pkt1213

On the drivers side. The female spade connector is attached to the firewall and the plug is right there in front of the windshield wiper motor. It's got a VW emblem on the plug.



This one is behind the engine.

Zero10

The second picture is your O2 sensor wire... The other ones I don't think should be connected?

pkt1213

Wow. That could make a difference.

Zero10

I can see in the pic that the O2 sensor wire is not connected....
I don't recall exactly what the connector looks like on an early car, but that seems right to me. Looks like part of it came apart/off on the connector?...

pkt1213

What would it be connected to up there? The O2 sensor is down on the exhaust and i looked and it's got a similar connection plug but I don't know. It's zip tied to a bundle of wires up there. How would I connect it to the O2 sensor?

Also you can see behind it a little piece of tubbing connected to some plastic thing in a bracket. What's that? I've always wondered.

The other connections in the first picture aren't supposed to be connected to anything?

Zero10

We are both talking about the same thing in the second picture....
That yellow plastic block is the connector for the O2 sensor. The wire circled attaches on there somehow. I can't imagine why there is tubing on there though. Take a look inside the connector and see if you can determine how it fits together. It's been a while since I have seen an early engine.
I am about 80% sure that both connectors in the first picture are unused. I mean, I'm certain that the one on the right is unused, and I am not completely sure about the one on the left.

KuHL 951

Your O2 sensor connects to that green wire on the firewall; the one with the vac tubing on it...WTF. In addition your sensor connectors are toast. I can't see how anything could run with the way they are taped up like that. You definitely have some electrical sorting out to do.

pkt1213

Ok, so take that vaccum line off that hook that connector up there? Where the arrow is pointing



I'm not sure what you're talking about that's taped up. Are you talking about the part I circled? That's like some black sillicon or something.

Zero10

That siliconed connector is totally f'ed.
You will probably have to replace the connector and the speed/reference sensor that it is connected to. If you are lucky you can drive with it like that for a while, but if/when it fails it will be a pain to fix.

Oh, by the way, clean your grounds! The one at the back of the engine on the firewall is looking kind of dirty

pkt1213

How it is right now is how I've had it for over a year. I've put about 9500 miles on it like that. Would expain the terrible gas mileage I've got since I bought it.

I've been meaning to go through with some 4g or 8 ga stereo wire that I've got laying around and redo the grounds but since my car was at a shop for months I didn't get the chance.

Anybody got a pic of this so I know what it's supposed to look like?

KuHL 951

In short you need the O2 sensor connected or you will run rich all the time, foul plugs, flunk smog in you have that, and get generally crappy gas mileage. BTW: Don't use stereo wiring for anything under the hood that that can get greasy(grounds, battery cables, etc), the insulation on that stuff is mostly for looks and won't hold up to hydrocarbons at all. It's hard to help you much from photos; you really need to buy a shop manual on CD or at least a Haynes manual. At least the shop manuals have full electrical schematics which it looks like you could really benefit from. Don't get discouraged but it pays to do it right the first time.

pkt1213

Yeah. I was going to use wire loom cover to cover it.

But the connector connects to where the arrow is pointing? Where that piece of tubing is now?

Zero10

Stereo wire is just fine for that, stereo wiring. Always cover it with split loom protective tubing, and don't use it exposed or in the engine compartment (when avoidable). The insulation on it is usually rated for 75 or 90*C, and the engine can exceed that regularly.

That is the correct location for the O2 sensor connector. I am uncertain why there is tubing on it right now, but that should come off, and inside of that round black plastic connector should be either a male or female pin connector, and the yellow plastic block should have the opposite. It can be a little bit tricky to get it to clip together.
If you have been driving with the O2 sensor disconnected then you will see a noticeable mileage hit. Another possibility is that you have permanently fouled the O2 sensor from doing this. You might have to replace it as a result (~$20-$30 for a 1-wire O2 sensor). Re-connect it and run a tank or two of gas to see if it will clear up. There are ways to test it once it has warmed up (5-10 minutes of engine running since it is a 1-wire), but we will get to that if your mileage does not improve.

That speed/reference sensor connector is totally screwed, however if it is working then leave it be for now. If it fails then you will need to properly repair it, and this will require buying a plug, 3 connectors and a waterproof boot, and maybe some wiring to extend what is there (probably won't need to). Also you will have to replace whatever sensor is hacked up so that it will have the proper connector on it.

pkt1213

OMG OMG OMG. I cut that little piece of vaccum line off and connected to O2 sensor. Runs great. A little rough starting up but she runs. No stubling and that kind of stuff. Zero and Kuhl, if you guys lived closer i'd buy you a beer or two. I'm so excited.

Now if I can only figure out how to get lights. And I don't know if it's worth it but it'd be hella fun to strip and make an autoX car.