I've got an '87 Syncro Westy, purchased in the past two months, and have a
couple of questions that I was unable to clear up after browsing the
archives...

1. Late in the trip home to Maine from Oregon, the headlight switch failed.
(The high-beam flash worked when I pulled the stalk, so I was able to limp
home<g>.)

I ordered a new switch from vanagain.com after determining from several
vendors that the part I needed was 251-941-531M. However, after pulling out
the old switch today, the part number was 251-941-531K.

Question: Is there a difference between the 251-941-531K that was in the van
and the 251-941-531M that I ordered?

The good news: When I put the old switch back in, the headlights worked.

2. I've seen lots of posts about the Vanagon stereo speakers using the same
rear grounding wire. The aftermarket stereo that came with the car puts out
barely anything through the right speakers (just a hint of sound in both the
front and rear right, like bleed-through), and I decided that this all made
sense: the amp in the stereo got fried because the rear speakers shared the
same ground.

However, anticipating the painful attempt to run new wires through the
correct routing, I took the glove box off. Lo and behold, the harness had
four wires, with colors that map to the Bentley diagram for my year. The
notation for this scheme does not mention amplified rear speakers; however,
the wiring scheme does not look different (other than colors of the wires)
for the subsequent model that included amplified rear speakers.

Question: The stereo I bought is 50w max through four speakers. Am I good to
go in terms of hooking it up to the existing wires?

Thanks to all - this is a great list,

Tim Beidel
South Portland, ME
'87 Syncro Westfalia