ELECTRICAL Q: On the electrical diagrams, do the circuit numbers have any meaning?
• Yes. VW uses Bosch numbering scheme, as do BMW & M-B. The most common ones are: 1 = Ground (0 Volt) 15= Switched Positive (Hot when ignition is on) 30= Always hot “12 Volt” (even though it’ll closer to 13.4 Volt) • My battery is not charging well, I am only showing 12V when charging rather than 13.4V. What is wrong? • There are numerous causes for this. Most of the time the problem is fairly trivial. Going from cheapest to most expensive, try the following: See also charge light diagnosis below. • Check the ground connections, possibly install a new ground from alternator to battery rather than using the engine block/transmission as conductor. Forget trying to find the bad connection with an Ohm meter: Say your alt. puts out 50 Amps, you’ll get a drop of 1 Volt for each .02 Ohm!!! Most VOMeters are not accurate enough in this range. So, those tiny little resistances that have build up over the years REALLY add up. Use a THICK (10 or less Gauge/”AWG”), multistrand wire. • Check the al
