Where to find online wiring diagrams?

A1-2-A3 · Post by **A1-2-A3** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 6:11 pm

I need some help finding a wiring diagram for my project. Its a 93 golf cl. Problem is that I don't know how to power up the fuse box and ground it properly so everything will function properly, ign., starter, heater, signals, lights, etc. .... I found one large red wire coming from the firewall, hotted that up and I grounded the pack of brown wires. WHen I do this the cluster displays the time and the odom. When I turn the ignition on there is no lights, heater, or nothing. When I run a ground from the neg to the chassis the 4-ways turn on and the lights go on. When I turn the lights on like that they go off. I never took the old engine out and I am left with a bundle of wires with masking tape on the plugs to tell me where they go. I can not find Alt plug so I don't know where the power wires for that is. I am using the A1 alt. with the rabbit alt/fan wiring harness. I like how these cars do not use wire numbers. Just wire colors and plug to tell them apart. Any sort of help or direction would be great. Thanks in advance.

The good news is the enigne runs great now, I got the fuel problem solved, check the temp and found the t=stat works fine and when I hotted up the fan it cooled it down from 200 to 185, so that tells me its circulating. I cracked the rad after heating up and not much pressure all is great!!

A1-2-A3 · Post by **A1-2-A3** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:14 pm

Problem now is no power to the starter. Ignition turns on power to the distributor(which will work my feul shut off) but no power down the big red/blk wire(must be for the starter signal. The manual shows no relays for the starter. A couple off weeks ago I did have power on that wire when turning the key to start. I tried the seatbelt and all that. Maybe there is a relay somewhere that I don't know about, if not I will rip out the relay panel and start tracing wires, almost ready to hillbilly start switch the damn thing!!

A1-2-A3 · Post by **A1-2-A3** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 3:41 pm

I traced the black/red wire to a module just above the relay panel. This module flashes all the four ways all the time when its plugged in I can only shut it off by disconnecting the batteries. All the grounds seem all hooked up?
Any of you guys know electical on A3 VW?? What is this thing a flasher/starter ECU of some sort? I put a question on just answer for money to answer this problem. Any help would be great. I replaced every relay there is and hooked up jumper wires to every piece of steel on this car. I have tried unhooking the grounds and reattaching in different sequences. I sure wish a guy could buy a wiring diagram. The book I have is from 87-93, it shows about three different fuse boxes and does not mention this flasher module thing anywhere.

Vincent Waldon · Post by **Vincent Waldon** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 3:56 pm

A1-2-A3 wrote: I sure wish a guy could buy a wiring diagram. The book I have is from 87-93, it shows about three different fuse boxes and does not mention this flasher module thing anywhere.

The official Robert Bentley service manual has extremely complete wiring diagrams. Hayes/Clinton etc not so much.

These ones (Mitchell) are kinda in the middle:

http://volkswagen.msk.ru/index.php?p=page09_g3

A1-2-A3 · Post by **A1-2-A3** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 5:30 pm

Thanks, I will be talking to super Vw guy tomorrow. He knows lots of stuff. He made the worlds first golfdeville v8.

A1-2-A3 · Post by **A1-2-A3** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 6:39 pm

You know what, Thanks to Mr. Vincent Waldon I have been able to shed some light on my problem with the help of his manuals. I beleive it is the immobilizer. Anti-theft system.(up above the fuse there is a steel box of hell)So when I power up the car the 4 ways go on and the horn would honk(the third horn under the cowl.) Ya see I cut the wires to the damn horn cause it would honk when I would hook it up. Possibly it didn't like that and now it stays on. I found on the lower connection there is a red/black going in and out. I think I will make a connector from the in to out and see what happens. I sure hope this stuipd box don't work my signals as well. But I don't think it will. This reminds me of the battery lifeguard systems on Volvo semis. They cut out different circuts as battery voltage drops. It has driven people crazy sometimes to figure out that after the truck runs for 30 seconds the voltage is up and lights everywhere start turning on.
All I have to say is CRAP! Why VW? Why seatbelt interlock? Antitheft? I wonder how many tow bills and mechanics hours $$ these kinda senseless ideas cost the owners. It cost me a couple of days already.
So when you do your a3 gas to diesel conversion there is some wiring nightmares to be had for sure. Wait till I have to make a tach work.

