1/31/2004 - Update - R&D on Wiring

SVTWEB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2001
Location
Beyond Comprehension
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2010 Jetta TDI Cup-Edition EVO 4-Motion
Saturday was a very productive day. As with any project of this magnitude, it is best to get a full overview of what you will be dealing with before you start tearing anything apart. The last thing you want to do is get halfway through the job and realize that your missing a necessary part for completion. And with the origin of most of the parts, it's not like I can just run around the corner and pickup whatever I need.

Lito and Mikeyworks loaned their hands to the process this week. Tomo also graced us with his precence for a short time. Many thanks goes to John at Impex FAP for donating a corner of his warehouse for this project. If you need any VW parts John has the best pricing on the net.

The donor vehicle was disassembled in Germany and shipped via container to the United States. While it appears that they were very efficient in the disassemble process, they did not mark anything as to where anything went.

Here is what the vehicle wiring harness looked like when we removed it from the box.


Now, I'm an engineer. I also take great pride in being able to look at an object and visualize how it will go together. That along with the belief that no matter how complex the problem, it was originally designed by a human, therefore it can be replicated by another human.


I decided that the best plan of attack for the wiring harness was to do a mock-up of the harness based on the physical layout of the vehicle. Lito, Mikey and I took the plywood sides of the shipping crates and created a "Virtual Workbench".


With the help of some finishing nails and wire ties we began laying out the harness on the board. We started at the right rear and worked our way forward. This allowed us to mark sections on the board that we could coordinate with location in the vehicle. As you can see, the board is quite large. Mikey is the one in the hat, I am the folically challenged one. Tomo is assuming the position of supervisor and the 4th person is Paul from Heritage VW parts.


So as not to upset the all the wives, Lito, Mikey and myself had to call it a day. When we lifted it onto its side everything held together so I guess we did a good job on making the board sturdy. The progress was very good. We have about 70% of the harness laid out of the board, and about 50% of the connectors labeled. So far it looks like the only modifications that I will need to do to the harness will be the addition of Power seats w/memory and Front fog lights. Mikey made an astute observation when he noticed that Both rear fog lights were wired up. I could be incorrect, but I believe that Europe follows the same standard as North America in that only the left rear foglight is enabled. Here's the last picture of yours truly standing next to his creation. Thanks again to everyone for their help. As a footnote, the cardboard box is a standoff for the dash wiring because it runs across the top of the dash. Figuring out all of that will be next weeks objective.

 

Octavian

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Location
UK
TDI
Skoda Superb 2.5TDI V6, Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI
Perhaps a useful comment re rear fog lights.

You might notice that, as on my Octavia, you have foglight wires going to both rear clusters, but then 1 wire goes into appropriate contact, and the other one is shorted into rear light. This is to make only 1 rear harness for Continent/UK vehicles. On my Octavia, the left fog wire is shorted, the right is wired to fog, I'd guess on your donor the right wire is shorted and the left is hooked up.

Which is why I am about to rewire the left one so that both are lit. That way, when driving in bad weather on holiday trips across Germany, the German Polizei does not give me that suspicious look every time their car is next to mine.

Just my 2 pence /images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 

tongsli

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2000
Location
Baltimore, MD
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI, 2004, Jetta Wagon TDI PD
[ QUOTE ]
Tomo is assuming the position of supervisor

[/ QUOTE ] /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif

It's always nice to have Tomo around. Wouldn't be the same without him.

L
 

tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Location
Kensington, Maryland USA
TDI
2015 Jetta SEL TDI
LOL......
My A4 TDI just had a complete wiring harness installed.....
Martens VW charged back 45 hours to VW. The Harness alone listed for over 3000.00
Anyway Eric's project is very exciting and I plan to go up there when I can.
Impex's new place is neat! Can't wait until May 1!
 

oldpoopie

Vendor
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May 14, 2001
Location
Portland Oregon
TDI
2001 golf gl, 2006 jetta, 1981 ALH swapped rabbit pickup, 1998 beetle
very very cool. The picture of organization. I guess with a project of this magnitude, you've really gotta make a plan of attack.
 

OilBurnerDE

Veteran Member
Joined
May 6, 2003
Location
Newark, Delaware
TDI
1997 Passat T-Red
I am wondering just how similar the wiring harness that you have layed out is to the one that is already in your car.
(I am talking about just the interior one)

Do you really need to replace it with this one? Or can you plug in the diesel specific harness's to your current fuse/relay panel?

Looks like fun BTW. Reminds me of when I worked for Boeing. You should have seen the wiring room there. They had templates for every loom layed out on boards with pegs/nails just as you have done.
 

SVTWEB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2001
Location
Beyond Comprehension
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI Cup-Edition EVO 4-Motion
I had originally debated on wether to keep the existing wiring harness, but after about 10 hours of going over all the schematics for both the US-Spec vehicle and teh ECE Spec vehicle I found it would be far easier to replace the entire harness and add Power Seats and Fog lights to the ECE than to add ESP, Headlamp auto Leveling, Navigation, and the extra Diesel features. The TDI's have an extra fuel pump, plus several realy's for ESP.

I'll admit, the wiring harness on the board wasn't original, I had seen it done at the Fairchild Factory when they were building A-10's back in the early 80's. I guess good memories stick with you.
 

michTDI

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Sep 11, 2000
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Charlotte, MI, USA
TDI
2003 Jetta and 2015 GSW MT
Somehow-it seems so appropriate to refer to Tomo as the "supervisor" in that particular photo. Hands in pocket and all.......
 

christi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 22, 1999
Location
Ruislip, Middlesex, UK
TDI
Peugeot 806, 607
Re: rear fogs. The difference between a UK spec and a continental spec VW is which side they put the bulb in. In other words they wire up both sides but just fit only one bulb.
 

Octavian

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Location
UK
TDI
Skoda Superb 2.5TDI V6, Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI
[ QUOTE ]
Re: rear fogs. The difference between a UK spec and a continental spec VW is which side they put the bulb in. In other words they wire up both sides but just fit only one bulb.

[/ QUOTE ]

Might be true on some models, but on others (on my Octavia,and I believe on some Boras), both bulbs are fitted because rear fog bulb is 380 bulb and the low power filament is doing the rear light job. That's why 1 wire is missing, but both bulbs are present. The stop lamps are separate 382 bulbs.

I will shortly be replacing the 380 bulbs with LEDs, and having both fogs to drive both in UK and on continent. This will allow me to do 5 brake light mod without worrying about the extra current.
 
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