Date:         Wed, 29 Aug 2018 19:41:40 -0500
Reply-To:     "Jim. Felder" <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Jim. Felder" <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Everything peachy with vanagon.com foil replacement except...
In-Reply-To:  <CAFnDXk2oLcvqigDTZUg1ucKVP1vUH7LM2zMPSbhOWCJzQsK0zQ@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

Mystery solved. It was RF from the dash fan I was using. I got a new fan at
NAPA today and it doesn't trigger the warning light. This does implicate
the vanagon.org foil replacement as being overly sensitive to RF, but to
have everything else working as it should, I'll take it.

Jim

On Wed, Aug 29, 2018 at 11:24 AM Jim. Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:

> Regarding my coolant level LED coming on after installing the vanagon.org
> dash foil replacement kit: OK, some progress in the past few days. This has
> been a tough one but I have had David B's help to bring me along.
>
> In the midst of all this swapping, removal, cleaning, tweaking and
> testing, I discovered that the integrity of my new dash foil, instruments
> and voltage is very much in spec. What I was not ready for is the fact
> that, since it is 95 degrees inside my van right now at best during
> mid-day, of course I was running a dash fan, flipping it on as soon as I
> left my driveway. That dash fan is not fluctuating the voltage, so it is
> not the fault of the dash foil replacement regulator, but rather the RF
> from the fan. Flip the fan on, the coolant light comes on. Flip the fan
> off, the coolant light goes out. So, the foil may--or may not--be overly
> sensitive to RF. In any  event, I tried several other items lying around to
> put a load on the cig lighter wiring just to see what happened.
>
> iPhone charging = nothing
> 300/600 watt inverter -= nothing
> 300/600 watt inverter with 110 v room fan plugged in = nothing.
>
> I have ordered an identical replacement fan through NAPA that will be here
> this afternoon. It may end up that I cannot use an AC fan with this dash
> foil replacement kit, but it may be likely that I can move the 12v source
> from the fuse block to another source. My rear outlet comes directly off
> the car's battery, and the offending fan plugged in there does not trigger
> the coolant level light.
>
> It should be said that though it seems I have finally identified the
> problem, and that without the problem load, the circuitry acts normal, I
> have not driven extensively enough to prove it will never happen under any
> other circumstances. The problem does not occur when I run the wiper motor.
>
> Jim
>
>
>