Vincent Waldon · Post by **Vincent Waldon** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 6:45 pm

Yeah wiring is fun... even when you're an electrical engineer

When you get to the tach stage save yourself some grief and do some searching here and at www.vwdiesel.net... lot's of discussions on circuitry changes needed to the tach itself if you're converting a gas tach to diesel (although it's mostly A2 stuff)

Vince

A1-2-A3 · Post by **A1-2-A3** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:09 pm

I have done lots of the reading on tachs. The a2 looks like it could be done in about 3 hours the path is already cut in stone. For a A3 I haven't seen anyone do it yet. I think I will use a pinwheel photosensor off the inj. pump sprocket then figure out where the car got its signal for the tach and see what kinda signal that was. It has lots of electrical gizmos all better off in the trash. I can probably cut 5-8lbs of wiring off. The thing with electrical is it takes lots of time and it takes some skill to make it look good and last a long time. No suitcase connectors here!! Those have to be the dumbest invention ever. I guess they would be alright for model train sets and thats about it!

Vincent Waldon · Post by **Vincent Waldon** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:12 am

Depending on if you have more money than time... this will do the trick as well (I know Jack doesn't sell these so will post a direct link):

http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/ ... prd128.htm

With the Canadian dollar doing pretty well these days this is almost affordable, and I've seen them on eBay every once in a while as well.

Vince

Post by **Fatmobile** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:05 am

The tach signal on my '91 Golf was the other one on the coil.
One goes to the injection pump (black) and the red/black one goes to the W terminal on the alternator.

VW cat · Post by **VW cat** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 5:57 am

The wiring on the 1997 Jetta we are working on, is a nightmare. We are stripping everything off that's not practical. The theft horn was located but I'm afraid of the disable function for the injection pump solenoid. It has an OBD 2 plug and my Haynes book is no help. The headlights and glow plugs stay on and the alternator works it's heart out. The alternator is much more expensive to rebuild too. Phil

A1-2-A3 · Post by **A1-2-A3** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:10 am

I do not have a diesel tach style alt. so that won't work. Unless I was to buy a different alt. my alt is new at 202.00CAD about a year ago so that won't work. I am willing to spend about 250.00 to make a tach work.
VW cat your 97 was a gasser and making it into a diesel? I don't know if its the same as a a3 but on mine the antitheft is located above the fusebox on the driver side. Its a box that mounts against the upper D/S kick panel in the dash, kinda hard to get at. Remove both plugs. On the lower plug jump out the red/blk wire to the red/blk wire on the bottom two terminals on the lower plug. This will enable the ign key to send 12v to the starter on the red/black wire to the starter solenoid. You only need one more power source which I got from the fuse box, power on with ign on and also power on with key cranking. I think I used fuse 15 on the bottom terminal its a open slot for ECU which I am not using.
i got a lighted toggle switch on the dash panel that is live with the key on and wired to a ford starter solenoid to run the glow plugs. It is pretty foolproof I guess. I will be the only one driving this thing and i will be able to control the glow plug run times. I know how long they need for what temp it is and when it don't need it at all. Anyways. I have to go and get out before its too hot again, going to be 37 today.

Vincent Waldon · Post by **Vincent Waldon** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:46 am

If you're not adverse to a quick disassembly of your alternator you can easily add the W terminal wire to the diode bridge.... just another option.

Vince

A1-2-A3 · Post by **A1-2-A3** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:07 pm

I will do that.

VW cat · Post by **VW cat** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:51 am

Thanks for the info on that black box A1-2-A3. Our car is a diesel. Phil