Date:         Wed, 2 Mar 2022 07:56:09 -0800
Reply-To:     vw_van_fan_Mark <madvws@COX.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         vw_van_fan_Mark <madvws@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: Another D15 connector failure example- The fix!
In-Reply-To:  <74FF3890-CF85-4852-9A71-7B84984ADB65@shaw.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

The D15 pin burnout problem is getting to be well documented.
I wonder how many Vanagons drove owners and shops crazy as this obscure
problem developed.

VW simply made a mistake in the 86+ Vanagon wiring when they switched to
the modern fuse/relay panel.
The later fuse/relay panel has 2 sizes of connector pin.
One size for low current uses and a larger pin for high current uses.
The D15 pin is a low current one.
There is a nearby high current pin connected right to it, pin D23
VW used the high current pin D23 for the same function in millions of
other VWs that shared the same fuse/relay panel.
In the Vanagon they used to low current one and sometimes it burns out.

The wire itself is big enough, it just needed the larger pin crimped to
it so it could go in the high current location for the same signal.

Mark


Alistair Bell wrote:
> Ah, I get it now .
>
> I’m slow :-)
>
> The plastic connector pic is much more dramatic than the fuse panel pin pic… that’s why the “if you doubted” etc tagline.
>
> It’s interesting that you’ve seen the connectors that look brand new.
>
> Alistair
>
>> On Feb 28, 2022, at 10:56 PM, OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>>     I wasn’t meaning to imply that You had said D15 & Fire were related, I was just laying out what
>>
>> My Doubts were & was truly curious as to what doubts You were referring to in Your earlier EM when
>>
>> You said “If You doubted before,”~
>>
>>    The D15 is indeed an Odd Critter, I’ve seen this issue a bunch & have also seen others that,
>>
>> like My ’90, appear to be brand new,, Seems that they either look Really Bad or Brand New ~
>>
>>
>>
>>> On 28 Feb , 2022, at 8:08 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA> wrote:
>>>
>>> I don’t think I said the d15 issue caused the fire. There were musings as to whether an engine fire could cause the d15 damage.
>>>
>>> I think the fire and the connector unrelated.
>>>
>>> I do think that 86.5 model year and newer vans should have the d15 connector checked.
>>>
>>>
>>> Ab
>>>>> On Feb 28, 2022, at 6:51 PM, OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@comcast.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>     I’m curious AB just what doubt You might be referring to,, I have no doubt that D15 Can Be & Is
>>>>
>>>> sometimes a serious Problem Child when it comes to the Items that are connected to that circuit,, I do
>>>>
>>>> however hold some doubt that it was that obviously faulty D15 that was the cause of that fire ~
>>>>
>>>>  Might have been but also might not have been ~
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> On 27 Feb , 2022, at 5:20 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Just to update, I was at the burned out van stripping more stuff. Took a pic of the female side of the D connector.
>>>>> If you doubted before, this might sway :-)
>>>>>
>>>>> https://shufti.blog/2022/02/19/vanagon-another-d15-connector-failure/
>>>>>
>>>>> Alistair
>>>>>
>>>>>