WHoa!! I hadn't noticed before, but there is this HUGE bundle of wires inside my car!! It is coming out right between the driver's side and the rear driver's side divider strip, where it meets the ceiling! It is about 2 feet long and travels across the top of the rear drivers side window and wraps around the bar above the window and is cut off, with metal ends on it! (Could you follow that?) I can't imagine what it is and I can't tell what it could possibly go to!!?? AND I KNOW it doesn't BELONG there! Does anyone know??? Christy

I called the previous owner. He said that those wires were there when HE got the car. He said that possibly someone had a trailer and needed to rig up brake lights.
Hhhmmmmmmmm.
There are 4 wires bound in black. 2 wires are white and 2 wires are red. I've been studing these wiring diagrams and STILL don't know what they're for!
I'm thinking possibly the rear courtesy dome light and door switch, since THEY don't work.
Any thoughts are welcome!!
~Christy

Christy,

I don't know about those wires, but the door switch wires are light grey/red. Peel the black back a little farther and see if the wires are really white or sun faded grey. Don't know why they'd be coming out high, since the should be run under the trim below the door.

Also, have you checked them with a meter to see if there is any power to them? (try with and without the brake being pressed and the lights on/off to verify or rule out the PO's claim)

__________________
Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

All factory placed wires run up from the bottom along the pillars.
The rear courtesy light wires run up from the rear left pillar, the door contact wires run up from the bottom of the car, the front courtesy light wires run up from the front left pillar; even the factory wires for a taxi-sign run up along the pillar coming from the bottom.
The wires are definitely after-market and if nothing is connected to it (loose wires at the ceiling), I would take them out completely.

greetingz,

__________________
1990 300SL-24
1993 C250D with a minor 600+k kilometer
www.MBenzNL.com(the Netherlands)

A guy I know had a genius conclusion about these wires! I didn't mention it before, but my car has the patched "bullethole" on the roof! I REALLY thought it was a bullet hole! (I thought maybe my car was a gangster car!) Well, HE thought that maybe someone had a CB antenna installed back in the day when they were popular. SO...that would explain BOTH the "bullethole" AND the mystery wires! *geez*

I STILL think the bullethole theory is much more exciting.

~Christy

Ok...I NOW DO NOT think these wires were from a CB. That is just TOO weird.

BUT...I was in the trunk, looking at the tail light assembly, when I saw the "official" group of wires that go to it. THEY are bound in black and look EXACTLY like the weird wires INSIDE my car.

Mbenz, I DO think these are original wires..but have NO idea as to WHY someone would have run them UP through the pillar and left them hanging out, as they are.

It appears that someone HAD taken most of the back of this car apart before. They didn't get it put back together too well. This pillar (between the driver & rear doors) is sloppily assembled, as the vinyl is all saggy. Also, the rear seat is NOT bolted down and the edge of the rear door keeps coming off!! *sigh*

So...if ANYONE knows what 2 light grey and 2 red wires might go to...I'd love to know!!

~Christy

Christy,

Do the door light switches work? The wire color scheme you describe sounds like the wires for the little door switches for the interior lights.

__________________
Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

Thanks for the speedy reply Mike!

The rear courtesy light does NOT work.
That is what I am hoping these wires are for...however...where do you think the other end is?? Under the rear seat?? Under the carpet? Someone else said under the rocker panels....hhmmmmmmmmm.

Any guesses??

~Christy

Does the rear light work when the other door is open? Remember, the rear light only works off the rear doors, while the front light works off the front doors. There should also be a switch on your dash, maybe in the area of the light switch, to turn on the rear light while driving. Also does your car have the rear reading lights, and do they work? Also does the front light work with the front doors?

The wires should be under the lower carpet edge trim, kind of a thick rubber(?) u-shaped piece. Carefully pry out the door switch from the B pillar and see if there are any wires connected to the switch. Should be a simple pressure fit on the switch to the frame.

__________________
Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

Hey Mike!

Where's the B pillar exactly located? Do you mean way up where the rear "windshield" is? Or is it more on the floor area?
I did find the strip you speak of, an NO I haven't removed it, YET!

I spent some time in the car last night. The front "dome" light has a switch on the side of it, however the rear "dome" (courtesy) light has NO switch....and I can't find a way to operate this light on the dashboard either. I bought the glovebox manual, too. It doesn't say!

BTW my car is a 1969 MB 250 w114....I hadn't mentioned that in this thread!

~Christy

Christy,

On a 4 door car there are three pillars (or posts) on each side of the car. The first, A pillar, is at the windshield, the second , B pillar, is between the doors and lastly is the C pillar where the roof comes down to the trunk.

I don't think you'll have to remove the rubber strip, but can try to pry up the edge. On mine the door switch wires are very close to the edge of the strip.

Matbe the control switch on the dash is a 108/109 thing. On mine it is a rocker switch just above the head light switch and I think it has a light symbol on it. Were you able to check whether the door switches have any wires going to them?

__________________
Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

Christy,
Isn't your car a 250C (Coupe) ? So then it wouldn't have a 'B' pillar.
The 250C should have a small, horizontal, rocker switch on the dash near the left air vent / brake release knob to operate the rear seat interior light. Hope his helps.
Mark DiSilvestro

__________________
DrDKW

Mark,

I went back and re-read the original post. I had read it wrong initially, thought it said came out over the rear door. After re-reading it does sound like a coupe. Color coding on the wires should still be the same though.

__________________
Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

Yeah..I did fail to mention that I have a 1969 MB 250 w114. It's a huge 4-door sedan! It's that center "pillar" BETWEEN the doors, that the wire is coming out of. NOTHING is supposed to be coming out of this pillar!!

What I need to do, it just take the pillar apart....it's already sloppily ASSembled from the moron who did THIS..

but like I've said, these wires look exactly like the wires in the trunk..old fashioned/original...2 grey and 2 red all bound together in brittle black material...

Does anyone know where the door switch is located?? MUST be near the door HINGE, right??

~Christy

Hello Christy,
So do you have a pair of 250s?
I have a 250 4-door and 250 Coupe.
By the way, when these "Huge" cars
were new in the USA, they were considered 'compact' cars - about the same size as a Dodge Dart or Plymouth Valiant - how times have changed!
Happy Motoring!
Mark DiSilvestro

__________________
DrDKW