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Subject:Re: fan switch or sensor
From:Gary McEachern
Date:Sun, 28 Sep 2003 13:12:49 -0400

I believe PN 251 971 284 E is for vans without AC and PN 251 971 284 H is for vans with AC.

Gary

Robert Steven Fish <fish@SALZBURG.CO.AT> wrote:

>Why not buy the new parts, and keep them as a spare??
>
>From my experience with Vanagons, I'd say  "If it isn't broken... don't fix
>it".
>
>If it does someday break, it will most likely be due to the giant green
>resistor behind the drivers side front headlamp housing (PN 251 971 284 E).
>
>The part you mention is a temp sensor and a switch.  It has a temperature
>sensor in contact with the coolant at the front of the radiator, and
>determines whether to switch the fan on at low speed, or high speed.
>
>You mention that you have A/C and that makes your electrical a bit more
>complicated, as the circuit is set up to run the high speed fan whenever the
>A/C compressor works too hard. This means that there is an extra relay I
>believe and a few extra wires involved.
>
>If you are creative, an interesting add-on solution (which I and many other
>listmembers have made) is to build in a switch on the dash, whereby you can
>manually control the high speed radiator fan.  If you are seeing that temp
>gauge rising, and want to give your engine some cooling, you can flip it on.
>This also helps if your resistor ever fails, because you then can still have
>high speed fan manually when you want it.
>
>If you are paranoid about your head gaskets, you can also run the high speed
>fan for a few minutes after you stop driving on the highway, and then leave
>it on for a few after the car is off.  Apparently the engine gets the
>hottest right after you stop driving, and that added heat can be a strain on
>the heads.  I was doing this for awhile, but the noise of the high speed fan
>was just way too crazy to leave it on for any significant amount of time.
>
>Good luck with your project!
>
>RSF
>
>IMPORTANT!!! In order to reply to me, you must have the word "FISH"
>somewhere in the subject line of the email.  Otherwise it goes directly in
>the trash.
>
><�)))>{   <�)))>{   <�)))>{   <�)))>{   <�)))>{   <�)))>{
>
>Robert S. Fish
>Salzburg, Austria
>1987 Wolfsburg Vanagon 2.1 GL Weekender
>1987 Golf Cabriolet
>1991 Golf
>
>
>> I am wanting to replace the switch or sensor that
>> turns the radiator fan on at various temperature.
>> The three speed fan on my 87 vanagon with AC works but
>> I wish to renew that parts that are involve in that
>> circuit and carry the old parts as spares.   Is the
>> part I need
>> 251959481k?   Is this a sensor or switch?   thanks gary
>

--
Gary McEachern
Reading, Ma
'90 Westy Subavanagon
'86 Wolfy Subavanagon
'87 Syncro (Son's van)

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