Technically how to install VW golf signal lights?

[spider2081]

I'm thinking an 1156 bulb is a single filament bulb. This means it can be used as a parking light or a signal light but not both. The 1034 and 1157 bulbs are dual filament bulbs that are used as both the parking light and urn signal light. The 1157 is much longer life bulb (2000 hr) while the 1034 is a shorter life bulb (200 hr) rating. the original Fiat front bulbs were dual filament the lower wattage being the parking light and the higher wattage being the turn signal. The lamps socket would need 2 contacts for a dual filament bulb. The socket is the ground for both filament contacts.

[Topless]

I'm thinking an 1156 bulb is a single filament bulb. This means it can be used as a parking light or a signal light but not both. The 1034 and 1157 bulbs are dual filament bulbs that are used as both the parking light and urn signal light. The 1157 is much longer life bulb (2000 hr) while the 1034 is a shorter life bulb (200 hr) rating. the original Fiat front bulbs were dual filament the lower wattage being the parking light and the higher wattage being the turn signal. The lamps socket would need 2 contacts for a dual filament bulb. The socket is the ground for both filament contacts.

Thank you, I was unaware it should be dual filament.

[Topless]

Hi guys, I wired it, and it works!

So I determined from @spider2081 that I needed a 1157 bulb for these signals. I looked around for a receptical made for an 1157 that would fit the Mk3 housing I found aftermarket recepticals built for this MK3 part on ebay for $80 and thought that was awfully expensive, plus I would have to track down and wire in the plugs they are built to plug into.

But a visit to my local auto parts store yielded Dorman 85832 as a match. More specifically, it's a "close enough" match to snap into place and then rotate. The part was about $6 each. It's a right-angle connection, and was actually a bit long to avoid running into the steel bar/bracket while rotating it… a straight/in-line receptical would have been preferred but didn't have any on site that fit the housing hles. I bought two of those plus 16 gauge wire in black, yellow, and green which looked to be the same size as the 3 wires hanging out of the recepticals. It matched the fiat too once I got there, although I was looking at outer diameter so it's possible the fiat is wired with 18 ga and just has thicker insulation.



Also: connectors. I was looking for self-soldering heat shrink tubing but didn't find any. This was my first electrical project so I picked up a few different options, not knowing how it would go down. Harbor Freight had the best deal in general and I ended up using their #66596 14-16 gauge "watertight heat shrink butt connectors" . Was planning to bust out a soldering kit I've never used, but I tried one of these first and just kept going with it. 2 packs of ten proved perfect since I dropped/lost/damaged a couple. Also #66985 Wire protector flexible conduit. O yes, and female ground terminal connectors from the auto store--those little curly plug things. 1/4" ended up being the perfect size Dorman 85452 pack of 20. I had a wire stripper/crimper tool already on hand.

First step was installing the recepticals into the housing.
Being right angled parts, one of them ran into the steel bar, so I ground a notch that allowed the part to seat fully and then rotate. It looked as if the sparks from the grinding were eating away at the opening of the ABS signal housing, so I taped aluminum foil around that area for protection.



Actually inserting the recepticals into the housing was difficult for me. I inserted a bulb into each, but then it seemed I couldn't ever get them pressed in tight enough with my hands, and then there was this big marshmallow washer that only fought my efforts. I honestly gave up trying to rotate them in and reached for multichannel groove pliers (channel locks). That did the trick…went easy enough so as not to break the plastic but between the incredible hulk like testosterone pumping through my body and the extra leverage from the tool, it went right in and rotated. I had a "wow" moment when I kept turning the seond one and it sort of locked into place at about 1/8 turn. "Oh! So that's how it works!"



Next: wiring. I had the wiring charts for my model in front of me. I was thrown off by Fiat's division of this circuit between two pages. Page 1 shows a blue wire ending at a connection but not connected to anything in particular. Page 2 shows the continuation of the circuit, i.e. what it connects to. Once I figured that out, I just jumped in blind, again not knowing what would come next. Just the vague idea of "WIRES--CONNECT!". I stripped the ends of the wires hanging off the recepticals and just connected basically all 3… black wire to black, white to yellow, and the brown wire became the green wire circuit. Next I loosely fit the signal housing in place and had to eye out and guess the wire lengths, so I erred long and trimmed off the excess from each wire as I installed it, one at a time based on where I discovered it connected to--then fished a loose end of one of the wire spools down in between where a bunch of wires passed up into the motor area from the headlight area…there are two holes, the upper one closer to the edge of the car was the simpler choice…and taped the end of the fish wire to the wires I had connected to the signals and simply pulled through, wiggling the other wires somewhat for ease of passage. The black wire was easiest to do first: cut it to length then crimped it to a ground connector and plugged it to the nearby star ground terminal. I was looking around and saw a stray yellow/black and blue/black wire just hanging there…could these be the wires I'm looking for?



Let's test. I stripped the ends and twisted them to my new wires to test the connection. Installed the car battery and…nothing. Drat. Used one of those single bulb circuit testers (also for the first time) on the yellow wire connection and got nothing. But wait…then it lit up! Guess it just needed to be poked in order to shift into a complete circuit. Blue wire also worked. Then I shifted what I thought was the turn signal level at the steering wheel (mind you I've never had working signals, so didn't know!) and heard this strange clicking noise…holy cow! It actually worked! Complete with an illuminated signal light.

So I went in and finalized connections to yellow and blue. Funny detail, the blue wire in my car had yellowed from age so it perfectly matched the green wire I had picked up, which was a bluish green anyway. I wrenched the light fixture tightly into place--a little past snug. I noticed the factory wires in the headlight area were heavily insulated in black cable, so once everything was final I slid my hands inside and gathered my new wires together and wrapped them in flex conduit for added protection.

Last, the passenger's side. Same thing only the yellow wire is yellow/red in the vehicle. Took maybe an hour to hook up that side (first one took several, complete with learning curve).

Finished!