Decided i need to do a bit of diagnosis on my heating. I know from a previous look that it still has the heat exchangers, and it appears that the heater flaps are not siezed as the levers in the dash are all working freely and seem to be connected to something as there is a little resistance when they are operated...not just slopping up and down. The duct pipe under the cab is present and appears to beintact and connected. Despite all the above, the heater vents only blow frigid air.....constantly! and with the weather beginning to slide towards wintery, i could do with getting this resolved lol Anybody give me any tips on what i should be looking at? I noticed that the bellows pipes from the rear of the heat exchangers can be turned on the pipes quite easily.....should these be fixed in place with jubilees or something?
it really is a case of getting under and checking and sealing joints - the system itself is very simple once you get into it, mine is toasty and still has a few leaks so it could be you have poor exchangers (repo or beetle)
Also they dont warm up instantly and on metal tube models theres a lot of metal to heat up that nicks heat too. If youve checked that the flaps are open your looking for leaks and then its a matter of the pipes being insulated to retain what heat you have. After that its all about the heat exchangers. What engine is your bus?
Ok, so the joints should all be sealed up properly then.....makes sense, but i wasn't sure given that this is the first vehicle i've had in 15 years that doesn't have a heater matrix with hot water running through it lol Is there a difference physically between beetle exchangers and bus ones? The ones fitted look pretty good to be fair, no real rot that i can see....
I've not visually checked the flaps themselves......just the operation of the levers. If the flaps were seized, presumably the levers would be stiff or immobile? I've done 200 mile+ trips and still had nothing but cold air coming from the vents so i don't think letting it warm up is the issue lol Only problem i can visually see is the poor sealing on the concertina pipes. Its a 1676cc with twin weber 44's.
Type 1 based engine then. I wouldnt expect "cold" air unless your front vents are open. if these airflow there and its off the engine you should have some heat!
Get under there - operate the levers by hand - look see if the cables are attached, follow the piping from hx to the cab you will soon work it out, there are a lot of bits that rot, insulation needs to come off, the pipes inspected and reinsulated after inspection, there should be no air leaks and the joints should be tight, the flaps should be shut either manually and fixed shut with a wire or using the cables if they're operable ( not broken at the hx, then it will push the heated air from the hx to the cab.
This too- check the flaps are shut on the front, cold air comes from there and through the movable side vents, not through the hot air vents - The hot air comes through the screen vents footwell vents and cargo ones behind the walk through!
Ok, all makes sense So if the flaps are stuck open, is the heated air vented to atmosphere under the bus then? best get my crawling clothes on then lol
Ah the front vents....was going to ask about those. Is there any way of permanently sealing them shut? Even if i cant get the heating sorted the van is pretty well insulated inside but the constant flow of arctic air through the round vents on the sends of the dash and the vents in the front panel means it stays cold. I've tried operating the lever on the totem pole and it seems to do precisely naff all lol
If they are open chances are the cables are broken or rather closed and venting on to the floor- They can be stiff even if they are not connected( ask me how I know) if they are open ( or more to the point closed) the other dump flap - same two sided flap btw - is open and dumping cold air on the floor!
I had a problem adjusting my fresh air vents the other winter and took the grill off. Gaffer taped over them and put the grill back - job done!
Cool....cheers all! Gives me plenty to investigate but i don't mind that when i know roughly where i'm investigating
Quite useful that! Explains it well I'll have a butchers over the weekend if i get time......i'll be under there running the exhaust and intake for the eberspacher so i'll try and kill two birds with one stone and report back
If you are capable of fitting an eberspacher then why are you asking us such an obvious question! I would have thought repairing your heating would have been the first port of call. (lowered van by any chance?)
Eber is pretty much self contained so once its cut into the floor and bolted in place the install is mainly wiring.....i can follow that reasonably well and i'm only fitting it as a night heater primarily. I want heat while driving too though and the vagaries of the air cooled vw heating system are something of a mystery to me with all my VW knowledge centred around Mk1 golfs and the like. And yes my van is lowered lol but if i pull it up with one side on a high kerb i can crawl right under it with no trouble
I'm not certain with your 3 lever heater control, but on my 4 lever the links to open / close the front vents are adjustable via a small turnbuckle. The other issue is the state of the seals on the flaps, but you could fix that with some high density foam tape and then adjust the linkage to suit. The front vents are excellent for cooling in the summer, so I would attempt to make them work right rather than simply block them up.
