WHAT I DID was pull the cluster and replace the coolant light
controller module/relay/whatever. It was not cold enough to test it
(it only gave a problem on below-freezing occasions, and tomorrow
should suffice for that) but nice and warm so I pulled the cluster and
found it no problem, likewise replaced it easily.

What came next was interesting. On my first drive after replacement,
the coolant light blinked slowly at first, but as the engine heated
and the temp needle rose, the blinking became more and more of a
constant red light until, at needle center, it was on full time. When
I reached my destination, I turned it off and restarted and it was
fine ever since.

I don't know what's in the control module, but I doubt that it is
really a relay... why would it be? Whatever it is, maybe it had to get
"broken in" first. I will check it tomorrow morning when it's cold to
see if there's any more funny business.

Jim

On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 7:25 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
> Alan and David,
>
> Either way I'm covered... I've got two more clusters. This sounds a
> little outside my soldering skills, david!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>
> On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 7:06 PM, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote:
>> At 06:28 PM 2/20/2009, Jim Felder wrote:
>>>
>>> It's the Level Control relay and I'm hoping it's what's causing my
>>> temp gauge to go nuts on really cold mornings.
>>
>> Jim, if it still "goes nuts" with the controller out, then it's an internal
>> gauge problem.  It's fixable if you're up to some reasonably delicate
>> soldering.  You have to drill out the face rivets, desolder the fine leads
>> to the heater coil, desolder and remove the circuit board from the mounting
>> posts, then replace the large capacitor, preferably with a tantalum,
>> observing polarity.  Then put it all back.
>>
>>
>> --
>> David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
>> '84 Westy "Dutiful Passage," '85 GL "Poor Relation"
>>
>