Date:         Tue, 12 Dec 1995 19:12:01 -0900 (AKST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         JOHNSON THOMAS H <rsthj@aurora.alaska.edu>
Subject:      Re: Gas heaters in Splitties

> mentioned, I have seen a heater installed below the dash,
> right at the feet of the passenger on a ('65, I think) bus.
> This may not be the same heater Tom wrote about, but it sure
> seems like a very handy location!  Anyone else seen this
> installation?

I've seen this installation twice; once on '67 and once on a '70.  It is a 
dealer installed Stewart Warner.  I've no clue why they sometimes put 
them in the cab and sometimes in the engine compartment.  Ideas Anyone?

IMHO, it is the Stewart Warner that gave gas heaters their bad 
reputation.  Of the dozen or so SW's that I have, 
all show signs of serious overheating.  The safety equipment on a SW 
consists of an 
over-heat switch.  If something is causing the heater to overheat, fuel is 
temporarily shut off till the heater cools slightly then turned on only 
to overheat again.  And again.  In addition, they are poorly manufactured.  
Full of razor sharp edges and mis-aligned holes.  I try to avoid them.

The Eberspachers are another story.  While they can be tempermental, a 
good running Eb. is hard to beat.  If it gets sick, it will let you 
know by shutting down and refusing to start until fixed.   

There were also Wabesto (?) heaters but I don't know if VW ever used 
one in a bus.  The one I've seen was in a '66 bug mounted inline with 
heaterboxes.  Tiny thing with VW part numbers everywhere.  I think it was 
from Canada.


-Tom