City Lights?

[Dmill]

I noticed my headlights have a small bulb recepticle below the main headlight bulb (The lights are H4's). I would like to make these lights functional.

I heard these small bulbs in the headlight assembly were called "City Lights"

Has anyone ever written up a detailed procedure on how to wire these lights?

I heard these "City Lights" were used in europe? Is this true?

For Example:
Are you supposed to wire the lights to the running / parking lights?
If no then where?
What is the correct wire color to use?
What wires in the parking lights do you tap into?
Best place to ground
Best wire routing

Any helpful hints and or proper education is appreciated

Thanks..

[real550A]

Try a search on Pelican. It has been discussed in detail over there.

[Gearbox]

You could just run a wire and tap it into the running lights. The socket is already grounded. The bulb is a special running light bulb that you can get at PEP Boys as a early VW listing. Good luck Allan

[RickS]

Mr. Gearbox is quite correct. That's how I did mine except I drilled a small hole in each bucket, painted the hole, and added a tiny grommet for the wire to go through. I just tapped into the running lights. Here is the result...

[boxster03]

If I am not mistaken those small lights were phased out in the 356 model line sometime, even for continental cars.

[kenikh]

Yeah, but the H4s obviously still had accomodations for a bulb in that location. Not necessarily correct, but necessarily COOL.

[schmidt]

The "city light" function was deleted in the headlight after the 356. It was incorporated into the signal housing in 64-73. The H-4 headlamp unit for the 1973 only Euro 911 would have no city light provision, as did the previous H-1 and tungsten bulb 64-67 lights. Typically the H-1 assemblies (intoduced in 1968) do not have city light provisions unless they were factory installed from 74 and later. In 1974 the city light returned with the new short hood bumper cars, the signal lamp indicator no longer included that portion acting as a "city light". H-4 light assemblies with "city light" provisions are 1974 and newer.

[joetiii]

A note on the install.... If you tie into the sidemarker light, is it true that when you put the directional in either left or right position, while the ignition off, that the city light will comeon, just as the sidemarker light is designed to do?

[bobmagyar]

Thanks Schmidt for solving a mystery that me and Mike Walker confused.

My guess was the really early cars had the the H1 city light but indeed it was the other way around.

[RickS]

A note on the install.... If you tie into the sidemarker light, is it true that when you put the directional in either left or right position, while the ignition off, that the city light will comeon, just as the sidemarker light is designed to do?

In a word, yes.