Had some time to kill today, so I went to a junkyard I hadn't been to in several years. Sadly (but not surprisingly) pretty much all the vintage stuff had been purged out. But, off in a corner, I came across a '77(?) Plymouth Voyager van.

The engine cover was off and the first thing I noticed was the trans dipstick handle was different. Looking closer, I noticed two wires running to the handle.

The wiring didn't look 'added on', it disappeared into the main engine harness by the coil. I couldn't find a part number or even a pentastar anywhere on the piece itself.

Was this some sorta electric fluid level check circa 1977? I looked around on the dash and underhood and didn't see any obvious added-on light or gauge for it.

I don't know a lot about vans but don't recall ever seeing or reading about this before.