Date:         Fri, 24 Nov 2006 15:52:52 -0500
Reply-To:     Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: BA 6 Heater Booster - text

Hello,need to backup a bit. The BA6 is stainless steel,but it does rust.
The outer cover is a very very low grade of SS.The inner heat exchanger is
a higher grade. Combustion gasses run through this inner passage and do
not mix with the warmed air that will be blown into the passenger
compartment.If they did, carbon monoxide would enter,too. This exchanger
system is very similar to the natural gas furnace in the family house.Same
materials,too.The exchanger in the house furnace will corrode and the
whole furnace needs to be replaced,then. Years ago, these exchangers were
plain steel, and had a life expectancy of 20 years. With SS,this is much
longer. The Vanagon system should last forever, in this regard.

The outer shell will rust badly.Both inside and out.Infact, low areas show
most of this rust,where condensate collects.Condensate seems to be  a big
issue with the BA6. The green tint is the nickle in the stainless steel
metal.The screws I sell at my ebay parts store are called 18-8 grade, or
18 percent chromen and 8 percent nickle.Similar to 304 stainless steel. I
think these figures are reversed in the BA6 SS. 18 percent nickle makes
the green tint that looks like a nickle that you found behind the
refrigerator last year.Low chrome makes for poor appearance.Like car
exhaust systems.

The BA6 is suspended like the fuel pump in the  gas vanagon. Suspended
from 3 attaching points. The rubber suspenders are identical to the fuel
pump suspenders in two of these three cases.The third , and middle
suspender is a cylindrical rubber thing.Much like the other two,and I dont
know why it needs to be different. Same size ,and all.

I wired wheeled the black BA6 for about 2 or 3 hours to get the crud
off.Lots of work.The combustion air blower is good.I took it apart to see
how VW got it to know when to inject fuel every 33 rpm's. It has a worm
gear that is toothed to turn once every time the shaft spins 33 times.Like
the rack and pinion gears in the steering.  Then a set of ignition contact
points (just like in a pre 1975 car) closes and electricity goes to the
fuel pump for only an instant.A short burst of fuel enters the BA6,then.A
nut on the fuel pump will adjust the amount of fuel per burst.

The other side of the blower has the ignition point for the plug  that
ignites that fuel.It fires every revolution, or 33 times for each burst of
fuel.Like the coils on plug systems in late automobiles.They fire on both
the top of the exhaust and compression strokes. Both points are on the
same shaft,but opposite ends.A motor is between the two sets of points.
Much like the fuel pump motor on all gas Vanagons.The points had green
paint daubbed on the attaching screw for their cover plate. Got to keep
all warrenties intact. I put a drop of oil on the felt wicks each point
had, and cleaned the points.Each point is set at .017.

The combustion air blower needs to be oriented so the small condensate
hole is at the bottom.I saw this in Bentley.An impeller is attached to the
front of the blower.It attaches with a 2mm allen set screw.EZ removal.I
suppose the bearings are sealed because of the hot enviornment.  The swril
cup(my name) has a thin o-ring to seal the blower to the unit.Lots of
carbon goop collects here.It is aluminum,this swril cup.The combustion
blower swrils the newly combusted fuel, through the exchanger ,and out the
rear.I suppose this is done in pulses, rather than a continuous flame.I
wonder how the field mice like it.Simultainlusly, the fan at the very
rear ,near the transmission will blow fresh air through the BA6 to pick up
heat from the exchanger.It then continues on,forward, into the passenger
compartment.Exhaust gasses exit the rear of the BA6,and on the oposite
side of the unit as the intake air.

Thats is for these parts. Next,I'll go over the parts that attach directly
to the BA6 unit.Like the spark/glow plug,flame detector,coil,coil wire,ect
ect.Lots and lots of pictures.