Check your Ignition switch.
I had a problem with my 88 GL headlights not
working.  My problem was the Ignition switch.

Hope this helps.

JB 88 GL Guido

On 7/28/09 10:31 PM, "Thomas Pfrommer" <pfrommer@PHAS.UBC.CA> wrote:

> 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
>>