Date:         Sun, 2 Jun 2002 09:40:42 -0700
Reply-To:     patrice b <prb@TELEVAR.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         patrice b <prb@TELEVAR.COM>
Subject:      My "PolterGauge" (Instrument Cluster ;-)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Hi, Volks.  I bought my 85 van a bit over a year ago, and the instrument
cluster was 'ghosting' on and off (mostly off)-- thus the nickname.
I'll tell ya, I'm so used to it being dead that it scares me when it comes
on-- something moving on the dashboard there? It's like having a hamster
pop up.  But I digress....

I know it's bad news to not have your: oxy sensor and battery lights,
tachometer, fuel guage, and TEMPERATURE guage especially working on this
vehichle now more than I did when I bought this thing (my first VW).  When
it doescome on everything comes on fine, but when it's off it's all off.

And there's no rhyme or reason I can see.  I've looked at the weather-- is
it dry or is it humid when it comes on or goes out?  Not a consistent
factor.  I've looked at the length of time the vehichle is running or has
been parked-- it can come on for a couple minutes after being parked for a
few hours or a month, or not...and it can come on in the middle of a long
trip and then stay on for the entire weekend, starting up again after gas
station stops or overnight off.  The radio/tape player on or off; lights on
or off-- whatever. I'm just getting no pattern.

I've had it in at Halsey Automotive in Portland, OR  and they had it open
and could not find what was wrong-- it was working THAT DAY (@$*% *!) and
they couldn't get it to go out during the appt. time (and I live 500 miles
from there and only travel to Portland twice a year for a week to see my
doctor, etc. so I can't just leave the van there for a week...or haven't
arranged this yet, anyway.)  They added a little foil to the foil and made
it 'fatter' so it would have better contact, and said if that didn't do it
it would probably need to be replaced. That was the first time I took it
in....the second time was when it worked the entire time while there.

I'd really like my tachometer and my heat guage, y'know?  (if it was just
the battery light and the fuel guage I could cope without....)  Any
thoughts? Adam's selling a foil and cluster at ebay made me think I should
just replace, since I am loathe to buy a foil new from a dealer at those
prices just to find out that ain't it.

Suggestions?

Patrice
85 "Vana Blue"