Date:         Sun, 8 Apr 2001 18:01:24 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: flashing coolant light
Comments: To: stephen de la salle <sdelasal@PEOPLEPC.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <007901c0c067$18a365e0$ba11303f@hppav>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 04:04 PM 4/8/2001, stephen de la salle wrote:
>I've seen similar comments in the archives ..but, from the circuit, the temp
>sensor is connected to the temperature sender - which is a
>resistance element ...so I don't see how coolant level or coolant chemistry
>can affect things.

Right.  It can't -- for you.  People with the two little stainless prongs
sticking down into the coolant tank occasionally run into this as the
solution has to have a certain amount of conductivity to keep the warning
from going off.


>I suspect hat something is wrong at the instrument gauge end - but it's
>puzzling.

The flashing light has a self-test at startup - in your case it isn't
stopping.  I mentioned the cures in my previous message.


>For example, I look at bently and it shows the voltage stabilizer with three
>connection - on my van there are three legs to the stabilizer (looks like a
>big 3 legged transister)
>but only two connectors for it on the plastic 'circuit board' - no mention
>of this in bently.

Without going out to look, no doubt one connection is made through the heat
sink.


>Also, there is no explanation that I can find as to how the flashing lamp
>works  ...I presume it must be when the
>sensor resistance gets into the extremes of range - specifically too hot..
>that the lamp is set off.....

There are two types of coolant modules around -- one of them simply
simulates an overheat which triggers the light.  The other is more clever
and manages to set off the light without affecting the needle, which is
quite a clever trick indeed.  Someone sent me one of those to check out,
but it unfortunately got lost in the mail.  But you don't have either one,
of course, so if your lamp is flashing and the needle isn't pegged, then
it's an internal failure in the gauge, see my previous post.

david


David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"