Mike,

You (and so do I) have a leaky capacitor inside the gauge unit.  I
"Think" it's a 100mf and it's a pain to get to.  They usually act up
more with an increase in humidity but can act up anytime.

The quick fix is to replace the temperature gauge with a good one.  A
work around, for a while anyway, is to turn on the key and wait for 10
or so seconds before engaging the starter.  That's been working for me
for several years now.

Mike

Michael Hart wrote:
> To those who have helped me with my previous posts - THANKS!
>
> However, I have a new potential problem (i.e. that's to say I don't know if it is a problem
> or just a nuisance) with the water temperature indicator light on my '87 Westy.
> Normal operation: when I start engine from cold, light flashes for several seconds &
> then goes out (it behaves this way most of the time)
> Occasionally: light continues to flash (I've only waited about a minute). If I switch engine
> off and on again, it behaves normally.
> Occasionally (after switching engine off & on again); light comes on again, a little later
> (perhaps half a minute later) and continues to flash. If I switch engine off and on again,
> back to normal operation.
> This only seems to happen first thing (morning, not particularly cold here in northern CA)
> and does not come back later in the day. I can then drive all day (well, use the van for trips
> up to 50 miles, that's as far as I have gone recently, at up to freeway speeds) without the
> light flashing again.
> Coolant level is normal (i.e. b/w the full/empty marks on the expansion tank), no recent
> coolant changes or leaks. The (analog) temperature gauge behaves normally, starting from
> cold and settling just below midpoint marker under normal use.
> Engine is stock 2.1l and has 112k.
>
> Any ideas??
>
> Thanks,
> Mike
> '87 Westy
>
>
>
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