Doug, 

Thanks for the reply. I must have something else wrong because I did exactly
what you said it still do dot work. I tried it in park.

I really, really appreciate you getting back to me. I am not sure why I did
not receive the p-mail you sent though.

Anyway, thanks again.

Robert

on 2/4/07 5:41 PM, Doug at vanagons@cox.net wrote:

> Rob,
> I've responded several times (p-mail) on your problem, but I don't see how you
> could have received them. Just disconnect the 2 big red wires, plug them
> together, and wrap electrical tape over the splice! Just be aware of which
> gear your shift selector is in before you turn the key!
> BTW, New York needs updating! :-)
> Doug in Rival CT
> 
> 
> robertmstewart wrote:
>>  
>> 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
>>>> <http://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
>>>>       
>>>>  
>>>  
>>  
>> 
>>   
>