Mark Bowie wrote:
> 
> After replacing a burst a/c hose on my '86 westy, I took it in to have th=
> e
> system charged. The shop discovered that the condensor fan is not coming
> on. They let the pressure go up to 400#, but the fan never came on.
> Does anyone have any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this electrical
> problem? The 30A fuse is intact, but that's as far as I got.
> The shop says it could cost as much as $200 for them to troubleshoot, a
> cost I would very much like to avoid.
> 
> MTB

Hey Mark,

The easiest way to test the A/C Refrigerant High Pressure Switch is to
unplug the connector and jumper across the connector terminals. This
should energize the Radiator Cooling Fan Relay, 2nd Stage (Position 5 on
the fuse block). The contacts in this relay send 12V from Fuse S1 to the
Radiator Cooling Fan Resistor, terminal #1. This will cause the Radiator
Cooling Fan to operate at its second speed.

It sounds like your Radiator Cooling Fan isn't coming on at all when you
turn on the A/C like it should. When you turn on the A/C, the A/C Relay
should energize and send 12V from terminal 5/6 to the Radiator Cooling
Fan Resistor, terminal #2, and cause the Radiator Cooling Fan to operate
at its lowest speed.   

If the Radiator Cooling Fan doesn't operate when the A/C is turned on,
the most likely cause is the Radiator Cooling Fan Resistor. It costs
between $35 & $40 at a VW Dealer. Before you run out and buy one, make
sure that you are getting 12 volts on terminal 5/6 of the A/C relay when
the system is operating. That 12V also supplys one side of the A/C
Refrigerant High Pressure Switch.

Has the Vanagon been running hotter than it normally does? This problem
could also be caused by a bad Radiator Cooling Fan Resistor.

Good luck and happy hunting.

-- 
Tim Hannink     Winter Park, Florida     hanninkt@ix.netcom.com
                      __    __ 
1991 VANAGON Carat    \ \  / /    Pastel White
                       \ \/ /         
1975 TRANSPORTER   __   \__/   __   Pastel White/
 Station Wagon     \ \  /  \  / /   Hawaiian Blue
                    \ \/ /\ \/ /
1973 412 Sedan       \__/  \__/    School Bus Yellow