I've been working on sorting out the maze of connections that a previous owner wired throughout my '84 rabbit and have hit a bit of a roadblock, so any help would be fantastic.



Here is a picture of my fuse box, there is a tan wire currently unplugged that once ran to the relay input it is touching (peg 87 on the relay numbered 18). It was just jammed into there underneath the relay when I got it. I started prying around down there because my horn does not work, or erratically goes off when it does, and my oil pressure light and buzzer frequently turn on and do not shut off. When I unplugged this wire (by accident) the car would no longer start. I expected it to just be a lazy version of what should have been connected to the rear of the fuse panel, but when I looked closer, the tan wire is actually spliced into a red/yellow wire (red with yellow stripe) that seems to run into the cluster where my #19 relay is (I think it should be the Intermittent wiper one).



When the wire is plugged in, the car starts, but I either have the horn/oil pressure issue, or the fuel filter does not stop buzzing after the car is completely shut off. When the wire is unplugged, the lights come on, but there is no turnover whatsoever. I'm not a wiring or vw genius, so any help in determining what exactly this wire is would be great. Thanks.

It is a manual car with I believe only a donut, but I will double check tomorrow, as well as there is a sticker on the side of my door frame that says exactly which month it was made I think; will check up on that too. And yes, I'm referring to the valve on the fuel filter that does not shut off. To add a little more information, today I jumped the tan wire (unplugged from it's original relay attachment), and the car started, but with it's typical problems. Secondly, I removed the tan wire from the splice and jumped the red/yellow directly through the gap in the shielding; the car not only started fine, but ran without any problems at all. Hope this helps, thanks for the assistance.

I think the tan/blue wire was simply extra wire that was used for a jump, that's why I wasn't so specific I couldn't find anything in my Bentley that matches it that should be around there and it really doesn't work anything that didn't work when it was disconnected. When the red/yellow was jumped alone everything seemed to work perfectly. I took it for a decent drive and had no issues whatsoever. Glad the pics were helpful and thanks again.

ps. the tag says it was manufactured in november of 1983.

Nov '83 should be the 84.5 'vert, but don't quote me. The spare will tell the tale. If it's the donut then wiring will be identical to the '85.
I think the tan may have been used as a jumper, as you've said. Heck, if the thing runs great without it then leave it. My son's Jetta has a couple or three wires hanging under the hood and fusebox. Who knows what they are?

Thomas

Hmmm...get another fuel pump relay. They're not that expensive. That's the best fix.
Or put a cut-off switch in line...easier than disconnecting the negative.

Thomas

Wow...That sort of corrosion is usually from one of two sources. One is leaking windshield. The other is a leak on the antenna...the water follows the wire and drips down on the fuse panel. When the car is nice and dry under the fuse box, spray tons of water on the windshield, careful not to spray the antenna base. Then check for water on the carpet. That will tell you if the windshield is leaking.

Thomas

There doesn't seem to be much corrosion on any of the fuse wires, but I suspect that still might be the issue. If part of the relay insert is corroded or blown out, it would make sense why it was jumpered and why there are so many other issues if it's internally interfering with the other circuits. I've been trying to get ahold of a spare fuse box to sort this out for sure, but that in itself is proving a problem, they're much harder to find than I expected.

Thanks a ton for the help, it didn't even occur to me that they might make universal replacements nowadays. Already got it in the mail and hope to install today.

Haha, thanks for the heads up. The raintray in my car to begin with was broken to pieces so I picked a new one up in a junkyard, but didn't think about cleaning out the drains. Will do ASAP.