Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 14:26:51 -0700
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: Preliminary...Headlight weirdness? (long)
In-Reply-To: <BAY152-ds80A086F371159448540E3A0F10@phx.gbl>
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fwiw,
I have seen 3 common headlight scenarios ( well, 2 common, one not that
common )
1. as Dennis addresses ..weak grounds. On my own 82 TD vanagon years
ago, the symptom was dim headlights. Traced the brown grnd wires to the
grounding cluster above the fuse box ....spade connectors were weak and
loose there. . Changed those to screw and eye connection. - all good
again. OR ...make a solid new ground near the headlights as mentioned.
One very good trick..put a muti-point screw washer between body of van
and wire eye. Those points dig in, makes great contact.
2. The only way the headlights work is by pulling the stalk for high beams.
This one is usually the ignition switch not supplying current to the
light switch. Very easy to test for, and not a complicated repair.
3. Had one van that would not switch from high beams back to low beams
'sometimes.'
Like one out of 20 times it wouldn't. That was the high/low beam
switch itself. And ...oddly.......that switch is part of the other
stalk/switch, not the one you pull on to change from high to low and
back. Van Cafe points that out in their parts descriptions.
A new high/low beam switch fixed that one.
scott
On 6/9/2012 7:10 AM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
> Check the ground wire connection above the fuse box. Better yet add new
> ground points near the headlights.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Don Hanson
> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 9:07 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Preliminary...Headlight weirdness? (long)
>
> Last evening while returning from windsurfing (heading west into
> 30-gusting to 45mph winds) in the Columbia River Gorge, my headlights began
> misbehaving. The wind really doesn't have anything to do with it, since that
> is pretty normal for the Gorge Wind. Just thought some might find interest
> in how my particular van gets used...
>
> I have not yet this morning begun electrical troubleshooting, one of my
> 'weak areas' when it comes to automotive skills. 84 vanagon. I understand
> the headlight switches are often 'problematic' and I do have a spare, so I'm
> putting swapping in my spare switch near the top of my diagnostic agenda.
>
> I have my axillary driving lights...2 KC daylighters...wired in to a
> secondary VW light switch (in the blank spot of the instrument cluster)
> and that switch controls a relay to power those secondary lights.. This
> secondary switch gets power only when the highbeams of the headlights are
> on...so when driving in remote areas, I can switch on the driving lights
> along with the highbeams and have them go off when I use the dimmer
> stalk. With me so far? The relay main power (fused) to aux lights comes
> directly from my axillary battery...
>
> So as I came home around dusk....about 8pm with clouds...my blue LED
> highbeam indicator came on when I switched from parking lights to regular
> headlights....Pulling on the stalk dimmer switch caused the blue LED to dim
> slightly but didn't do the switching it should, I felt no "click" as the
> stalk was pulled in, no feel of activation.......and my headlights weren't
> working. Parking lights do work, turnsignals do work, driving lights do
> work when the secondary switch is turned on...
>
> I didn't find any blown fuses in a quick cursory check of the fuse panel.
>
> I did get a flashback from a passing trucker on my way out east to
> windsurf earlier in the day. I use my highbeams sometimes to signal
> passing trucks when they have their trailers past me in tight passing
> situations...like real trucks do for each other...and I usually get an
> 'acknowledging' blink of the truck's lights after they complete the pass...a
> "Thanks, Buddy" thing...I guess. When I pulled into our barnyard, I tried
> the 'flash the lamps' quick pull of the stalk and no lights...So this new
> problem just happened (or showed itself) suddenly in one day.
>
> I am essentially lost when it comes to reading wiring diagrams and making
> any sense of them...I am trying to get better with electricals, and I've
> made some progress, but with a system that is moderately complex like
> vanagon headlights/emergency flashers/dimmers/automatic shutoff of the main
> headlights to parking lights, etc etc...I have no real hope of making sense,
> given my current (sorry...) understanding of the wiring diagrams or using
> said electrical maps to help me get the lights back to working order....
>
> I haven't been in the dash or messing with any wiring in a month or two,
> so I don't think I screwed it up with ham-fisting. I can operate my
> digital electrical tester and I can use a test light effectively now.
>
> So, when it warms up a bit outside, I'll be going at this problem. If
> anyone has any tips or a suggested plan of attack, I could use any the help
> I can get. Nothing is too basic to suggest to me.
> My preliminary plan is to re-check the fuses, then swap out the
> headlight switch. Then I plan on checking the headlight grounding and the
> auxiliary light grounding...I think that can cause weird behavior. From
> there....I guess I will just start tracing wires with my test light and see
> where it stops shooting electrons....I am pretty lost from that point.
>
> Suggestions? Guesses? Tips? thanks,
>
> Don Hanson
>
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