Hi All,
My buddy just picked up a tidy '71 Type 3 AUTO.

The reverse lights are not working. We have checked the globes, fuse, etc....

Where is the reverse light activation switch? I can't see anything in the trans.

Anyone have any idea?

Thanks,
Wayne.

It's at the shifter.Lift the cover up at the shifter(2 small PK screws) and there is a white plastic switch there- 2 wires for the starter and 2 for the reverse lights.

Thanks.
The shifter only has one set of wires for the interlock.
A closer inspection has revealed there is no wiring to the reverse light bulb holders, and no obvious or disconnected additional wiring inside the rear fenders.

Is it possible this car preceded the introduction of reversing lights, and has been fitted with incorrect tail light assemblies?

Thanks.

Cant answer that one.Does the switch have a spare pair of male electrical terminals. If it does, it's an easy fix to run a wire back to make your reverse lights work.

It should have them, in Oz 70 was the first year of reverse lights in type 3s

It was 72 in Beetles and Kombis.

I've got a 71 notch (manual) - no reversing lights but it does have the clear section in the lens. No wiring to the bulbs, and there wasn't a switch to activate them.There was a plastic blank inserted in the reverse bulb sockets, so I think your theory is right and it was probably sometime after 71 before they came installed with reversing lights. (I have a 72 wreck that does have the lights wired up).


i retro fitted a switch into the gearbox of the 71 and wired up the lights (pinched fittings off the 72 wreck to do it).

As the overjoyed owner of the car in question I thought I would post a small update on how this issue was rectified. Upon closer inspection the car seems to be a 1970 model (late tho so likely first registered 1971). The switch that took the place of the neutral cut out for the starter in fact had 4 contact but was wired in an odd way (see attached photo) after looking at some adjustments I was able to move it back enough to allow the contacts to contact up and down between pairs rather than back and forward as it was configured giving me my elusive reverse lamp switch. Wired in a new active from the coil with an inline 7A fuse glass holder sourced from jay car to the coil it's all working. One of my tail lights already had a bulb in it the other had no holder but on true second hand old car style it came with a box of parts and I was able to get together a bulb holder for the missing side and I now have a pair of reversing lights.

I appreciate the car may not have skipped with these working, more than likely actually, having the lenses there I could foresee some friction at blue slip time. Not to mention the obvious safety benefits of having them working.

I have several of those switches-but never used one because I never understood how they worked.It would appear now they only allow to start in Park and not neutral,and have a position for reverse lights.I assume from your pic that the lever is in drive and park is to the right of screen.I don't know where I got those type of switches from,so don't know what vehicle they came from.I have always used switches with 3 terminal positions which allows to start in the N position as well.With the 2 position switch I have shown-starting in P is the 2 terminals on the left of switch and reverse is the 2 on the right.You will see from the other switch how the next 2 terminals will be joined when the lever is in the N position.In your pic you will see that when the lever is pushed all the way to the right,the brass contact strip on the lever will join the 2 front brass pads on the switch allowing current to go to the starter solenoid-this will only happen in P.

You are correct mostly. From my research the two terminal ones like that which I have were installed to allow reverse lights and stating in N. In that photo my shifter was actually in park. Allegedly the option to start in both park and neutral was added around 72 which is where the three terminal ones come from. Now oddly as my car didn't have back up lighting wired in it positioned the 'wiper' (brass on the shifter between the front and rear pairs rather than the intended top and bottom style connection so I swapped the pins around so the reverse power and lights were plugged into one side and the pair shown in the above image were both connected on the other side
If it wasn't for exuberant cost involved in getting the three pair set I would retrofit one in to allow parking in park also but for now I will stock to as Wayne calls it 'vw quirkiness' and focus on getting rid of the fuel filter in the engine bay, refreshing the lines and cleaning up the carburettors.

OK - I'm onto it now, neutral only starting. Both types of switches work with the pair of pads that are on top of each other-not side by side to be connected to each other with the wiper brass pad on the lever. Thought VW would have been smarter to have Park only starting- at least the vehicle would be safer to start with no chance of it rolling away.

Up to the 1970 model inclusive, there were no reversing lights (could be optioned or retro-fitted); it would ONLY* start in N; there are lamps in the selector, and the selector had chrome surround, with 1,2, 3... on solid base, on it.

From the 1971 model on, there should have been reversing lights standard, it will start in N or P; there are lamps in the selector - in case you drive at night; and the selector housing is black plastic with 1,2 D... on clear base, on it.

*Supposedly this earlier type "cannot" be rewired to start in P.