Date:         18 Jul 1995 10:05:07 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Harvey Chao" <Harvey_Chao@smtp.svl.trw.com>
Subject:      Re: Glow Plug Warning Light

                      RE>>Glow Plug Warning Light-Glo              7/17/95


For Jeorg and any of you other diesel people out there who might be
ilnterested.  Gas engine fans can "delete this before reading".
=========================

The hardest thing is running a wire from the engine comparment up to the dash.

Materials :
1)  stranded wire to reach from dash to engine compartment
2)  In line fuse holder with almost any nominal low amperage fuse (this is
protection against short circuits between chassis and the long wire you run up
to the dash - so value is not critical, small to limit potential damage before
fuse blows - 0.5 amps, 1 amp is plenty big, smaller is ok)
3)  Indicator light.  You have a couple of options here:
   a)  Radio Shack for instance sells a flashing red  Light Emitting Diode
(LED).  You will need a voltage dropping resistor to go with it - about 400
ohms should do it. (12volts battery - 2 volts across the LED/0.025 amp current
flow  = 400 ohms  should be about right - pick the nearest standard value, 1/2
watt should be fine).
   b)  a regular 12 volt light bulb, sized to fit where and how you choose to
mount it
   c)  a LED with built in dropping resistor designed to run at "12" volts.

all ya do is take the in line fuse and crimp a terminal on one lead that will
fit under the connecting nut of the glow plug nearest to the front of the van,
and connect the other end of the fuse holder to the wire that you run up to
the front dash.

Pick a place/way to mount your indicator lamp.  If you use a LED with seperate
current limiting resistor, put the resistor between the "+" leg of the LED and
the wire you have run up to the dash.  Connect the other end of the led to a
convenient ground point.  Make sure all connections are properly insulated. 
It would be good to use solderless connectors that crimp to make connections
unless you can solder and insulate your connections.  LEDs come with leads of
unequal length.  If I remember, the longer lead is the "+" lead. (NOTE - went
and checked a bunch in my junk drawer last night -- some times the "+" lead is
the longer of the two, sometimes it isn't, so much for standards and
convention.   You can do a simple test, hook it up to the limiting resistor
and test it on the battery for a second.  If it doesn't light one or more of
the following is true:  1) a fault connection, 2) polarity is wrong,  badl LED
and or bad resistor.)

My current rig was temporary (about x years ago) and I used a LED wilth built
in dropping resistor because it was handy in my electronic junk box.  I just
taped it to the left (driver's) "A" piller.  Since I have to pull the dash
board out sometime to get to the fresh air blower motor, I will probably then
disassemble the instrument cluster enought to pop out one of the dummy
existing leds below the alternator, high beam and glow plug LEDs and insert
one of the above mentioned Radio Shack flashing leds to make a more
professional installation.

What this give you is a lamp on you dash that is on ANY time you have power at
your glow plugs.  Normally this will occur when you turn the "ignition" key on
to start your glow plug cycle and even though the yellow "wait" light goes
out, you will have power on the glow plug bus for a few seconds more, then it
should go out (like it didn't last Saturday night!).  


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