Ignition Wiring

[vdub00]

so is it common for the ignition wiring to keep killing itself? i just replaced the wiring harness and ignition switch about 6-9 months ago yet this morning i have no turn signals, no wipers, no headlights (unless i hold the brights) and no a/c blower.

so obviously when this happened last time it turned out the wire for those items was burnt to a crisp. so i cut it out, replaced the harness, and went ahead and put in a new ignition switch as well.

so basically i was tired of this happening after the first time, is there something that i should specifically do when i change out for a new harness? could it have to do with cutting out the day running lights (i put the electrical tape on the prong) or is this just something i will have to deal with while i own this car?

any info would be appreciated.

[vdub00]

so... i went to my car at lunch and everything worked fine. go out for about 30 minutes to sign some papers and get back in an nothing works again.

anyone know WTH is going on?

if it was working wouldn't that mean that the wiring harness didnt fry up?

[D2Beetle]

And the reason you terminated the DRL circuit is?

[vdub00]

i dont like DRL. i dont need lights on during the day and dont want to buy new bulbs every few months just because VW thought DRL was a good idea. i live in Austin, TX... not much need for DRL when the sun is melting your face 90% of the time.

but i opened up my column last night, and got a good look at it this morning and saw the one red wire that looked a bit crispy and the corresponding male connector had a tad bit of char on it, barely anything though, i scraped it off and wiggled the wire a bit and plugged it all back in.

not planning on getting the new harness until saturday, but when i plugged it back in everything is working fine again. so im just really confused...

has anyone else had this happen?

[Smileybug]

A lot of people do. They claim it extends the life of the headlight bulbs. I don't buy it...I've replaced one bulb in 5 years.

[D2Beetle]

The first year of my '98 NB ownership I went through bulbs more than I would consider average; however it does not do it anymore. Neither of other NB's have had this problem.

Yes, the longer a bulb is in use the shorter its life span. I'm not familiar with that portion of the wiring diagram, but disabling that power circuit; is there any circuit downstream from that, that is not getting any power now?

[vdub00]

no ive just disabled it at the light switch itself. just like in the How-To on this site describes. take a sliver of electrical tape and stick it over the prong and then plug the switch back in. its definitely keeping the DRLs off but im just wondering if that could be part of why the ignition harness gets hot.

has anyone had more harness issues with DRL vs having DRL enabled?

[D2Beetle]

Originally Posted by vdub00

no ive just disabled it at the light switch itself. just like in the How-To on this site describes. take a sliver of electrical tape and stick it over the prong and then plug the switch back in. its definitely keeping the DRLs off but im just wondering if that could be part of why the ignition harness gets hot.

has anyone had more harness issues with DRL vs having DRL enabled?

All of my NB's have DRL's enabled. You could fix the ignition wire harness again, and re-enable the DRL's to test your theory.

[vdub00]

yeah probably what ill do next time it goes out. its currently up and running right now. if it goes again, im enabling the DRLs again.