Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 10:18:37 -0700
Reply-To: warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: SMOKE! After I turn off my BA6 Gas Heater
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Chris,
Moving the second lever down from the top turns off the fan in the engine compartment and closes the flaps from the heat exchangers. When the gas heater is on only the air circulation blower runs .
So, you are saying that hot air continues to blow out the vent when you move the lever left, but now it is smoky?
Could it be possible that the air intake under the seat is block by a pair of dirty socks?
I find all kinds of stuff stored that is blocking this intake. If the heater doesn't get full flow of air , or none at all, it will overheat and melt or burn anything that has been sprayed on the exterior, especially undercoating.
Here are a few more guesses:
Oil in the heater boxes burning -check your valve covers-any leaking whatsoever is not acceptable.
Moving the lever to the left shuts off the heater boxes- but the cables may need adjustment.
In the air cooled Vanagon the heater is termed a "booster". It 's boosting the temp of air initially heated by the engine. Bad leaky mufflers, oil leaks, all contribute to created smoke or exhaust odors which can be drawn into the heater system.
Lastly, the BA-6 heat exchanger it self could have fuel leaking onto it from a worn out fuel line or bad connection- replace all using new hose and clamps.
It's rare that the heat exchanger itself should have a hole in it. The pressure differential
prevents flames or smoke from entering the heated air chamber though a small hole. . But a large hole will. If your heater is very rusty , the heat exchanger could be damaged.
If you have never had the heater serviced, or even the pan off- please look under after removing the pan and inspect the fuel lines. Look for any sign of melting wires, etc., and don't run until the problem is solved. You don't want your Vanagon to go up in smoke.
If you can't determine what the problem is, I can help you troubleshoot it further by e-mail.
Robert
1982 Westfalia
1987 Wolfsburg
----- Original Message -----
Wrom: FSQHYUCDDJBLVL
Sent: Sunday, May 19, 2002 2:13 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: SMOKE! After I turn off my BA6 Gas Heater
I just got a LOT of smoke out of my lower front vent (the
one in front of the shifter about 12" above the floor) when
I turned off my BA& Heater.
Before I turned it off the heater seemed to be working fine,
putting out lots of heat but it did have a faint oily or
diesel (its gas) like smell. Moreover I ran the heater for a
bit while the van was stationary and no smoke came out. Then
I went for a drive, was to hot so I slid the top two heater
levers over from passenger side to drivers side (ie: from
all the way right to all the way left) I did not turn off
the little green dial thing at the bottom. Then smoke
started to come out of the duct I mentioned.
I pulled fuse 16 and 17 (the ones beside the main pannel on
is for the blower fan) and the smoke stoped.
The smell is not new. My BA6 was not running for a really
long time, not for any fault of the heater, some of the
ducts underneath had been removed by the PO so I couldn't
run the heater. I hooked up some flex hose but it fell off
in summer (and since it was summer I never bothered to put
it back on). But when the heater was running that smell was
always there.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
ChrisGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
