At 03:34 PM 7/22/2008, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
>I need to identify which relay-looking unit is the Coolant Level Control
>unit in an 84 Vanagon.
>Not finding the info in Bently.  Shows it for 86, but not 84 , that I can
>find.

It's high up on the body under left side of dash.  Very easy to
remove when the dash is off, not so easy when it's on.

>I also understand that one can put an 85 or later one in.......
>to 'fix' that handy feature on  84's  where if the level is low, it also
>pegs the temp gauge needle.

Yes.  They both work by sending an overheat signal to the gauge, but
the later one sends in brief pulses that don't materially affect the
gauge position, taking advantage of the fact that the flasher runs
for several seconds every time it is triggered.

>Am I on the right track here ?
>also, since i'm getting no flahsing LED in the temp guage at all on this
>84........

None on key-on?  You should get several seconds of flashing then.  If
not, then the gauge internal circuit is toast.  Or *possibly*
regulator has failed and is feeding full system voltage to the gauge
-- I don't know whether this would suppress the startup test,
although I doubt it.  I do know that undervoltage makes it flash continuously.

>and the guage randomly reads very high...............my attention is going
>to the guage itself, the voltage stabizer,
>and the temp sender on the engine for the temp guage.

If it's the regulator then gas gauge will read high along with temp
gauge.  My best guess is an intermittent ground in the sender wiring,
though a failed level controller isn't out of the question.  Suggest
removing the level controller to eliminate that possibility.  I would
*not* expect the gauge itself to intermittently read high, even if
the flasher circuit is broken -- not saying it's impossible, but
highly unlikely.  It's definitely not a problem in the level sender
circuit to the controller -- in that case the old-type controller
would peg the gauge, not just read high.

--
David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage," '85 GL "Poor Relation"