinDlr5k/v-deo.html, not one for a 1966 Standard Beetle.
would this be a similar process for a 65?
Yes, the installation is virtually identical
What if I have an engine out of a 73?
@@brysontrotman5865 The main harness installation is identical (www.jbugs.com/product/WM-111-65-66.html). The installation of the wiring at the engine would only change based on the charging system (6 or 12 volt, generator or alternator).