Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 03:33:11 -0600
Reply-To: Budd Premack <bpremack@MN.RR.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Budd Premack <bpremack@MN.RR.COM>
Subject: Re: Where's that air coming from?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
After lurking for a while, I am back on the List again.
Jim Fielder wrote:
> This winter I noticed a steady cool breeze when I put my hand below the
> dash near the instrument panel. This past weekend, I had reason to pull
> the grill and saw a quarter-sized hole just next to the big harness
> between the radiator and the antenna. I taped it up and didn't drive
> the car until today... and there's still a strong breeze.
>
> Where's the usual suspect for the offending inlet?
Outside air enters through the air intake housing behind the upper front
grill. It is controlled by flaps inside the heater/ventilation housing (the
big black plastic box behind the firewall in the middle of the dash). The
flaps are turned by the cables that run to the dash ventilation control
levers. The outer edges of these flaps have a sponge-like material that
acts as a seal with their respective air flow channels. Through the passage
of time, these sponge-like seals shrink and crack, allowing air leaks.
(Note: all Vanagons, having left the factory at least 15 years ago, are now
forever designated as "passage of time" vehicles.)
The permanent remedy is to remove the entire heater/ventilation assembly and
replace the sealing material on the flaps. This removal process is a huge
pain in the you-know-where, and is generally done only when required to
replace the blower motor.
A quick fix is to simply remove the front grill and cover the ventilation
opening with duct tape. This will effectively close off your fresh air
intake, which will stop all drafts. However, it also cancels all internal
airflow, unless you turn on the heater fan, which will now circulate
interior air only. This is comparable to engaging the recirculation control
on many modern vehicles.
This situation is really not as bad as it seems if you have either very cold
or hot ambient temperatures. In winter, the cold air is kept out. In
summer, the hot and humid air is kept out, so that the a/c operates more
efficiently. However, in moderate climates, you lose the desireable fresh
air from the outside dash vents and the defroster. For many years I have
employed a cardboard template (covered with duct tape for durability) to
cover the vent opening on my 86 Syncro. It is a simple matter to remove it
in the nice weather, but I leave it in place during both the heater and a/c
seasons.
An alternate possibility is that an air duct has pulled loose, generally the
one running to either side dash vent. This can allow a draft because the
attempted closure of the dash vents is ineffective.
Budd Premack
Land of Sky-Blue (still frozen) Waters
91 GL
90 Carat *
88 Wolfsburg *
86 Syncro *
84 Westy *
* available for adoption
