So . . . all this time that I've been reading about the elusive rad fan
resistor and thinking to myself "I better get one-a these for me fer a
spare" I was looking at a situation that doesn't apply to my van.

Bentley page 97.59 suggests that the fan on my model year is a
two-terminal device, with wires 1 and 2 going into it from the high side
and wire 3 going to ground. These two wires are fed by two switches, RAD
FAN THERMO SW 1 and RAD FAN THERMO SW 2.

Wire 1 has a rectangular symbol on it, which looks to my eyes like the
German schematic symbol for a resistor on it.

--
Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
Bend, Ore.
1984 Westfalia. A poor but proud people.
1971 "Ladybug"-brand utility trailer ca. 1972 from a defunct company in
San Clemente, Calif., now repurposed as The Westrailia.

Sent from my kitchen.

On 08/09/2011 06:34 PM, Ken Wilford wrote:
> Mr. Rocket,
> the 1.9ls don't use this resistor. Actually I am not sure how they get
> their low speed. I suspect the resistor is built into the fan itself
> since there are three prongs on the fan and the schematic doesn't show a
> resistor on the system. The early fans are much less powerful than the
> late ones and don't draw as much current. The earlier ones seem to last
> longer, however the early engines seem to run hotter (just a seat of the
> pants observation). So as they say at the beginning of the HItch hikers
> Guide to the Galaxy, "Don't Panic!"
> Unless you have a 2.1l with AC :-)
>
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
>
>
> On 8/9/2011 9:06 PM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
>> Ken's website shows the 251971284H as being for 86-92 Vanagons w/ AC.
>> What should those of us with 1.9L non-AC Vanagons look for. Mine has not
>> failed, but if this is a tough to find part, it behooves me to keep an
>> eye out for a spare.
>>
>> --
>> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
>> Bend, Ore.
>> 1984 Westfalia. A poor but proud people.
>> 1971 "Ladybug"-brand utility trailer from a defunct company in San
>> Clemente, Calif., now repurposed as The Westrailia.
>>
>> Sent from my kitchen.
>>
>> On 08/09/2011 10:12 AM, Ken Wilford wrote:
>>> Dear List,
>>>
>>> Just want to give the list a heads up on the state of the low speed
>>> resistor for the Vanagon radiator fan. As many of you know this is the
>>> large resistor that looks like a roll of nickles and lives behind the
>>> driver's side headlight. This resistor allows the low speed of the
>>> radiator fan to come on for all Vanagons from 86-91 with AC. The part
>>> number is 251971284H
>>> If this resistor fails it can cause only the high speed fan to come on
>>> at a higher temperature than normal. This can put added strain on the
>>> cooling system and even lead to the van overheating. Also if it fails
>>> it can cause problem with the air conditioning system not functioning
>>> properly. You can test to see if your low speed fan is working pretty
>>> easily. Just turn the ignition on and then turn the AC on at the
>>> temperature switch. The low speed fan should come on immediately. If
>>> it doesn't then most likely this resistor is bad.
>>>
>>> The resistor has been discontinued by VW a couple of years ago. I was
>>> getting them from Germany but that route dried up as well. Now there is
>>> no source of the original one available at the moment. We have an
>>> alternative unit that looks the same as the OE one, is from the same
>>> manufacturer, works the same, the only real difference is the plug that
>>> plugs into the electrical system is different so you have to cut the
>>> wiring off of your old unit and splice it on to the new one. These are
>>> available right now. I have about twenty. However the bad news is that
>>> these are now becoming scarce and I am not sure if I will be able to get
>>> any more in the future or if I do they may be even more expensive. My
>>> point is that if you have an 86-91 Vanagon and your resistor is bad you
>>> definitely want to get one now. However if you have never had a problem
>>> with this resistor, you might want to buy one now as a spare.
>>>
>>> I have been selling them to folks who are searching for them on-line and
>>> soon they will all be gone. I am not worried about selling them. I am
>>> concerned that there are folks on this list that are looking for them
>>> and can't find one or will be caught off guard by this issue.
>>>
>>> I just wanted to give you a heads up on this problem. If anyone is
>>> interested please pmail me off list.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Thanks,
>>> Ken Wilford
>>> John 3:16
>>> www.vanagain.com
>>> Phone: 856-327-4936
>>> Fax: 856-327-2242
>>