Where is Ground Connection"B" ? Options

[kenshapiro2002]

Where is the ground numbered #83 (Ground connection "B") on a 1970 914? It's not the one in the rear trunk, and not the one by each headlight. It's the one that grounds all the dash switches, door switches, fan and heater switch, etc.

[kenshapiro2002]

OK...pin 31 (ground) is excellent. Pin 49 is getting 12 volts and it's not fluctuating with the different loads. This seems wrong though...as soon as I turn on the ignition, the flasher relay is getting 12 volts, but it's not making any sound. I guess it's quiet until it gets a signal from the flashers through one of the other pins?

[kenshapiro2002]

Yeah...after looking at the schematic, I think it's normal for the red lead to be "hot" as soon as the ignition is turned on. Seems the flasher relay is good as is its ground and power source. My rookie guess is till that something else is wrong and is powering up the relay through the ground wire.

Significant evidence seems to me to be:

When I took delivery of the car, the problem did not exist. The brake light switch on the brake pedal was so far out of adjustment that no brake lights went on. I fixed that. Unplugging it does not eleviate my current problem. The handbrake switch was screwed up and did not work either. I freed that up now and it works. There was no bulb in the multi gauge for the handbrake light / brake failure. A PO had[i] to have removed it because of some electrical glitch that had it on all the time.

When I took delivery of the car, the turn signal indicators were screwy. One of them would flash correctly (can't remember which one), and the other would start to flash on its correct side, and then both arrows would start to flash at the same time.

OK...pin 31 (ground) is excellent. Pin 49 is getting 12 volts and it's not fluctuating with the different loads. This seems wrong though...as soon as I turn on the ignition, the flasher relay is getting 12 volts, but it's not making any sound. I guess it's quiet until it gets a signal from the flashers through one of the other pins?

[SirAndy]

would start to flash on its correct side, and then both arrows would start to flash at the same time

My memory on that is a bit hazy, but i have seen a lot of 914s do that. It's either a bad switch or a ground problem.

I fixed it on my car by adding an additional ground to those bulbs, but that's a bandaid.
I think they are supposed to be grounded at one of the switches.


But like i said, it's been years since i worked on this the last time. Maybe it's time to whip out the good 'ole search function because i also vaguely remember a solution posted here a while ago.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/chowtime.gif) Andy

[kenshapiro2002]

Did some searching and found that others have hd simiar problems with many different solutions. Found this:

>I noticed the other night my turn signal relay just started clicking when I was out driving around. My turn signals still work but the relay continues to click.

Do any brake master cylinder work on the car lately?
Is your brake fluid level getting low?
The relay circuit includes the brake warning system.

Two weeks ago I replaced the master cylinder in my 914. First time I fired it up with the new MC, the turn signal relay started clicking none stop[the relay drives every light that flashes] . The brake warning light would flash occasionally, but the relay kept clicking constantly.

Drove me crazy for two weeks. Bled the brakes a few times, but that did not satisfy the brake warning system. The brakes felt & performed fine.

Problem solved:
The new master cylinder came with a single wire sensor, the old MC had a 2-wire sensor(Gnd & signal). So I installed the old sensor on the new MC when I first installed it. It turns out the new sensor's plunger length is shorter than the old sensor's, by about 1/8". So I shortened the old sensor's plunger to match the length of the new sensor's, and now no more flashing brake warning light, and no more signal relay clicking.

Moral of this tale?
Since you probably don't have a mis-matched master cylinder to brake warning sensor,
your brake fluid warning system may be about to trigger.

would start to flash on its correct side, and then both arrows would start to flash at the same time

My memory on that is a bit hazy, but i have seen a lot of 914s do that. It's either a bad switch or a ground problem.

I fixed it on my car by adding an additional ground to those bulbs, but that's a bandaid.
I think they are supposed to be grounded at one of the switches.


But like i said, it's been years since i worked on this the last time. Maybe it's time to whip out the good 'ole search function because i also vaguely remember a solution posted here a while ago.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/chowtime.gif) Andy