Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 07:35:03 -0800
Reply-To: mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: WTB 83 diesel heater cover
In-Reply-To: <41F5E848.13115.217DFAB8@swright.zuiko.sls.bc.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
If you live where cabin heat is really important then adding the stock
rear heater is the way to go. It will warm the inside MUCH faster and
hotter than the front heater ever can. The design of the front heater is
such that it always has to warm up cold outside air. The rear heater
recirculates the same inside air over and over making it warmer all the
time. Also the rear heater gets hotter coolant since it is much closer
to the engine. The rear heater uses only a small portion of the coolant
flow in the heater hose feed since it needs much less flow to do a much
better job.
The rear heater will not do as much for defrosting upfront, naturally.
I generally remove the rear heaters from my Vanagons since where I am
the underseat storage has greater value to me than the extra heat. The
rear heater uses 4 wires from the dash heater fan switch which has 3
speeds. I would run 4 wire trailer harness to connect it in an 82 but I
would not connect the wire for the highest fan speed since the rear
heater puts out plenty on the lower setting and the switches tend to
melt when run on high a lot. It would be simpler to use a 3 position
toggle switch since you could drill a round hole in the dash for it. The
stock heater fan switches use a square hole, good luck with that.
Mark
Shawn Wright wrote:
>Ok guys, which duct are we talking about here? I suspect mine is already gone from
>the descriptions I'm hearing.
>Do you mean the later water cooled rear heater? I'm thinking of doing that also - I
>assume all the wiring & switch needs to be added also, or is the wiring hidden
>somewhere? ('82 Diesel).
>
>On 24 Jan 2005 at 21:41, Alistair Bell <albell@UVIC.CA> wrote:
>
>
>
>>On a related note...
>>
>>I suspect, but have no proof, that that plastic floor duct acts like a
>>bit of a noise resonator. I will remove mine ( i keep saying) when i
>>finally instal my rear heater.
>>
>>Alistair
>>
>>'82 westy, diesel converted to gas in '94
>>http://www.members.shaw.ca/albell/
>>
>>On 24-Jan-05, at 9:28 PM, Gary Lee, Vanagon Racks wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>>The approach I would use would be to remove that black plastic floor
>>>>duct entirely and then use the heater cover you have. The black
>>>>plastic
>>>>floor space hog is only held in place by a few screws hidden by caps.
>>>>There is nice clean carpet under it so removing it looks fine when you
>>>>are done.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>This is exactly what I did. I liked it better when removed, more
>>>space and
>>>more heat up front.
>>>I stupidly threw out the heater cover and black plastic floor duct.
>>>
>>>Gary Lee
>>>http://www.telusplanet.net/public/gary2a/vw.htm
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>--
>Shawn Wright
>I.T. Manager
>Shawnigan Lake School
>
>
>
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