Charles, are you sure that you cooling system is entirely full, and you have
bled all the air from it?

John
'84
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles McGehee" <chasm@ELLTEL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 9:43 PM
Subject: Re: Blinking coolant level light

> I'm desperate.  No burned wires.  Coolant level sensor good. Temp 2
> sensor good (or so says my mechanic), level control module good.
>
> But here's a puzzle.  When I turn on and turn off the headlights
> rapidly, the blinking light often goes out (not always, but
> often.)  I thought that maybe that indicated a drop in voltage which
> was affecting the light and maybe the voltage stabilizer on the back
> of the instrument panel was screwy.  Checked it out, though, and it's
> okay, too.  (9.8-10.0 v, well within Bentley's specs.)
>
> So, where do I go from here?  Any ideas?  I'm totally beat.
>
> Charles
> '85 Westy
>
> At 04:40 PM 9/7/2006, Charles McGehee wrote:
>>Here's where things stand with my blinking coolant level light:
>>
>>All grounds clean and sound.  Coolant sensor works.  Replaced the
>>coolant level control module (relay).. No change.    So I threw up my
>>hands and took it back to my mechanic.
>>
>>Unfortunately, it's not clear how much he knows about what.  He
>>thought the coolant control module was on the printed circuit behind
>>the instrument cluster and said I had replace the wrong thing until I
>>showed him the part and he called VW verifying that what I replaced
>>was in fact the coolant level control module.  In any event, he said
>>that the light would stop blinking when he turned the headlights on
>>and off repeated.  They he wiggled on the wiring harness which runs
>>across the back above the muffler.  He discovered that it was melted,
>>or at least the plastic cable retainer was sort of melted.  After he
>>wiggled on it, the light switch routine wouldn't work any more.
>>
>>He determined, then, that my relay is working and current is coming
>>out of it, but it's not being received by the flashing light unit,
>>apparently.  He's convinced that the problem lies either in the
>>printed circuit on the instrument cluster unless the "melted" wiring
>>has caused some sort of short or current leakage  .  So I told him to
>>put it back together again, and I'd look at the wiring harness before
>>committing to a new printed circuit.  This is where it stands now.
>>
>>What do you all think of this?  Have you ever had the rear wiring
>>harness melt?  It's in a stupid place, I must admit, but still.  Have
>>any of you every had problems with the printed circuit behind the
>>instrument panel?
>>
>>Would appreciate your views.  I'm at my wits end.
>>
>>Charles
>>'85 Westy
>