Glad you got 'er fixed Thomas.
I'll have to say .........the ignition switch, a worn one, seems to be The
Culpret in many weird vanagon electrically-related symptoms.
Almost like 'you wouldn't quite think so' .........but it is anyway.

Scott
----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas Pfrommer" <pfrommer@PHAS.UBC.CA>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 1:38 AM
Subject: Re: Electric problem in 2.1l

> Hello,
>
> thanks to all for the help. It was indeed the ignition switch which is
> right now not yet nicely installed but will be on the weekend. And with
> a screwdriver and can start and drive around for the things I really
> have to do the next days.
> In that process I am also replacing the X-contact relay because I now
> have it anyways and as you say, Scott, they are old and no harm in
> replacing them .....
> Thanks for the hint where I'll find the ignition switch swap in the
> Bentley.
> Well I am glad it was such a relatively easy fix. I was worried I had to
> go through every wire to find the short ....
>
> Thx again!
> Thomas
>
> Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
>> I don't think you'd be wasting money or time to replace the load
>> reduction relay and ignition switch.
>> that's not a diagnosis that those are 'the' problem.........but given
>> the issues your van has had, and its age .........
>> not a waste of money replacing those two things.
>>
>> You can plug in a new ignition switch for testing quite easily, , but
>> to actually replace the ignition switch properly in the ignition lock
>> housing, you do need to remove the steering wheel, and the switches at
>> the top of the steering column, then you can remove the ignition switch.
>> It's well-hidden in the Bentley manual how to do it.  It's under
>> 'Electrical System-Lights' ......section 94.
>>
>> removing the steering wheel ........no big deal.
>> It usually all just comes apart nicely there.
>>
>> Keep going ..........you'll get it ! It is, after all, just a blockage
>> or leakage of fluids or electrons.
>>
>> Scott
>> www.turbovans.com
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas Pfrommer"
>> <pfrommer@PHAS.UBC.CA>
>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>> Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 8:31 PM
>> Subject: Re: Electric problem in 2.1l
>>
>>
>>> Hello,
>>> OK I troubleshooted a bit more and cleaned all grounds in the back of
>>> the Relay/fuse panel, removed the dash and checked the voltage
>>> stabilizer and then suddenly it worked. So I turned the Hi beams on, the
>>> air blower fan on and the radio on, the brake lights for about 10
>>> minutes. Then turned everything off. waited 5 minutes and tried it
>>> again, now nothing of the electrical things would work but the engine
>>> runs fine. Except When I turn the headlights on (no light is there) and
>>> then switch to the Hi Beam, which would not stay now as the HDLights are
>>> not on the fan and the radio goes on as well but only every second time
>>> I switch the Hi Beam on.
>>> This actually cries for a relay failure, doesn't it? So I looked in this
>>> crazy 97 chapter of electrical circuits in the Bentley and there is this
>>> load reduction relay (#8) which is in the circuit. Would this indicate
>>> such a failure? I also see all failures I have look to the ground at the
>>> relay box but I did connect the ground crown directly to the battery
>>> minus with an AWG12 cable and the problem stays. SO I will probably now
>>> go ahead and buy this #8 relay as well as the ignition switch and then
>>> see what fixes it. I hope I do not have to remove the steering wheel,
>>> .... and hope for the relay.
>>>
>>> So what causes all this? I remember I had a light switch failure with
>>> some melted plastic half a year ago when I had the Hi beams on. So I
>>> bought a new light switch (man this was expensive --- about 50$ or so)
>>> and this fixed it. My whole problem came when i was driving about 30
>>> minutes with Hi beams in the middle of nowhere at night. So perhaps this
>>> plastic melting sparky thing half a year ago damaged either the ignition
>>> switch or the load reduction relay? And then with another load like Hi
>>> Beams for a long time, I just damaged it even more ....
>>>
>>> Does this makes sense?
>>> Thanks already for all your help!
>>> Cheers
>>> Thomas
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
>>>> As many others may say ......
>>>> consider your ignition switch.
