[Vwdiesel] Vanagon Part X: Radiator Questions?

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

> 1) How does one access this switch?

  It's an inch and a half diameter plug, screwed into one end pan of the
radiator.  It will have two or 3 pins as Nate said.  Most likely 2.

>  2) Is there a way to test it out of the engine?

  Pan of hot water, thermometer (candy thermometer?) VOM or DMM
and have at it.  You can do the same thing in the vehicle and measure
the temp in the reservoir.  Opening and closing temps are stamped on
the flat surfaces of the thermoswitch.

>  3) Why would the PO do this?

  Failure of the thermoswitch, a connection, blown fuse, it's hard to say
without a tester and following the circuit.  Could be as mentioned, a
parallel override.  Most PO's aren't that smart though and just wire in
a switch if anything fails or just appears to.
>
>  And off this topic:
>
>  4) Also, I have an electric fuel boost pump at the fuel tank. Is there
>  anything wrong with having this pump run all the time when the engine is
>  on?

  Nope, sometimes the injector pump will fail to pump well so these get
put in.  It might actually need it and it might not.  If it does, then it
most
likely needs it all the time.
   A friend has a Toyota diesel and it was really poopy on the highway.
He added an auxiliary fuel pump and woho!  Away it went!
     Loren