Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:57:40 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: electrickery advice please
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hi
re
The battery state LED by the 'fridge has been
showing orange for a few weeks so maybe the battery is failing or perhaps
it's not charging right."
normally I would expect that 'stat of charge' light to be for an auxiliary
battery, not the main starting battery. Do you have just one battery, or
two ?
in any case...check the charging voltage to the starting battery with the
engine running, with a volt meter.
Should be at least 13.8 volts.
if not, work on that. i.e. 'charging voltage' ...like from the alterntor.
the dash issues could be poor connections. ..wiggle the big connector to the
instrument cluster..
or ground wires.
scott
turbovans
----- Original Message -----
From: "al sinclair" <alvanagon@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2011 10:06 PM
Subject: electrickery advice please
> Our '81 Vanagon has a potential problem. Advice please on tracking it down
> ...
>
> The fuel gauge and the direction indicator lights in the dash are both
> going
> on and off over the past two/three days. They'll both be working for a
> while, then they'll both be off, though there doesn't seem to be any
> particular event that triggers the change. The direction indicators still
> work, and I hear the normal ticking sound. Other instruments seem fine,
> clock runs, oxy and oil lights come on when I turn the ignition on and go
> off normally, and the instrument panel illumination works. Might it be a
> loose connection? What should I look for, or is it likely to be something
> that need an electrics specialist?
>
> Tonight there was another problem, which might be totally unrelated - the
> battery nearly failed to start the engine. The engine was hot, had been
> stopped only five minutes. The battery state LED by the 'fridge has been
> showing orange for a few weeks so maybe the battery is failing or perhaps
> it's not charging right. I've no idea if this is related to the dash
> problem
> (and until morning I'm not going to start/try the engine again.)
>
> Other info: it's an automatic, in Santa Cruz Calif.
>
> I've got a trip planned in 10 days, arranged time off work and sister
> flying
> in, so it would be very cool to solve this fast. Please, dear list
> members,
> any ideas and advice will be welcome.
>
> Al
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