Your symptoms match a bad ignition switch X contact. The ignition switch
has 4 switches inside that do different things. The X contact is the
most common 1 of the 4 to fail in a Vanagon. When it dies you lose
headlights, wipers, dash fan, plus a few other things.

Mark

TJ Hemrick wrote:
> Hey, hey, hey, hey.
>    A few days ago, I lost my wipers.  So, I figure, OK, time to tear into
> it.  Well, tonight, first time I went out at night in a few nights and I
> notice, no headlights.  For once not thinking Big Brother Bosch is watching
> me and using the NSA to control my Vanagon, I start messing with the
> switch.  I have parking lights but no headlights and all of a sudden, my
> wipers start moving (I left the stalk in the on position just in case it
> was a loose wire or something magical).  I start to mess with the turn
> indicator stalk and only my high beams come on.  I remember someone had
> something similar on the list in the past 12 months but can't place it.
>