Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 13:44:43 -0500
Reply-To: Richard Dunsheath <rdunsheath@akamail.com>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Dunsheath <rdunsheath@akamail.com>
Subject: 86-91 Rear Heater Leak
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ADAM wrote:
I want to bypass the rear heater.
From previous list subscription I remember that it
required a little bit of a trick to it. That is which
hose to clamp, take off first, whether the system has
to be bled etc. . .
I remember somebody had a web page how to do this.
Where is it? OR how do I go about fixing this.
______________________________________________
I had a similar problem with my rear heater core. I read on the list about
replacing the o-ring between the valve and the core, and replacing the
valve, and replacing the core and I think there was also something about
getting different plastic or metal bleed screws.
I tried two or three minor fixes, but it they didn't work, because the core
itself was shot in my case.
Like you, I didn't need a rear heater in the summer in South Texas, so I
bypassed it until I could sort out the best solution.
I just used some short sections of 1/2 inch copper pipe, about two inches
long, and a couple of elbows to make a little U section. I disconnected the
hoses from heater and connected them to the U section one at a time. I
don't think it matters which one you disconnect first. I think I used a
long-nosed vice grip on the hose to keep the coolant in the hose while I was
switching them, but as long as the system is cool and you move along
quickly, you shouldn't lose enough coolant to worry about having to bleed
the system. This worked fine for me with no problem.
After looking over the "Made in France" heater core valve assembly, I
decided it was junk, so when I decided to replace the heater core, I headed
to Home Depot. I bought a simple valve, some elbows, and about a six foot
length of copper pipe. I managed to solder up a coil that loops back and
forth about 8 or 10 times that just fits inside the heater housing. My home
made heater core is cheap and heavy. If it ever fails, I can easily fix the
leak or replace the cheap and simple metal valve. The unit did not transfer
heat from the copper pipes to the air as efficiently as the OEM unit, so I
packed the open area between the pipes with coarse steel wool, and that
seemed to help.
After I built my home made unit, I saw where the Bus Depot had rear heater
cores on sale for about half of what they were going for before I started
working on my little project. If you are living in a very cold climate, it
is probably best to stick with the OEM unit.
--
Regards,
Richard J. Dunsheath
********************************
3720 Evergreen Dr.
Dickinson, TX 77539
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