Date:         Tue, 30 Nov 1999 15:38:09 -0500
Reply-To:     Alan Pickersgill <pickersgill@HOME.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Alan Pickersgill <pickersgill@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: intermittent headlight failure
Comments: To: Mike <mayfly95@paonline.com>
In-Reply-To:  <3844239C.D2DB29E6@paonline.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Mike:
This story and many like it I've seen on the Vanagon list make me think
that in addition to the archives it'd be a really useful thing we could do
for one another to create a list of common problems that are difficult to
diagnose. On several occasions I've spent time and money on trying to find
something elusive that turns out to be known to a number of other people on
the list.

A spreadsheet that identifies problems by symptom and matches them with
what turned out to be the problem would be really helpful.

I'm too busy right now to take it on but I'd contribute a couple of items,
like very deceptive intermittent noises that turned out to be CV joints
although they confounded several good mechanics.

Anybody out there up for it?
>Same here - ignition switch was the diagnosed culprit ~ $70 dealer installed.
>
>mike
>87 westy
>
>Alan Pickersgill wrote:
>
>> >Anybody familiar with this particular situation?
>>
>> John: I had what sounds like the same problem this past summer on my 1985
>> with 200,000 km about the same km as yours. Headlights at first started to
>> switch from high to low on their own. Then they would go off.
>>
>> I was lucky enough to find a good used switch where I was vacationing in
>> Newfoundland. I changed both stalks the turn indicator/high-low beam and
>> the wiper/washer which it is integrated with.
>>
>> Two days later the same problem recurred and I ended up travelling at night
>> with either no lights or high beam, by holding the high beam in position.
>>
>> VW dealer in Charlottown Prince Edward Island diagnosed the problem.
>> Defective ignition switch. Although the ignition part was never a problem
>> and the light problem was intermittent.
>>
>> Worth checking it out my records show the part cost $47.15 CDN
>>
>> Alan Pickersgill
>> Ottawa, ON
>> Canada
>> '85 Tranporter - Westfalia conversion
>> '89 Golf Diesel
>> Alan Pickersgill
>> Ottawa, ON
>> Canada
>
>
Alan Pickersgill
Ottawa, ON
Canada