Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 15:03:46 -0400
Reply-To: shawn feller <carboncow@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: shawn feller <carboncow@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Odd Coolant Temp Gauge Problem
In-Reply-To: <005801c6bc98$c85cbe90$0a0ba8c0@RON>
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check grounds. As a bad circuit heats up it increases resistance. I
believe higher OHMs equates to lower reading from the info I have
collected. Check out this link from my OHM reading search for the
sender from working bentley and VDO.
http://carboncow.net/modules/tinycontent/index.php?id=7
Look for the ground wire on the harness to the gauge cluster. You can
even run a new ground wire, others have.
If that doesn't do it check the voltage stabilizer as outlined in "the
bentley". Voltage should be approx. 9.9v at all times. Never had this
problem and I would think you gas gauge should give odd reasons too.
Lastly I had a bad connection on the wiring harness connector after
playing around in there. Noticed I had no reading (and no power to the
LCD clock) but I did to other gauge cluster items. I needed to reseat
the connection.
I have had one temp sender fail with low readings...but it didn't drop
over time. As a matter of fact I bought a new radiator, thermoswitch
and other things trying to chase a high gauge reading gremlin from
you! My gauge shown 1/4 when I bought the van...when it disappeared to
0/10 I bought a new sender and then started getting 6/8 or 7/8
readings.
Shawn
On 8/10/06, The Bus Depot <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote:
> My '89 Vanagon is experiencing an intermittant coolant gauge failure. During
> a long drive, the reading gradually started to drop over the course of an
> hour or more, until it showed no reading at all. Even then, the heater still
> blew hot. (The outside temperature was 85 degrees, but the interior of the
> van was much cooler with the A/C running, and when I turned on the heat it
> sure felt very hot on my feet.) The gauge continued to show no reading at
> all during the rest of the drive (about 90 minutes) and again on the entire
> drive home (about 4 hours). There was no noticable difference in engine
> performance.
>
> Then, on the next drive, the gauge read perfectly fine again.
>
> Intermittant problems are always the hardest to diagnose, but I'm further
> confused by the gradual drop in the reading. If it was a bad connection, I'd
> have thought that the reading would have dropped suddenly, not gradually
> over time. If it was a faulty temp sender, I wouldn't have expected it to
> suddenly work again. And if it was an accurate reading (due to a bad
> thermostat), the heater should have blown cold.
>
> I've never had a temp gauge or sender go bad, so I don't know if perhaps
> this scenario is more common than I realize and there is a simple
> explanation. Anyone have a similar experience?
>
> - Ron Salmon
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> www.busdepot.com
> (215) 234-VWVW
>
> _____________________________________________
> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
>
--
shawn feller
ohio
www.carboncow.com
www.carboncow.net
