Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:25:13 -0600
Reply-To: Michael Knight <vwdormer@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Michael Knight <vwdormer@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Heater Refurbished Still Questions
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Well first let me start by saying my symptoms were:
-Fan switch on (every position) no blow. Power Draw was evident.
-Swapped switches, still no go.
-Toes still cold in stop and go traffic.
I asked you wonderful volks out there and I recieved many suggestions. Most
of which led to the fact that the fan was dead replace it. Now some out
there believed it could be oiled by drilling holes and given the right
squirt of lube. Others frowned.
Well I pulled the dash this weekend and went to it. The fan was really
tight, frozen even. I shot down the bearing and all exposed contct points
with some PB Blaster. I let it sit as I examined the flaps and housing. I
pulled all the old crusty foam off and removed everything for cleaning. I
threw all of that into a big rubbermaid bin with some Purple Power and
water. Back to the fan. I reconnected the switch to the wiring and connected
it to the battery. It was now working slowy like like it was pulling a ton
of weight. Whilst it was spinning I broke out my can of QB Contact Cleaner.
QB = Quick Blast Electrical Contact Cleaner, available at your FLAPS. So as
it was spinning the fan, I sprayed it down really well trying to gett all of
the windings cleaned and the brushes for the electric motor. What do you
know after about 5 sec. it start to scream like a high powered leaf blower.
I ran it for about 10 minutes varying the speeds and kept spraying a little
here a little there. Man it works like new. No replacment needed, no lube
smell. I did follow up with a touch of 4 in 1 oil on the end of the shaft
and the bearing. Now the flaps. I went to Lowes's and found some weather
stripping that was called Camper Sealer. I will have pics up very soon, this
evening perhaps. But this is self adhesive foam 3/16" thick, about 1 1/4" to
1 1/2" and it comes in a roll for about $5. So replaced all of the foam
after cleaning every thing. It all seals up tight. Now it is all back
together and reinstalled in the van. Note my van is an '85 GL and I am not
sure how others are setup but looking at the Bentley diagram it is exactly
backwards from mine. It shows the flap levers to be on the left side of the
housing mine are on the right. So now it is all toasty in my van well sort
of.........
So my question is:
After all this I still have cold air blowing in from the outside through the
dash vents, what gives?
Where does the air come from? Are there flaps inside the van's body up front
that I have not seen?Could something outside of the housing be stuck open?
Thanks,
Michael Knight
'77 Westy Deluxe, "el Verde"
'85 Vanagon GL, nameless
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