Date:         Sat, 2 May 2015 21:32:09 -0500
Reply-To:     Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@MYMTS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@MYMTS.NET>
Subject:      Re: Wonky temp gauge
Comments: To: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2015050216572841@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Sounds like i now have a spare temp gauge to add to my collection :)

Light doesn’t flash at all.  Just glows faintly.  Temp needle pegs ‘immediately’ which means starts rising immediately but takes 2-3 seconds to reach the top.

Last year before gauge replacement the temp needle pegged the same and the light flashed continuously.  The foil connection is getting kinda grungy.

So power supply or ground issue it sounds like?

Thanks
Jeff 


> On May 2, 2015, at 3:57 PM, David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET> wrote:
> 
> At 02:44 PM 5/2/2015, Jeff Palmer wrote:
>> Hi everyone.  85 Westfalia automatic with 300k km.
>> 
>> Last year the temp gauge started pegging immediately upon startup.
> 
> Not a gauge problem, also should never happen without the light flashing.  If gauge pegs and light does *not* flash that is the gauge blinker circuit or incorrect voltage supplied to gauge.  Also, "immediately" is subject to parsing here.  If upon turning the key on the guage flashes for 2-3 seconds, then stops, then some seconds later starts flashing again while the needle heads for the red zone, you have an old-type coolant level controller which is either defective or has an open between the trigger line and ground, either a fault or the coolant is actually low in the pressure bottle.
> 
>>  Not too long after that the red LED refused to stop flashing.  Feedback from the list suggested it was the temp gauge so I replaced it with strange results.  Upon startup the temp gauge doesn’t respond, but then slowly begins to climb until it pegs.  The LED doesn’t flash, but glows softly.
> 
> That needs diagnosis.  Right off the bat, the gauge must flash for 2-3 seconds every time you turn on the ignition.  If it doesn't, bad gauge or bad gauge supply or bad gauge ground.  If the supply is bad the gauge will read incorrectly.  If ground is bad the gauge will read correctly but the blinker will misbehave.
> 
> Yrs,
> d
> 
> 
>> The plastic cluster is barely holding itself together.
>> 
>> Any thoughts on the gauge?
>> 
>> thanks
>> Jeff
>