I have a 66 vw bug that I am just finishing up a body off restro. My license plate light only is on when the decklid is in the up position, when I lower it down the light goes off. I know this is a grounding problem, but where should I be looking? Bertvw66
Seems to indicate a broken wire in the harness.
Somehow it's acting like a connection problem, maybe the hinges are supplying the ground path and not a very good one. If you think about it, you're only moving a metal lid cover and a wire harness to effect the problem that you state.
I bet your harness only has one wire. IIRC, a separate ground wire for the light wasn't added until about
1969. You could make a short jumper wire which goes around the hinge bolts, or run a second wire in the harness from chassis and connect it inside the lamp assy.Speedy Jim
Sounds to me like the wire feeding power to the lamp is broken inside the insulation where it flexes as the lid is raised. The broken ends just happen to touch when the lid is in the open position.
Just a guess....
------------------------------------------------ Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA
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