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Date:         Wed, 27 Nov 1996 22:21:53 +0000
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Tom Forhan <tforhan@pipeline.com>
Subject:      Propex Installation: Day One

The following is a tediously detailed description of todays progress. As you will see, not much is written in stone yet, and I'll gladly listen to any and all advice.

Started out with the aux battery installation, following the instructions in Coyote's Vanagon FAQ. I had to remove the relay to identify #30, you can save yourself the trouble by first locating the two red wires that run the camper stuff, coming out of the little fuse box behind the driver's seat. Trace both of those wires back to the relay, which has five tabs, one on each side of a square, and one in the middle. One of the camper-load red wires goes to the tab in the middle, the other goes to tab #30. Now you can continue to follow the excellent instructions in FAQ.

One surprise, the cabin light -the big one in the rear- is *not* connected into the camper circuit, and will not run off the aux battery. The camper circuits only run the fridge on 12V, the annuciator panel that tells you the state of charge and water level etc., and the water pump. I spent a bit of time trying to figure out why the my rear light would not work on the aux battery when I had the main disconnected. Finally, I checked the Bentley, and saw that the circuit was independent of the camper stuff, and thus the aux battery.

(A listmember who could write some clear, detailed instructions for the FAQ on connecting the rear light and the stereo to the aux system would make a real contribution to our community. Me? No, I'm better at following directions.)

Next I pulled out the necessary cabinetry to remove the fridge and get access to the various spaces for running the gas line and power for the furnace. Followed Bentley on the fridge removal, it was easy. Much dirt underneath... very scuzzy. Pulled back the insulation to look for rust, and did not find any, thank goodness. I also pulled the all lids/doors off the cabinet behind the fridge, and pulled the shelf out of the one in in front of the water tank. Surprise number one: a hidden compartment, behind the 110 outlet and circuit breaker!

This is a good time to do a little cleaning, so I got out the vacuum and soapy water and attacked so areas that had not seen the light of day in a long time. I also got a scrap of plywood and tested the 3 3/4" size of the hole saw - its perfect, the Propex vents fit beautifully.

A good look at the existing gaslines, and surprise number two! It was time for a trip to the hardware store as the existing lines are 3/8, while the furnace inlet is 1/4. So you need a 3/8" tee, instead of the 1/4" I reported on yesterday, and a 3/8 to 1/4 reducer. I also saw what looks like a reasonable route for the gas line. I'll put the tee into the line for the stove, just because the fridge line is more rigidly attached and has less give, a little slop will make cutting in the tee easier. From the tee, we will go behind the fridge, then down toward the hidden compartment, where I will take it toward the bench seat. From the bench seat area, I'll drill a hole in the left sidewall low and in front, below the brain, which will nicely go to the hidden compartment. (Take a copy of this little ditty out to your Westie, follow along and hopefully it will make more sense).

I unscrewed the brain -but did not disconnect it and taped it up and out of the way. Warming to clearing out my workspace, I decided to pull off the cover on the rear heater. It looks like the best place to run the gas line at this point is along the front lower edge of the kick panel, so I went ahead and pulled the rear fan/heat exchanger unit as well. Hey, time to bleed the beast anyway. This gave me a clear workspace to start figuring out the exact placement of the furnace.

Under the car, I measured to locate the longitudinal frame rail which we have to avoid with the combustion inlet and exhausts. The only clear space is outboard of the frame (which also has a 1" flange extending outside the rail), I don't know about your two wheelers, but inboard of the right frame rail is the major run for wires, hoses and stuff, then there is a little space, and then we start with obstructions from the rails protecting the driveshaft and then the driveshaft itself. Because the two combustion vents are not centered on the unit, it pretty much has to face with the hot air outlet toward the center of the vehicle and the propane inlet at the extreme right hand side of the compartment.

There will not be a lot of clearance here, and the gas line has to make a 180 degree turn, coming across the bottom of the kick panel and turning around to meet the heater gas inlet. My few attempts to bend some scraps of 1/4"copper tubing to the proper radius resulted in kinks, so it was time to go the the hardware store (again), where I picked up a bunch of 1/4" elbows and flare nuts.

After dinner, I spent some time in front of the TV, cutting and flaring some of the short lengths of tube for the elbows and the 3/8 transition.

Thats it for today, I hope all these words save some of you some grief. Tomorrow I'll drill some holes in my bus! To summarize, add the following to your shopping list:

Spring pipebending tool (about $3 in 1/4", a great help) 3/8 tee and flare nuts 3/8 to 1/4 reducer and flare nuts about 6 inches of 3/8"copper tubing (you need to make a short connection piece between the tee and the reducer)

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Tom F.


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