Date:         Tue, 11 Jun 2002 08:35:05 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: blinking coolant light on 83 Westy
Comments: To: Oxroad@AOL.COM
In-Reply-To:  <e5.1932567b.2a37423e@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 08:08 AM 6/11/2002, Jeffrey R wrote:
>Should the coolant level warning switch be replaced? If this coolant level
>sensor is failing, could this be the cause of the low temp gauge reading or
>does the temp gauge work solely off the temp gauge sender?   It seems odd
>that unplugging the coolant level warning light makes the gauge rise to the
>top.

That's the way the older coolant-level control boxes worked.  Sometime in
'85 they shifted to a trickier one that doesn't peg the gauge -- it just
pretends to, which tricks the light into flashing.


>Or, worse, Am I in grave danger?

No -- you might have a panel regulator giving low voltage (needs to be 9.5
to 10.5 volts, should bt 10.0) but more likely the flasher circuit in the
gauge has a problem.  You can fix it by replacing a capacitor in the gauge,
but you have to drill the rivets out, take delicate stuff apart, put it
back together -- big nuisance.  The only other answer is another gauge.  Or
you can just ignore the flashing light -- tape over it.  You'll probably
find it's worse in humid weather.


>I'll clean up the connections on the coolant level sensor in the daylight.

You can, but that part is working fine.  Problem is internal to the gauge,
I'm sorry to say.

david


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