Temp. Guage and Fuel indicators do not work. Is there a fuse for these gauges?
Asked by rwegz Sep 12, 2013 at 10:01 PM about the 1995 Volkswagen EuroVan 3 Dr Campmobile Passenger Van
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Both gauges are not working. I looked on the fuse box but couldn't find a match for either one. Is there a diy fix or will it be necessary to bring into a VW repair center?
14 Answers
bigskypoptop answered 11 years ago
My EuroVan does the same thing. Mechanics have worked on it twice, very pricey to no avail. I did an internet search for the problem and found a post by a South African mechanic who said to re-sauder the gage and it solves the problem. I haven't tried this yet but thought to pass it on. Good Luck.
The problem lies with a cold solder joint or the voltage stabilizer, both located on the circuit board behind the instrument panel. Bentley workshop manual, vol 2, sect. V 90-14 will lead you through it. A voltage stabilizer chip costs about $14. If you can understand german, agood source is T4 Wicki.
I found this website in the mean while Try it. . http://bambergvr6.freeservers.com/EV_instrument.htm
I am having the same issue with a 1994 Eurovan Westfalia conversion. We have pulled the circuit board out and re-solder the cold solder points and now it works about half time. Next step is to replace the voltage regulator which we should have done by the end of October
Apparently the fault seldom lies with the voltage regulator chip. Check the solder joints with a good magnifying glass. You may have missed minute hairline cracks.
There is a transistor that controls both gauges and it's located behind the tachometer. You have to pull the steering wheel out, disassemble the plastic covers around the switch and steering column, that allows to take the instrument panel transparent cover out. The transistor has a VW P/N, which I don't have at the moment, but I replaced it twice or three times before I sold the van.That was the least of the long list of problems that I had with a '93 Eurovan which, even though I'm still a VW fan, having had 13 vans from the T1, T2, T3 and finally the T4, it turned out to be the worst car I've had in my life.I don't know if it was assembled on a Monday, or all T4s were lemons. When I sold the van to my brother in law in 2011, it had only 35,000 miles, and now he;s suffering with it. He knew the problems it had when he purchased it, but he loved it because it looked like new.
Did you read my posts from a year ago? Check the website I gave. There are pics with it. enrik
Did you read my posts from a year ago? The web site I gave shows pics as well. enrik
Enrik - thank you yes we did follow the cold solder repair steps but unfortunately it has only intermittently solved the problem I have purchased a new power chip and will intall it next summer - between a new chip and the solder repairs I think we will have it
The cold solder joints could be anywhere, not just in the area of the chip. Use magnifying glasses AND a magnifying lens. It may look funny, but the cracks can be minute, thus giving you this intermittent problem.
I found one cause of a solder joint overheating to the point the solder melts and the circuit opens which was causing my fuel and temp gages to not operate properly. I found the problem behind the fuel & temp gage instrument. These two gages work from bi-metal wires that heat up and cause the bi-metal to warp uniformly thus moveing the needles in a calibrated fasion. The bi-metal wires appeared to be incorrectly installed as they were criss-crossed and touching one another. Once I separated them, the common solder joint problems with the cold solder joint behind the tach gage disappeared. i hope this helps someone else.
i have a ford transit with westfalia fit out...i am not getting any reading from my unit at all but all appliances work........
I know about 1992 -1995 Eurovan Westfalias, If you have one of these I might be able to help you, but you would have to be more specific describing your problem.