>>>> ( I just fixed a 'classic' late model vanagon common failure -
>>>> headlights
>>>> won't work except if you pull the stalk to get high beams .......
>>>> the wiring diagram ..............and 87 I think it was .........is
>>>> difficult
>>>> to use or understand for the head lights, more than the diagrams for
>>>> say, an
>>>> 84 . Anyway ........
>>>> we had another ignition switch to try, plugged that in ..........and
>>>> the
>>>> lights were fixed ! )
>>>>
>>>> so ...do consider that part. It's really underbuilt on a vanagon.
>>>> if you have a spare one, or new one handy, it's easy to remove the plug
>>>> from the back of the ignition switch, and plug on the new one, and
>>>> turn it
>>>> with a screw driver.
>>>> if that fixes it, it's a little more involved to replace the switch in
>>>> the
>>>> steering column.  Remove steering wheel, the whole lock assembly, then
>>>> you
>>>> can get to a small screw holding the electrical part of the ign switch
>>>> into
>>>> the lock assembly.
>>>>
>>>> voltage stabilizer in the dash pops to mind.
>>>> as do grounds !~ .........
>>>> there's a ground cluster above the fuse box, way  up in there. Those
>>>> commonly get weak, loose, or corroded.
>>>> Always check those and repair any bad ground wires there.
>>>>
>>>> I'd test-fit a ignition switch first myself.
>>>> it's an inexpensive part, it's a part you want to have on board as a
>>>> spare,
>>>> and just plugging in one is easy.
>>>> So small investment in energy and $ for a potentially big fix.
>>>> Worst case, you've got a spare ignition switch, which you should have
>>>> anyway.
>>>>
>>>> the 86 and later Bentley light switch and head light wiring is
>>>> illustrated
>>>> in such a weird and 'jump from here to there' way ........that I would
>>>> just
>>>> re-draw that whole circuit for myself, to get a clear view of how it
>>>> works.
>>>> good luck !
>>>> Scott
>>>> www.turbovans.com
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Thomas Pfrommer" <pfrommer@PHAS.UBC.CA>
>>>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>>> Sent: Sunday, July 26, 2009 6:17 PM
>>>> Subject: Electric problem in 2.1l
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Hi everyone,
>>>>>
>>>>> its been a long time since I am posting here, which is a good sign
>>>>> as it
>>>>> means the van is running (I am still following the list but can't
>>>>> really
>>>>> help to contribute). Well this is not the case any more and I hope
>>>>> I can
>>>>> get some good hints.
>>>>> Occasionally (and lately more and more often) suddenly the red water
>>>>> temperature warning light starts to flash, then the rpm meter shows
>>>>> weird behavior (not related to the engines rpm) and then the engine
>>>>> stops. The coolant temperature is not too high and also I have a full
>>>>> coolant tank. It seems to be connected to how much electrical
>>>>> equipment
>>>>> is running, hence if my head lights are on and I brake the described
>>>>> behavior occurs. Or if the radio is on and so on, .... it first came
>>>>> when I had the Hi-beam on on the highway to the Okanagan in British
>>>>> Columbia in the middle of nowhere .... luckily with the van you can
>>>>> just
>>>>> stop and sleep and wait for the next day to not drive with lights (I
>>>>> first thought about the light fuses).
>>>>> So I checked the fuses and all relays seem to be OK (I can't see any
>>>>> black locations that would indicate some failure).
>>>>> Hm, somewhere I have a bad connection but where and how can i find
>>>>> this
>>>>> out? And if I draw too much current a short happens and all is out,
>>>>> ..... at least thats what I think....
>>>>> Do you have an idea how I could carry on with testing to check where
>>>>> this problem comes from? I was looking at the wiring in the Bentley
>>>>> but
>>>>> could not come to one conclusive idea where this problem happens. The
>>>>> thing that the engine stops is hard to grep, as it could be the fuel
>>>>> pump the ignition system or something else, .... so I don't know at
>>>>> what
>>>>> wiring I should start, ....
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks already for the help
>>>>> Thomas
>>>>
>>
>>