Date:         Sat, 21 Jun 2003 04:52:46 -0400
Reply-To:     Kevin Curry <kevin@IDRAW.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kevin Curry <kevin@IDRAW.COM>
Subject:      Re: Radiator fan dead?...FIXED!!!

Hi,

Well, I'm a happy camper! Here's the story.

I tried jumping the thermoswitch...nothing.

I replaced the resistor behind the driver's headlight...no change.

I went to a parts yard today and found an Audi 5000S...I found out from
another lister that they have the same fan (the chances of finding the
correct year Vanagon in a yard are slim)...I pulled the fan (Audi
part#443-959-455E as opposed to VW #251-959-455M)), they wanted
$31 for it, but I had left my wallet at home, so I stashed it in another
car for tomorrow. It's identical to the  one in my Syncro.

I got home and ran 12v directly from the battery...my fan works, so I
guess the one at the yard will go to waste...or perhaps I'll go and grab
it to have as a spare or for a fellow lister who needs it (and yes, I
tested it and it works)

I then re-read some older posts and came across one describing the
same situation as mine. (Bill Transue on Sept 2, 2000...I sent him a
thank you email, but it was bounced back). His remedy was to clean
up the grounds that are situated behind the fuse panel (those two
hubs that hold 8 grounds each). He mentioned in his post that one of
these was clean and the other corroded (same situation as mine) and
upon his cleaning them up, everything worked fine.

I also pulled the relay that is above and behind the fuse panel as it
appeared to have some corrosion or dirt on it (it looked OK with a bit of
white powder on it which I cleaned off).

It's a pain working back there as it's a spaghetti bowl of wires, but I
managed to clean them as best I could...not as clean as I would've
liked, but MUCH better. I hooked everything back up and tried jumping
the thermoswitch again...YESSSSS!! BOTH speeds!!! I then turned the
A/C dial and the sweet sound of the low speed fan filled the night
air...(sorry about that).

I don't know if the corrosion on this hub involved my originally loosing
low speed or if that was just a coincidence., as the resistor behind the
driver's headlight WAS badly cracked).

My thanks to all who offered their assistance...hopefully THIS info will
help someone else out.

Kevin Curry
'87 Syncro Westy
(stayin' cool)