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Date:         Sun, 6 Jul 2008 08:20:06 -0700
Reply-To:     Ikard <fikard@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ikard <fikard@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Purpose of "Voltage Stabilizer" in Instrument cluster?
Comments: To: neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <c4e7c5f90807052336o6f7517cft9433db1f4df9578d@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hey guys, I used after market gauges for my conversion. The temp gauge seems to be reading accurately. Thermostat opens at approximately 205. Do the after market gauges need the voltage stabilizer? I am thinking not but would like to know what you all think.

By the way Neil, my engine has developed an oil leak. I think at the intermediate shaft seal so the front of the engine comes off tomorrow.......again. I think the engine sat too long before I got it running. I did squirt some oil in the spark plug holes and turned it over by hand to prevent the cylinders from drying out but obviously there are other bearings which may have gone dry....hopefully not the cam bearings.

Charlie

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf Of neil N Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2008 11:37 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Re: Purpose of "Voltage Stabilizer" in Instrument cluster?

On Sat, Jul 5, 2008 at 12:55 PM, Mike S <mikes@flatsurface.com> wrote: > At 03:18 PM 7/5/2008, neil N wrote... >> >> Hi all. > > Hi Neil. > >> Does the voltage stabilizer work in conjunction with the engine >> coolant temp gauge? > > Yes, it provides a constant 10 volts for the gauges. > >> i.e. if one took the engine temp gauge out of the cluster, connected >> it straight to the temp sending unit (sensor) and 12+, would this give >> an innacurate reading of engine coolant temp? > > Yes. > >> Like maybe too high? > > Yes.

Thanks Mike. This may explain why the needle on the Jetta coolant gauge pinned all the way to the right when I hooked it up to my VanaJetta conversion (this was done after some test runs up some mountain hills)

> The gauges are bimetallic - they work by heating a special piece of metal > which bends as it gets warm. There's a heating coil wrapped around tha piece > of metal. 10 volts from the regulator goes to one end of the heating coil, > the other is connected to the sensor (fuel, temp). The sensors offer a > variable resistance. Less resistance causes more current to flow, making > more heat, bending the metal more, making the gauge read higher. > > If you bypass the regulator, then you have 12 volts on one end of the > heater, so more current will flow than is intended, and the gauge will read > higher than it should. >

I appreciate the insights into the workings of the gauge etc. I actually popped it open to see of there wasn't something obviously wrong with it. Turns out I had it wired wrong.

Good to know that my engine may not be totally overheating!

Cheers,

Neil.


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