Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 21:49:00 -0700
Reply-To: Jon B Kanas <kanas@QADAS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jon B Kanas <kanas@QADAS.COM>
Subject: Re: vanagon Digest - 25 Jan 2001 to 26 Jan 2001 - Special
issue(#2001-129)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Fellow listers and John Rogers,
All those lights and all that noise... Got your attention, didn't it?
I've had the same experience, three times in one week thanks to a breaking power steering pump mount bolt. The PS belt would let go and take the other belts with it. The first time, belt remnants wrapped themselves around the pulley, so after the lights and noise there were copious amounts of smoke coming out of the engine compartment vents. That one was REAL exciting....
For whatever reason, I suspect to reallly get your attention, when the alternator quits turning the balancing 12V+ to the instrument cluster is lost, and all of the idiot lights get a nice path to ground. No, I'm not kidding, ALL of them. If you look at the current traces in the Bentley manual, you can figure out why this happens.
Older VW's with alternators gave you the brake light with the generator / alternator light to get your attention. Apparently, VW didn't think that was enough for the Vanagon!!
Regards,
Jon B Kanas
Longmont, Colorado
Cultural Center of the Universe
303-678-0658
kanas@qadas.com
You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 23:11:36 -0600
From: John Rodgers <jhrodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Catastrophe???(Oil lite and oil alarm on!)
While driving my 88GL down the interstate from town tonight suddenly all
the warning lights on the panel came on.........coolant level warning
lite, Alternator lite, ox2 lite, and Oil pressure light. A few seconds
later the oil pressure warning horn began blaring as well. I eased it
into neutral, crossed three lanes to the shoulder of the road, shut off
the engine, and coasted to a stop.
All those lights at once were confusing.....then add the warning
horn....wow!!
I checked the oil leve which was fine. Then I raised the access cover to
the engine and found the AC belt was toast. It had come completely apart
and only a small part was still under the hatch. Most was gone to the
ground somewhere. The other belts...Alt and Pwr Steering belt were still
intact, but had been knocked off the pulleys. I had to get the old gal
towed home.
Question. Why would all the lights and the buzzer come on. Scared the
bejeebers out'en me.
How is the oil pressure light and the warning horn related in this case.
What was happening with the failure of the ALT belt, as well as the
others simply coming off.
Any help here would be appreciated. I must put on a new belt tomorrow,
but am I going to have a problem with oil pressure? It's a bit scary.!
Thanks,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
End of vanagon Digest - 25 Jan 2001 to 26 Jan 2001 - Special issue (#2001-129)
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