Just wanted to follow up on this topic. With advice from Listmembers especially David B. & Mark Drillock plus soldering lessons from a local friend, I was able come up with a 'hack'.

Took the LED from one of the idiot lights & soldered a pair of wires to the LED posts. Then soldered the extended wires in parallel to another LED marked 'check engine'. Works like a charm. When you turn the ignition on, the indicator lights go on including my faux CEL. Once the van is running, all the lights go out the way they are supposed  to. 

BenT
sent from my check engine light

On Jun 2, 2012, at 8:32 PM, Ben T <syncro@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi All,
> 
> Have an '84 Vanagon GL. I need to tap a secondary idiot light to either the battery or oil light. Can't find my Bentley.
> 
> The van has a Subie conversion. I went for smog check and everything was going well. That is until the 'check engine' light would not light up. Someone else did the conversion some ten years ago. Thought it was a bulb but no cigar. The tech said just show him an idiot light which flashes on then goes out once the van was running. I figured the least painful way to do that would be to tap off one of the aforementioned indicator lights. I'll deal with the check engine light when I have more time.
> 
> 
> TIA,
> 
> BenT
> sent from my electronic leash