Date:         Tue, 19 Dec 1995 10:10:31 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         sage@instanet.com (Martin Sage)
Subject:      Re: Bad Short '73 Bus

>Not a short bus, a bus short.  This is on a friend's '73 bus.  The 
>symptoms are that the battery will go dead if it sits for 24 hours 
>without running.  The battery was replaced.  No improvement.  We then 
>did the Muir fuse thing where you pull out fuses one at a time until 
>you don't get the spark when you install the ground cable.  We 
>narrowed it down to the number two fuse.  This fuse controls the park 
>and tail lights and the license plate light.  We replaced one bad 
>bulb and cleaned up one other to get it to work.  Still a spark.  We 
>pulled out the headlight switch and ran the volt meter over it.  None 
>of them show any power except the big hot wire coming into the thing. 
>We also checked the emergency flasher switch, which is on another 
>fuse, just to be sure.
>
>So, we are stuck.  This is where we kindly ask you fine folks if you 
>have seen this problem before and what was the fix?  Standing at the 
>ready, multimeter in hand....
>-- 
>James A. Brill Jr.         \\  //
>jbrill@unlinfo.unl.edu   \\ \\// //      If you're not outraged
>University of Nebraska    \\//\\//     you're not paying attention.
>free-lance homo sapien     \/  \/
>
>I had a similar problem on the same tail light/turn signal/headlight
 circuit.  After searching for the grounded power line I found the 
 culprit...a bad flasher unit.  Pulled that puppy out from the bottom of
 the fuse buss (you could see it was burned) and replaced it...everything
 was back to normal.

 If that's not it...I would disconnect major lines like the power line
 that feeds the entire tail light section or the entire headlight section
 so you can get an idea as to where (front or rear) you need to look for
 the illusive grounding hot wire.

 Martin