Ground colors [Re: re. 86 5KTQ Won't Start :-(]

[Ben Swann]

Huw,

Although most of the gournd wiring is brown as you indicate for VAG wiring, green is also used, and sometime others.  I have seen Green commonly used as the ground wire from the Ignition coil.  If this wasn't done at the factory, then it had to have been done by an authorized service center, and alos corresponds to the wiring I've seen in some diagram.

I know about the house wiring standards, but I have seen to much of this on the few cars I've sorked on one for it to be coincidence.  This is definately at least some de-facto standard if not something the factory did.

Ben


[> And speaking of which, the coil on my 5K has three little wires
> connected to it, one being the power from the ignition switch I
> tested the other day as.
> 
> There are two other green wires, which connect to the opposite side
> of the power (hot) wire. On that same hot wire side there is another
> little port to which nothing is connected. I wonder if some other
> wire should be connected there

That is enough connections - all the coil needs is hot on one side and
ground on the other, and a way to keep lifting and reconnecting the
ground.  The extra wire may very well be your tach signal or the like.

> - Ground - Green is usually Ground(as is brown)

On VAG machines, brown is ground, period.  In US house wiring, green is 
the only color that is not "hot", white is neutral, all other colors are 
hot.  Two totally different color schemes.]