Brett, it's an old vehicle.  Things break.  You'd need to know all the vehicle history to try to know what in particular brought this failure about.  Now, if you could know that, it might help to prevent future failure, but you're not likely to find that out unless you have contact with all the previous owners.

---- brett rueff <rueffy@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Sure enough - one connector no longer connected to the master cylinder.  How do those melt???  There should be very little to no heat generated from that switch and I cant see any other source of heat in the area.  Here is the photo:
> https://skydrive.live.com/?sc=photos&cid=7bf533a9aab41079#cid=7BF533A9AAB41079&id=7BF533A9AAB41079%21530&sc=photos
> Thanks again to the list....its awsome to post something and get 3 or 4 replies within the afternoon.
> Brett
>
> From: rueffy@hotmail.com
> To: dbeierl@attglobal.net
> CC: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
> Subject: RE: What's this broken connector?
> Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:58:25 +0000
>
>
>
>
>
> Hmmm.  Im at work now, but I cant wait to get home and have a look.  If the switch is not even in the master cylinder how come I dont leak brake fluid everywhere?  PO must have plugged it off with something.....i'll get in there and have a look.
>
> > Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:03:10 -0400
> > To: rueffy@HOTMAIL.COM
> > From: dbeierl@attglobal.net
> > Subject: Re: What's this broken connector?
> > CC: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >
> > At 02:23 PM 4/17/2012, brett rueff wrote:
> > >and "cold" side of the brake switch.  One set of hot/cold wires run
> > >to the main fuse panel area.  The other set run to a connector that
> > >appears to be broken and certainly doesn't connect to
> > >anything.  Anyone know what it might be?  Here
> >
> > You've got two brake light switches, one for each of the independent
> > brake hydraulic circuits.  Looks to me like the remains of the second
> > switch.  Red/black and Red/yellow is the correct color code.
> >
> > Yours,
> > David
> >
>

--
David McNeely