>     when an '87 wasserboxer is running at proper engine temperature,
> where is the temp. gauge needle pointing? 12 o'clock? 1 o'clock? 2
> o'clock? 10 o'clock?  tia and cheers, art, 82 westy

The answer is NONE OF THE ABOVE!

The vanagon temp gauge is is piece of crap and should not be trusted
except as a relative indicator, so for example if your van normally runs
at 2 O'clock and starts running at 4 O' clock you might have a problem.
The only way to see how hot your van is really running is to install a
real temperature gauge or an IR thermometer.  Ive found that many of the
electrical systems in the vanagon including the temp gauge are very
finicky and prone to failure.