Hello guys, been a while but good to be back!

I have a strange problem in my 74 kombi.
When I bought the car, it had so many taped wires I almost cried. Now, I have rectified 99% of the wiring, but there is one problem that escapes me: The generator.

OK, the three small wires are conected to the regulator and the ground, is well, ground. The problem is the large gauge red wire.

From the wiring diagram, I see that it is supposed to be connected to the +30 terminal on the starter motor, but when I do connect it, the guages and lights go dim and I cant start the car.
Also, at one stage the generator even smoked a little.
I'm guessing it's shorted somewhere, but all the wiring is correct according to the diagrams I have.

I'm going nuts! What am I missing.

Cheers and thanks for at least reading this crazy post.

Tnate

Check that the regulator, generator and starter are all working. if you have done everything properly then chances are one of them is stuffed.

Your 74 kombi runs a generator? :o It's got me stuffed, mine have both run alternators...