’67 Beetle Wiring Basics Jeremy Goodspeed | 1967 VW …

This article was contributed to 1967beetle.com by Jeremy Goodspeed ofGoodspeedmotoring.com. The vintage Volkswagen community thanks you!

The basic wiring of a VW Beetle is very similar to many other types of European cars. Like most cars, with age, time and exposure, resistance can build up in a wiring harness and render simple circuits useless. So with basic understanding of European wiring standards, many repair tasks can be tackled. From the addition of a simple accessory to a complete wiring harness overhaul, following some simple rules will make for a successful repair.

First, we need to discuss a few basics regarding VW wiring. If you have spent any amount of time looking at a VW wiring schematic, you will notice that RED is used for constant power, meaning powered regardless of the ignition position, BLACK is switched power and BROWN is used for ground. The other colors will vary depending on the circuit but these three colors will cover most basic circuits. In addition to the color coding, a VW wiring schematic will have a number coding assigned to each terminal on a switch or other hardware component. These European terminal designations are also known as DIN standard and are used to determine a terminals use. First, take a look at the Bosch Terminal Designations.

These numbers are generally printed on the switch or other device for easy reference. As you work with DIN standard wiring, certain numbers will be seen more often than others. For example, a terminal designation of 30 always represents a direct connection to the positive battery terminal. While a terminal designation of 15 represents battery power when the ignition is in the crank or run position. As you become more familiar with DIN pin designations, you should be able to figure out the purpose without looking at a wiring schematic. Now when you combine the colors with the pin designations, you will notice a pattern. Red wires go to pin 30, black wires go to pin 15 and brown wires go to pin 31.

The next item you will notice on a VW wiring schematic is a number size assigned to every wire. The number wire size varies from 0.5 to 6.0. This refers to a European sizing that is measured in millimeter squared (mm). European gauge wire is not easily obtained in America, so for replacement, it must be converted to AWG (America Wire Gauge). The conversion from European wire size to AWG is not exact. Using a slightly larger wire size is good assure against resistance and heat. For example a 1.0 mm wire should be replaced with a 16 AWG wire which is 1.31 mm.

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'67 Beetle Wiring Basics Jeremy Goodspeed | 1967 VW ...