I drove an 81 air-cooled Westy for 13 years. I had some leaky push rod tube seals for a while and so I'm very familiar with the odor you speak of. My solution was to replace the seals, disconnect the heater altogether for several months (it was in the autumn) and reconnect it later. The oil had burned away and the odor was gone. I also tried the 12 volt heaters. I mounted two of them side by side at precisely where the heater vents are located on the dash (below the radio). At first I thought it would interfere with the shifter, but it did not. What that system did was pick up the warm air from the VW heat; it boosted the temperature and the volume. I also ran a 12 volt defroster up on the dash. That system would keep me comfortably warm (toasty) down to about 30 degrees, and then it would begin to feel a bit uncomfortable. I eventually used expanding foam to seal the front leaks, but I was never fully successful there. I added lots of polyester batting under the dash, and so on. Finally, on a long trip to Colorado in winter, the outside temperature stayed in the teens, and so I froze my a$$ off (it was really my feet that stayed so cold). I finally bought some window shrink plastic at Home Depot, affixed it to create a wall behind the front seats (it comes with double-sided tape), heated it, and it stretched to make a perfectly clear barrier behind the seats. Then it was relatively easy to stay warm while driving down the road. All of the heat was trapped in the front passenger area. The shrink plastic lasted all winter with no tears or rips. Best thing I ever did. However, I still got cold air leakage in the front. Then one very cold winter day I was driving from North Carolina to Utah. I stopped to buy gas and noticed an air-cooled Westy the same color as mine parked out front. There was a guy sitting in the front seat in a t-shirt. Whoa! So of course I had to inquire. They had installed a Suburban propane RV furnace under the rear seat. It was 9 X9 X 22 inches and it kicked out 16,000 BTUs. I sat in the back for a while and marveled at the idea of an air-cooled Westy with so much heat! I vowed to put the same furnace system in my bus, but I never got around to it. I got an estimate to have one installed. It was going to run about $800 but that included a spare battery under the driver's seat. Prices are probably higher now. I have since thought of installing one of those systems in Billy Bones so that even when I'm camped in winter, I can kick on the heat! Best of luck! Warren L. 88 Westy "Billy Bones" |
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