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Date:         Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:25:58 -0600
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Inoperative front blower issue.
Comments: To: B Feddish <bfeddish@netreach.net>
In-Reply-To:  <2445116F2F564EFCB3217C02498800C1@CSPFR2>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

I've done two more dash assemblies in the past year, this will make the third.

If it's your first time, be prepared to spend a lot of time replacing the foam seals on your heater flaps unless you are happy with yours as they are, which I doubt, because you'd have to be crazy to do this work twice if you can avoid it.

Pulling the dash take about an hour or an hour an a half if you are a competent mechanic with decent tools. Refitting probably takes about two hours, maybe not quite. I have done it alone but it is very nice to have help.

Be sure to mark where every cable goes with tape and sharpie and take digital pictures so you know how the cables are routed. Have two clamps on hand to stop the loss of coolant onto the floor. You don't need to lose but half a teacup.

There are subtle differenced between the diesel and gasser years, and maybe more. On earlier models, all four bolts holding in the heater assembly toward the front of the car are gotten to from the inside (two more hold its feet to the front crossmember). On later models, they are gotten to by dropping the front grill off and wrenched from the outside. All of them are phillips size, not hex headed as you will wish they were. The ones you get from outside are pretty easy, inside pretty horrible.

On later years you will cut two wired to the dash stuff and solder them back on reassembly. On earlier years you don't.

You will remove the instrument cluster, glove box, heater cover and the bolts that hold the steering wheel assembly onto the dash. Some might remove the wheel, I don't. Remove the radio. Take out screws at each end of the dash and along the top. Figure out what you are doing here, don't remove the ones that don't hold the dash on. Lift the dash out.

Now the fun begins--splitting the heater box open. Use a chisel to get a split, then chase around the perimeter with a putty knife. Your family will hate you if you do this indoors. If you find metal clips all the way around, you are in luck. Not only do you have all the metal clips, but the case has already been split for you. A good mechanic would not have used permatex to reseal it, so you are luckier still if that's the case. If it is the weekend and you can't get the clips, drill through the tabs and use short cable ties. They work great too.

Look for the single screw holding the motor in. Replacing the motor is easy.

Then you will get to the levers and flaps. That will take more time than I have right now, but if you get there email me.

Jim

On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 5:51 PM, B Feddish <bfeddish@netreach.net> wrote: > The exact same thing happened to me last week. My front blower has been > warning me with squeals for about 4 years now so I have no excuse for not > having replaced it except for that dash removal job. I was driving to work > and tons of smoke came out of defrost vents. Scared the crap out of me.  Of > course it was the coldest day of the year and it was 6 AM so I'm driving > down the road with the windows open (due to the smell) and no front heat. > Bring back memories of the '65 beetle. > > In any event, I contacted Chris about a blower fan and he says there are new > ones available and I did not know that so I will go that route once I > decipher what I need from the BD website which is a little confusing when > you type in "front heater" for a search term. > > If someone wants to point me in the direction of any write-ups for removing > the dash I would appreciate it. A video would be better. If no video is > available I may have to do another one of my famous "how not to" videos for > YouTube. > > Thanks, > Bryan >


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