> I'm curious if any others have had failures in this area?  I know of
one
> other van that had a  wiring problem, but don't know the root cause.

i had something similar happen to my 88 bus ... and the cause was the
air cleaner box. i had replaced the air filter, and when i put the air
cleaner box back onto that little shelf in the engine compartment, i
managed to get a fuel injector wire trapped/pinched underneath the
box. well, it vibrated and wore the insulation away, and the injector
wire shorted about 30-40 amps right into the chassis ...melting the
entire fuel injection harness, the relays in the relay box, the relay
box itself, the ECU, the idle stabilizer module, and a few other
things. $1200 for junkyard replacements and labor. so now my 88 bus
has a 1987 fuel injection system. :)

since then, i've been REALLY careful when i replace the air filter!!!!
i also cable-tied the injector wires under that shelf, where they
can't get misplaced.

joel