Status Update:
4:30pm Sunday
I attempted to do what the person from FLA suggested but it did not work. If
I new more on how the wiring worked I would have tried to bypass the entire
system but my knowledge is weak in these areas. So I am leaving my van in
update NY and will try a shop called Benko Motors, a self proclaimed vw
specialist in Middletown. Hopefully they can make a house call and try to
fix her.

If anyone ever has a suggestions on a solution let me know.  If not I will
try and take care of it myself.

So now I am taking the bus back to NYC.
-------

on 2/4/07 11:44 AM, robertmstewart at robertmstewart@mac.com wrote:

> Well,  Thanks to someone in Florida named Markus I got a basic answer to the
> situation:
> 
> Here was his reply in case anyone is interested:
> 
> I'm sure you could easily bypass the whole unit, it will just start in any
> gear and you will not have reverse lights. This could be achieved by some
> jumper wirer made out of a short wire and spade connectors IIRC. it'll get
> you going OR rule out the switch as the fault if there is another problem.
> 
> I took mine apart and did some solder work to it to get it back functioning
> correctly: 
> 
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=191526&highlight=reverse+li
> ght
> 
> 
> This thread gave me push to get off my lazy ass and get my reverse lights
> working again. Mine were intermittent, you you could see that wiggling the
> shifter would make them flicker. I took it apart tonight, the "slider" found
> on the shifter itself was pretty much past its prime, the top section of it
> actually wore a hole in it. Savvy cheapskate that I am, I broke out the
> soldering iron and soldered myself a new surface for it. shaped and filed it
> smooth, cleaned the contact points, sprayed all with a little corrosion X
> and good as new! I'd feel better with a new piece but I have a feeling its
> not gonna be an easy part to locate? This should hold up for awhile though,
> i'm very surprised there were not starting issues it was so chewed up. No I
> gotta replace a burned out bulb on the pass side though
> 
> Markus
> mdetro4660@aol.com
> 
> 
> 
> on 2/3/07 8:48 PM, robertmstewart at robertmstewart@mac.com wrote:
> 
>> Hello to all, 
>> 
>> Been a while since I posted anything on the site. I have been super busy
>> with a new job in Brooklyn at a company called VICE.(www.viceland.com)
>> 
>> Anyway, my van has been great but I recently took it to be be serviced for
>> some upper ball joints and replacement of the neutral/parking switch in my
>> 88 Automatic and now it�s not working.
>> 
>> The mechanic purchased the wrong year part for the Neutral/Park Swtich, he
>> said and he put back the old one. At first when I picked up the van it would
>> not start, he had to put it in neutral to start it. I told him that would
>> not suffice till the new part arrived. He fiddled with it, adjusted the unit
>> and got it start in park. I drove upstate on a 2 hour drive and it was fine.
>> I stopped for gas once turning the van off, and starting it again but when I
>> arrived to my destination in Bloomingburg NY and tried to start it in the
>> morning to go snow tubing it would not start. All the dash lights came on
>> but no start. 
>> 
>> I called the mechanic and he told me the contact from the Automatic shifter
>> just had to be pushed against the Neutral/Park Switch. I tried this several
>> times with no luck. Since I had the shifter hood off, I removed the 4
>> connectors going into the neutral/park switch and lightly sanded them to
>> clean them up, I also did this on the contact bridge and the inside of the
>> neutral/park switch. I tried to start the van again, but no luck, not in
>> park or neutral.
>> 
>> The contact bridge does look a bit warn, looks like its warn on the top and
>> angles outward toward the bottom. It has started reliably for a year now
>> without a problem till this mechanic fiddled with it. Any ideas for a short
>> term fix? Is this something I can get at an AutoZone type place? Can I make
>> something from Tin-Foil or another substance?
>> 
>> Can I easily remove this contact switch? If so how?
>>  
>> 
>> If I can�t figure out a temporary fix to get it back to Brooklyn NY then I
>> will to leave it upstate and take the bus back to NYC.
>> 
>> Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
>> 
>> Go the website link below to see the photo�s of the two items.
>> 
>> Thanks again to everyone for their ideas in advance.
>> 
>> Regards,
>> Robert