There are 2 ways to tell if you have the resister.
a. Remove the driver's side headlight and see if one is there.
b. Look at the fan motor and see if the wires are part of the motor and
have a round connector a foot or so from the motor. If so, you won't
have the big resister(s) behind the headlight. If you have wires that
bolt onto the motor you do have the resister. There are 2 different
versions so get the right one if you order one. A/C or non-A/C.

Bentley wiring diagrams for 2.1 models show that the resister is only
for A/C equipped models. This is simply WRONG.

Don't take Mr. Bentley too literally. As fine as his publications are
there are plenty of errors and omissions. This is one of those cases.

Mark

SStones wrote:
>
> At 04:51 PM 4/28/03 -0700, Mark wrote:
> >Your fan resister is likely bad. It lives behind the driver's side
> >headlight. It is a large green current limiting resister with 3 wires to
> >it. Only used for lower speed fan operation, high speed puts direct
> >power to the fan.
>
> I believe that that big green resistor only exists in the late 80s
> vanagons, possibly 86-88...
> If you can't find it in there don't panic.
> If your cooling fan motor has two separate + terminals, then you're not
> going to have that resistor. (Barring additions from DPOs).