The need for a decent wiring diagram

Jan

Not flaming in any way, but I have found the Bentley diagrams for Buses to be very accurate.

Yes, they take some getting used to because they are functional "ladder" diagrams rather than wiring layout diagrams. But for circuit tracing in trouble shooting, the ladder type is far easier to use since all the components of a particluar circuit are for the most part in a straight line.

I don't know of any other diagrams for the late Buses, so spend a little time getting familiar with the conventions used.

If it helps, there is a simplified diagram of the Fuel Injection circuitry on my web site. I think I've made it a bit easier to understand than the one in Bentley .

Speedy Jim

Jim, et al, I take my hat off to you, you should have flamed me. I did figure out why I was struggling so much. My van was at one time powered off of an electric motor and batteries. With the retro fit of a bug engine, the person who completed this task, simply cut wires not needed back in the engine compartment, and used others for such things as the ignition system.

So when I recognized this today by checking continuity of all the wires behind the instrument panel to see just where their destination was. It made things much easier. Many where just cut and others were hijacked for other purposes as I stated before.

So from here, I am going to photo copy the latter diagrams in the book and restate the colors of the wires etc... The frustating thing was that some of the rungs were correct and others made no since what so ever when I was matching colors of the wires, etc...

Thanks for the help... Chuck

Just a tip to those who haven't learned the hard way: Not all auto wiring should be soldered. They guy who did a total (creative) rewire of my kit car was so proud he soldered every single connection I didn't have the heart to tell him when a couple snapped due to vibration.

If done properly there shouldn't be a problem with soldering any of the connections on an ACVW. Most people just grab one of those big 'ol soldering guns and weld away. I've been precision soldering for over twenty years and wouldn't hesitate to solder any connections on my vw. However, most people aren't properly equipped nor do they have the experience. Long leads that don't have much support close by such as those on the starter or generator might better be left alone. Cut off the old connector and crimp on a new. Wires on the fuse panel and instruments would be fine since they don't move. You also don't want to try to solder any of the existing (old) connections. If they're causing trouble because they're corroded you'll never get them to take solder anyway.

I agree with the caveats. In this case it was wiring to instruments where the wiring was at right-angles to the board and the wire wasn't supported well. I wrapped the bundles and tied them to the bulkhead to solve the problem.