Got it, now what do I do with it?

[Peter Jones]

Speedo faults are sometimes due to bad engine earthing.

If the earth strap from the battery isn't attached to the gearbox or is poorly connected then some of the starter current flows up the speedo cable and fries the clock work spring in the back of the gauge.

This can fry the circuit board on the back too.

Get it fixed and be sure to check those earths before it goes back in.

Congrats on the new MK1!

Pete

[GRN_VAGN]

WHAT ????????????????? diesel 5 speed you need to do a bit more research on that statement.

The Mk1 Golf Owners Club: You have been blocked

Take a look, some of the diesels have a longer 5th gear ratio.

ALSO, found a post from gldgti from few years back

hey golfers, mollins and i did a gearbox swap yesterday which was hugely successful... ideal diesel box, long ratio 5 speed which im fairly sure has the 0.75 5th gear on 3.89 final drive... does about 2200rpm at 110km/h - I hope for 60mpg on the highway.... time will tell.

[sports racer]

Had to help around the house today so not much to report.

Fiddled with all the fuses and now the interior light and clock work, together with the horn. Brake lights work too.

I've got a Hayes manual for my model (next to useless when it comes to describing the fuses) and a Bentley manual for 1980 to 1984 cars (great for fuse instructions but some of them are wrong for my 77 GLS) so I'm writing my own wiring diagram.

Got the rear left parking light to work, still have to check the connections to the right one but that won't take much time. Number plate lights work too but the right one only works if the wire is pulled just right. I think that's why I like the MK1's, you have to assume things won't work unless you show it some love and attention.

4 days to go for rego.

Cheers

Paul

[Preen59]

Nice work, mate. Surely your wiring couldn't have been as messy as mine. Haha. It was pretty bad...

The Mk1 Golf Owners Club: You have been blocked

Take a look, some of the diesels have a longer 5th gear ratio.

ALSO, found a post from gldgti from few years back

That's a Mk3 diesel 5 spd I think you're referring to.

[GRN_VAGN]

Nice work, mate. Surely your wiring couldn't have been as messy as mine. Haha. It was pretty bad...



That's a Mk3 diesel 5 spd I think you're referring to.

Blah, apples oranges
i know what i was on about, long ratio 5 speed... either way, get one if you do alot of hwy driving. Edit, i didnt mention a mk1 box, i just said a long ratio box... so either from a mk1 2 or 3 haha

An yes those fuses are a pain, would love to upgrade to say a Mk2 loom with the blade fuses, or go all out and re-wire car with a Ezwire harness

[mikinoz]

I think I have a pair of orange indicator lenses somewhere in the shed you can have if you send me a PM with your address (and I find them)

[Preen59]

I've got a pair of genuine ones dude.

I'll see how they clean up. If they're sweet, they're yours for a 4 pack of JD cans at the nats.

[sports racer]

Hmmm, lets see, free or drive to Sydney to pickup and swap for a 4 pack........

No brainer but thanks for the offer.

Electrics on a 34 year old car are a bit of a joke. I've got my 96 Polo for sale, if no-one buys it whole I'll sell it for parts and use the dash for the Golf. Probably easier if I use the entire wiring loom as well, including fuse box. That will get rid of 99% of electrical problems.

[GeorgeMK1]

Is the mk2 fuse box and loom realy thaaaaat much better than the mk1, or is the mk1 just that bad.
Whats the solution to a shtty fuse box and loom..

How did you go abouts finding where the problems are dude, meaning, where did you start ahahah?

[GRN_VAGN]

Is the mk2 fuse box and loom realy thaaaaat much better than the mk1, or is the mk1 just that bad.
Whats the solution to a shtty fuse box and loom..

How did you go abouts finding where the problems are dude, meaning, where did you start ahahah?

More reliable id say, blade fuses are much better then those ceramic ones used in Mk1's

[sports racer]

How did you go abouts finding where the problems are dude, meaning, where did you start ahahah?

When it comes to electrics you have to have a multimeter. The 2 settings I use the most are voltage (to check if there is a current) and resistance (to check if there is a circuit).

The right rear tail light refused to work no matter how much I cleaned the contacts and earth lead. Using the Bentley manual showed the electrics ran through fuse 14 which was blown. After blowing another fuse I used the resistance setting on the multimeter and checked the top connection where the fuse goes in. It was earthed which means every time I was turning on the lights the power was trying to fry the wires so the fuse blew first. I eventually found the front right parking light was wired wrong. Someone had plugged the power lead into the earth circuit.

I now have all 4 parking/tail lights working, together with brake lights, horn, indicators, number plate light, high beam/low beam, wipers and washer. The only electrical thing that doesn't work properly is the interior light (stays on when I close the doors) and the radio which doesn't work. Should get them working properly tomorrow.

Took the car for another run tonight expecting it to be rough and noisy. Maybe because I was expecting it to be bad it wasn't. The handling was go-cart like and the noises will all disappear when I get the radio working.

Rego in 3 days

Cheers

Paul

[Golfer_76]

what year and model is it? ive got a manual here with about 4 different wiring diagrams i could scan one if its the right model and year.

[sports racer]

Thanks for the offer but I've got one to suit my 77 GLS. The manuals I have cover about a dozen different wiring diagrams and every one of them needs an electrical degree to read. That's why I've started to add lots of notes to the wiring diagram for my car.

There used to be an American manual called "How to keep your Volkswagen Rabbit alive - a guide for the complete idiot." It was a fantastic manual with drawings instead of photos which were very easy to understand. There were heaps of jokes to keep you amused as you did a job and every thing you needed to remove (brakes, dashboard, engine etc) came with a list of all the tools you would need.

The wiring diagram in that book was so simple even my kids could have understood it.

[Preen59]

Pete J has a copy of that book I think..

[mikinoz]

Poor Richard's Rabbit - is stuff of automotive legend.

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f69/poor-richards-rabbit-book-26357.html