Date:         Mon, 25 Nov 2013 18:31:36 -0800
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Organization: Cosmic Reminders
Subject:      Re: '88 GL intermittent ignition miss (second update)
Comments: To: Gregory Smith <gfs@GREGORYFSMITH.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <20131125101628.ba2d9648c4914d5f56715942772a6035.95fe68a54a.wbe@email02.secureserver.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

Congrats on your good progress Gregory !

re your terminal 15 comment..
you may find it interesting to find out there are two kinds of 'key on'
power that come out of the ignition switch.
'15' is 'on' during starter cranking and running.   Feeds ignition and
engine systems like that.

You've probably noticed the headlights go off ( if you have them on )
while cranking on the starter..
that's becuase they are powered by 'X' voltage out of the ignition switch.
As are the wipers. If on, they also will not sweep while cranking on the
starter.
You can see the X contacts in the Bentley diagrams at the ign sw.

a very common failure is the X feature of the ign switch stops working ..
then...headlights do not work at all , except by pulling the
flasher/dimmer stalk , which is powered with B+ full time battery
voltage. ..

if/when that happens to your van..the light failure thing ..you'll know
right were to look for the problem !


Scott

On 11/25/2013 9:16 AM, Gregory Smith wrote:
> Yesterday I spoke with a fellow PNW Vanagon enthusiast who also works
> on VWs as a side business about this issue.  He was very certain it
> was the hall sender.  So I swapped the hall sender out yesterday
> afternoon.  I used one from another distributor I got from a junkyard
> a few years ago, I think it was a Jetta.  My research suggests they're
> all the same.
>
> Anyway it works fine now, I will report back when I have road tested
> it for a few days.  The idle seems steadier than before too.  Of
> course during all of my troublehsooting I killed my gauge lighting.
> Did you know the key-on power (terminal 15) from the ignition switch
> goes first to the headlight switch? It branches on from there.  Crazy.
>
> One nice thing about how the Vanagon dizzy is mounted, you can pull it
> without having to mess with the timing.
>
> Gregory Smith
> '88 VW Vanagon GL
> '77 Lancia Scorpion
> Olympia, WA