Date:         Sat, 11 Oct 2014 11:23:50 -0700
Reply-To:     Dug Smith <dug@DUGBERT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dug Smith <dug@DUGBERT.COM>
Organization: What, me organised?
Subject:      Re: ELECTRICAL: need help diagnosing non-working brake/backup
              lights
Comments: To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CAFnDXk2cKZh_wkqHMVL8JuaFkLXhL_kaWbhfLmhcNQs35BY4-Q@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

OK, so what I did (eventually - I'll skip all the dumbass
troubleshooting that got me nowhere), for my sins, is leave the battery
connected, and jumper one of the pressure switches, so the brake light
should be on.  I unscrewed the mounting for the fuse box, and took that
off the fuse box.  Being careful to not set fire to the thing, I then
wiggled the spade connectors at the #8 fuse in the box, and the top
(when it's all mounted in the van), hard to get to, spade caused the
lights to go on and off intermittently.  I cleaned the spade, and then
they'd stay on.

On 10/11/2014 9:16 AM, Jim Felder wrote:
> Thanks, Dug.
>
> By now I have tried everything I could possible rig up between the front
> of the back and nothing conclusive. The problem is I don't know HOW to
> perform a test on the system. For example, I can go from the hot side of
> the fuse box back to the bulb and that works. What I can't seem to pin
> down is where to probe between the switch and the other side of the
> fuse, or where to look for the spade connector that the bentley calls
> out in 97.45 which, though it may not be the problem, would definitely
> cause the problem if it is open.
>
> Jim