Happy holidays all,

I noticed some strange problems with my dad's '87 S4 today. The cooling fans would not turn on (so the engine was starting to get hotter, and I shut it off before it could overheat). With the engine off but the ignition switch turned on, the fuel gauge was bouncing around, the oil pressure gauge sat steadily at 1 bar, the volt gauge was at 11 (confirmed the battery voltage was 12+), and I doubt this matters but the center brake light stopped working (the tail light warning light was on).

Any chance that these things are related? I'd guess they aren't, but both the cluster weirdness and the cooling fan problem occurred together. If not related, any tips on how to diagnose or approach these problems?

I have done the magic blower fix suggested by porken where I bypass one wire in the connecter at the back of the engine bay.

The cooling fan turns on when I hit the AC.

I have a battery drain which I traced to the starter. I forget the current draw but it's something like 100mA, I don't think that would cause any problems other than a flat battery, would it? I just disconnect the battery if we're leaving it parked for more than a day.

Thank you all for your help!