Today I replaced the propane bottle on my bernzamatic with a mapp cannister.
Got under the van and heated the fitting where the oxygen sensor fits until
it was pretty darned hot.  I won't say red hot, but it was close.  Then I
put a 14 inch pipe wrench on that puppy and slid a four foot length of steel
pipe over the handle of the wrench and pulled for all I was worth.  And...
whaddyaknow... It started to turn.  A little more effort and it was out and
the new one was in.

This having been accomplished, I turned my attention to the idle switch
problem.  Up until now, I thought the idle switch went to a connector
fastened atop the right head.  When it was working, some time ago, I
unplugged this and put an ohmmeter across it and was able to see it go from
open to short when the throttle returned to idle position.  Most recently, I
measured an open circuit here and was unable to get the switch to a position
where it closed.  My assumption was the idle switch had finally definitely
gone bye-byes and that may be part of the problem with my irregular idle
(idle hunting, as it were).

Today, fresh from my success with the oxygen sensor, I put a jumper across
the plug that plugs into the idle switch thinking that would simulate a
closed switch.  Well, it may have, because the idle smoothed out, although
it was just barely running (I had also bypassed the idle stabilizer box).
Next thing I know, I've got all kinds of smoke coming from burning
insulation on the idle switch plug and on a ground wire going to the left
head.  Hmmm....  I removed the short on the plug and the smoke went away
almost instantly.  I think (I hope) the wire is still serviceable.

So, the questions for today are:  1) Is that REALLY the connector for the
idle switch?  2) Does the idle switch REALLY put a short across those two
terminals?  And 3) if the answer to the first two questions is affirmative,
how the hell did I get so much juice into that wire to melt the insulation?

Any ideas out there from you vanagon wizards?

Dave in KC
85 Westy