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Thank you for the help @Mrmerlin ! I did not notice anything amiss in the wiring when I took the pictures, but I am not the expert! Also just point of clarification, the stop lamp warning is the issue. Not the tail lamp warning.
Hatch
In the hatch the green and white wires are swapped. In the roof/hatch the green wire is the same as the red wire elsewhere and the white wire is the same as the brown/white wire elsewhere.
I'd suggest cleaning the ground up behind the dash pod and the ground in the rear quarters for the rear lamp clusters (in addition to what you say you already did).
FWIW you can push the power wire through the end of the connector an solder it onto the bulb put a piece of foam in the bottom of the socket put the bulb back in place
Then you don’t have to replace the socket
In the hatch the green and white wires are swapped. In the roof/hatch the green wire is the same as the red wire elsewhere and the white wire is the same as the brown/white wire elsewhere.
I'd suggest cleaning the ground up behind the dash pod and the ground in the rear quarters for the rear lamp clusters (in addition to what you say you already did).
Alan
Ok, so I'm a bit confused. In the front and middle dome lights, the green/red is on the side near the permanent ground to frame(brown), and on the far side where the switch operates the brown and white is connected. If in the hatch green is same as red and white is same as brown and white, then it's the same as the other 2 lights. The ones that are different are the door switches. On those ones both grounds are close to each other on one side with the red feed on the far side. Are you saying all 3 dome lights should be like the door switches are?
Last edited by Popoboy944; 10-22-2022 at 11:26 PM.
FWIW you can push the power wire through the end of the connector an solder it onto the bulb put a piece of foam in the bottom of the socket put the bulb back in place
Then you don’t have to replace the socket
good idea! If it turns out to be that connection i can do that
Ok, so I'm a bit confused. In the front and middle dome lights, the green/red is on the side near the permanent ground to frame(brown), and on the far side where the switch operates the brown and white is connected. If in the hatch green is same as red and white is same as brown and white, then it's the same as the other 2 lights. The ones that are different are the door switches. On those ones both grounds are close to each other on one side with the red feed on the far side. Are you saying all 3 dome lights should be like the door switches are?
so looking more at the picture, the light in the hatch works properly in all 3 switch positions. if green and white get swapped, in one switch position the constant ground and door ground would be all that's connected, which wouldn't work. The door lights have a different connection arrangement, so that's why they look different. The picture of the hatch light is confusing because the green and white are crossing each other but it's hard to tell, maybe that got you crossed up @Alan ? Or I'm I completely out to lunch?
In looking more closely it seems the picture angle was confusing me - its difficult to tell which end the switch is on (except for the relative position of the ground frame connection). Seems it is correct after all...
Ok, so I'm a bit confused. In the front and middle dome lights, the green/red is on the side near the permanent ground to frame(brown), and on the far side where the switch operates the brown and white is connected. If in the hatch green is same as red and white is same as brown and white, then it's the same as the other 2 lights. The ones that are different are the door switches. On those ones both grounds are close to each other on one side with the red feed on the far side. Are you saying all 3 dome lights should be like the door switches are?
The door switches have no body ground connection to the frame (its a plastic frame) and they mount into a non-metallic opening anyway - so here the orientation of brown & brown/white wires at the switch is unimportant. For the metal framed roof switches the frame mechanically connects to ground so is the only place the ground (brown) wire can go. Both ground (brown) and switched ground (brown/white) still go to the switch - one just less directly via the frame. Think of the Green wire and Red wire (depending on location) going directly to one end of the bulb - this is constant power to the bulb. It is the other side for the bulb grounding that is switched to ground or via switched ground make the light come on in both cases.
My '86 is an "86.5. Don' know if that makes a difference. The other one is a Strosek (euro).
i just found some pictures. looks like different number of wires and different style connectors on the pre S4 cars. thanks for the offer though. looks like i need to track down an s4. anyone available??
10-22-2022, 11:42 AM
