The typical "3-pin" regulator has an input pin, output pin, and ground pin.
On many voltage stabilizers, the mounting tab is equivalent to one of the
electrical connections.  Are you sure nothing is broken off?

John Hung
Auburn, AL
'84 GL (w/ A/C and std. trans)
(electrical engineering professor)

>Date:    Tue, 18 May 1999 21:16:10 -0700
>From:    Valued Cutomer <ned@DIRECT.CA>
>Subject: 84 voltage stabilizer
>
>My friend's vanagon is an 84 (US model with a/c, std trans)that has
>recently overheated due to a broken hose off the right cylinder head.  She
>asked me to look into the situation and have since replaced both heads.
> The van is running fine but... no temp gauge or led and no fuel gauge.  I
>looked at the Bentley at the library and looked at the voltage stabilizer
>as a starting point.  The photos show all three pins connected to the
>printed circuit board (foil).  This is what you would expect of course but
>when I went to check hers out only the two outer pins are connected.  There
>is no accomodation for the center pin (ie. nothing is broken off).  I
>measured battery voltage across the two pins which was almost 12 V.  Does
>this mean it is toast and not dropping the voltage to 9.5-10.5 like the
>book says or does this particular stabilizer supposed to just pass battery
>voltage to the diagnostic circuits? I talked to VW here and they haven't
>seen a stabilizer setup as I have described.  Has anyone seen such a thing
>and where would I get the replacement stabilizer if it needs replacement?
>
>ned  (too many vw's to list)