Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2013 10:50:30 -0800
Reply-To: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Stuff I did on my van today (finishing heater box refurb and
misc dash-off stuff)
In-Reply-To: <CAN483vdTZPnD1xN57HMucKzNR+8NcRKvVUsUFeOzY+=oHPvQmQ@mail.gmail.com>
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For years I didn't have "wobble" extensions. Got some a few years ago.
They have useful SO many times. Needed one again for a recent the heat
box removal and cleaning. (mice)
Two things I noticed that may not apply to the WBX box.
1. plastic piece at bottom of a "top" defrost outlet was loose. Two
small screws seemed to secure it.
2. a cable anchor on pass. side (is held to box with melted plastic)
was getting loose. Ironically, an existing hole was just right for a
small screw. Much stabler now. Likely it would NOT have failed since
all it does is hold a cable but felt good to secure it. On my box,
heater core "tank" is RIGHT NEXT to this added screw so caution
advised.
IIRC, there are small Phillips screws hidden underneath the OEM foam
somewhere on the box. I don't recall what they held down, but removing
them helped (this was back when I had rebuilt the box). Detail maybe
shown in Bentley??
re: mice. I'm hyper sensitive to this issue right now, but would
suggest using bleach/water to disinfect things.
Thanks for reminder on clutch pin. Will inspect to see if my previous
repair to a thinning pedal hole is still ok. (done before I got a MIG)
I'm thinking of squirting chain lube down all the cables.
Bets of luck
Neil.
On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 6:44 AM, Mike South <msouth@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> These flaps just click into place, and knowing that we are going on 30
> years on those tiny pieces of plastic--both the little rod that it pivots
> on and the socket that holds the rod--I was pretty nervous about getting it
> out without breaking it. After a couple of false starts trying to get a
> zip tie and then a piece of metal strapping to wrap around it so I could
> pull it from the back, I finally found an old paint can opener that I was
> able to hook around the back of it.
>
> You only have to get one side popped out, and then you can just slide it
> out of the other.
> I also used a screwdriver to dig out the residue of the previously
> discovered (skeletonized) dead rodent and his nesting material/midden heap.
> Unscrewing the mount for the ballast resistor let me get at some of last
> remaining pockets ("pockets of remains"?).
>
> I used soap and water to clean up as much of the box as possible, and also
> took the opportunity to wipe down all the surfaces in the van that were
> available due to the box's absence. I lubed the wiper linkage and put
> Peel-and-Seal on the top, front surfaces, finally crossing off a couple of
> remaining things on the "while the dash is off" to-do list.
>
> One discovery that might be useful to people is that with the heater box
> completely removed you can see the clutch pin pretty well. This might be
> an option if you need to inspect/work with it.
>
> Also, we replaced the phillips head bolts with hex heads. You might need a
> "slop" extension (I am definitely using one, I just don't know if it's
> definitively required) to get to it, but I think it's a better solution
> than having to worry about stripping them when they're already hard to get
> to.
>
>
> The last thing I'm sure I'm going to do is to put critter screens over the
> openings.
>
> I think I'm also going to replace the control wire that goes down through
> to the valve under the car, since I bent it while trying to bleed after
> replacing the front heater core.
--
Neil n
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