[dabigboy]

So tonight I decided to sort my glovebox light (I really do have more important things to fix on this car, but hey it was late and I was tired....) I ended up pulling the glovebox, and guess what's dangling inside? Yes, the power lead for the light assembly had been snipped, it was just hanging there by its connection to the bulb holder. The rest of the wire was still present and still gets juice with the key on, so all I need to do is splice it back together (I already cleaned the switch, which needed it pretty badly). Why on earth would anyone do that?!?! Granted the switch was a little wonky and may have been keeping the light on with the glovebox closed, but then it would be a simple matter to just pull the bulb. Whoever did this had to remove the glovebox just to snip the wire. Bizarre.

This isn't the first inexplicable snip I've found, and I've seen a number of splices that appear to be the original solid wire that was simply cut then repaired. It almost seems like someone sabotaged this car at one point, but I can't imagine why, other than perhaps someone wanted it to seem worth less than it actually was. But it still doesn't really figure.

Anyway, the glovebox is staying out for now, as I found two more wires while I was back there that were inexplicably cut. Again, both ends of the wires are present, they've just been severed. Looks like at least one may have been honest-to-goodness chafe damage, like maybe it got stuck between the glovebox and part of the chassis. I'm hoping they'll get all my AC fans going again, though I don't read voltage on any of them (key on or off, AC blowers on or off).

I have a feeling I'm going to end up pulling the dash....

 

[Tifosi]

Granted the switch was a little wonky and may have been keeping the light on with the glovebox closed, but then it would be a simple matter to just pull the bulb. Whoever did this had to remove the glovebox just to snip the wire.

You do know that the glovebox, hood and trunk lights can/should only come on if the parking lights are turned on don'tcha?

Mayhaps the cut wire was a case of someone trying to figure out why the light didn't work when the glovebox door was opened (and the lights were off)

If you're getting voltage to what you presume to be the power wire to the glovebox light when you turn on the key, then something is goofy with the wiring beyond there being cuts-n-splices.

 

[dabigboy]

The hood and trunk lights come on with the main lights, the glovebox light appears to be getting voltage when the key is switched on. I wasn't sure if this was right or not but I did see a post where someone mentioned that they'd never seen their glovebox light on without the key being on. Also, looking at my diagram, the glovebox light is on the same circuit as the clock and cig. lighter, which only come on when the key is on and have nothing to do with the light circuit. Perhaps it varied from year to year? I'm pretty sure it's the right wire, it's in the right location and reaches without too much to spare, and appears to be the same gauge and color (pink).

 

[Tifosi]

Hard to say.

I've got an S3 also, but with the intact wiring under there, my glovebox only lights up when the park lights are on.

If your diagram shows that pink wire going to the reostat, then it's wrong in general, (most of the pinks are console lights that have dimmer control), as the gloverbox light wouldn't be on that circut.

Is the diagram you have specific to '83 and not just a general 'series 3 82-89' type thing?

Onnaconna if you're using the IAP book and it's diagram (the CD I think too) that's for a late S3 (monopod) and has a few pretty distinct differences from the early S3's.

 

[Cosmo]

Special additions by the PO seem to be a common problem, especially with electrics. I spent a long while chasing spurious wiring patches where some part of the lighting circuit had been snipped and a new piece of wire spliced in somewhere else running directly. It was probably something simple like a short or a bad connection somewhere but the lazy approach is quicker than spending the time tracing the fault.

I did add a load of non-standard wiring myself however - all of it black, to add proper earthing points.

Oh, and the glovebox light on my 1968 Roundtail comes on whenever the door is opened, independent of the ignition or side lights.

 

[144]

I'd highly recommend that you do pull the dash. It's really very easy to do and it will give you complete access to everything. If I were you, I'd plan for a day's work and in addition to fixing the previous owner's buffoonery, go ahead and clean ALL the electrical connections and make sure all the connectors are in good shape and tight. You might even consider removing and cleaning the heater box assembly. You might be surprised at how much crud there is in there. Might even make the air coming out of there smell better this winter.

 

[dabigboy]

Ya I was trying to avoid that but I really would feel better to just pull the dash out and go through everything myself. I sorta dread taking it out but then it doesn't look as bulky and populated/"attached" as the dash on my Z, maybe it won't be so bad. Actually with the borked wiring in the engine bay, I'm toying with the idea of saving up to have a new wiring harness built and get rid of all the old junk. This would almost certainly cure my enigmatic fuel pump problem, and make everything nice and correct again. The car seems to be unmolested otherwise for the most part, would be nice to have a new and correct wiring harness.

I have the '83 diagram from papajam. What sort of changes occurred during the '83 run? By mono-pod, do you mean the neat-o looking instrument cluster I see in post-84 Spiders? One thing I forgot to mention is that the diagram shows a brown wire for the glovebox light. I'd just assumed it was a discrepancy between the generic '83 diagram and my particular model, as I don't see much else around there that the pink wire could be for, and it appears original (will have to see where it connects into the harness).

Btw thanks a bunch for the replies, I'd be lost if not for this place. In fact most of the questions I've had come up while working on this thing have been answered just by searching through old posts.

 

[Tifosi]

Well right off, if it's a papajam diagram it's correct, or at least significantly more than 90% of the others out there.

Yup, monopod is the one piece cluster with all the gauges in one big housing. (we be dual pod) Monopod is only neat-o until you actually need to see through it with a lowered seat. Ask msiert about that one when he gets back after his track weekend.

What changes occured during the 83 run?

Who knows, could be one, some or none and more likely something you'll have to get familiar with in regard to your own vehicle as it's also highly dependant on what Luigi was up to the day he wired up your stuff and whether or not Guiseppe had to finish up for him that afternoon. :shrug:

I know mine has combinations of the 83, 84 and 85 MY incorporated into it depending on which section of the harness I'm dealing with, (oddball stuff like the harness wiring for an inertia switch in the engine bay, but the proper tachymetric relay in the back so that the inertia switch isn't needed, so it's just factory bypassed under the hood), but it's not cut up or modifed in any way that I've been able to locate thus far.