Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 14:29:29 -0600 (MDT)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Jack Reed <jack@nts.gssc.com>
Subject: Re: Eberspacher heater documents
On Thu, 12 Jun 1997, dean c aukes wrote:
> Jack - Did you ever get this? I sent it and got an error...
Our server was offline last week, probably then, and no, I didn't get it,
so I'm glad you resent it.
>
> ________________________________
>
>
>
> Jack,
> I received the documents yesterday. Thank you very much. There is a lot of
> great info for my heater project that I would have had a really hard time
> finding.
My pleasure.
>
> My first step is to finish the worktable I'm building in the garage, so I
> can bench test the heater. After it works on the table, it's on to the bus.
I bench tested the combustion motor fan, the fuel pump and the recirc fan
on the floor of my garage. Gave me lots of room to fit the various pieces
together and make sure I had everything.
>
> Just a couple of quick questions: Does your exhaust pipe go all the way to
> the back of the vehicle, as shown in the docs? The heater I got didn't come
> with an exhaust pipe, so I'll have to fabricate one. I believe the intake
Those exhaust pipes usually rust off after a while. I would get a muffler
shop to fab a new one up (if they can). It's a fairly tight and short
radius. I'd offer to give you the dimensions but won't be able to for a
few weeks since my wife just set off for Telluride (SW CO) this am. But
she'll be back in a few weeks and I can get them for you then. You
definitely need the pipe, otherwise all the heat gets dumped right on the
tranny, which can't be good for it. In addition there's a cap (just a
flat sheet metal circle) that's suspended about an inch past the end of
the pipe. The ape that got me one from Blake's Small Car Salvage (Erie,
CO, right off I-25, a great place for VW parts) broke one of the
standoffs, so I fabricated new ones from iron strap. Works fine. The cap
is there to prevent the hot exhaust from igniting dry leaves and grass
under the van. This HAS happened to the unwary before the cap was added.
With the pipe in place it's even with the rear edge of the belly pan and
about an inch (going by memory here) past it.
You might try Tom Johnson up in Alaska (Hey, Tom! You still out there?)
for the exhaust pipe, he may have some. He mostly specializes in BN4s,
but has been known to have some BA6 pieces kicking around.
> only goes to the crossmember. Also, coupled with the engine heater, I
> suppose you really get HOT heat from your heater system! Do you have to run
> your Eberspacher much?
With the heater and the engine running I have yet to see it get too cold.
Prior to the heater install I drove a rolling icebox in the Winter. The
air coming from the squirrel cage on the end of the alternator through the
heater boxes just isn't enough to heat that large a space otherwise. With
the recirc return underneath the rear seat alot of BTUs are recaptured by
the system. That's the only place the body has to be cut into, btw.
The thermostatic control on the dash does a nice job of regulating the
heat and the built in timer does a nice job of preheating things on cold
mornings.
>
> I was in your great state a couple weeks ago, in my '68 VW crewcab pickup,
> on a special camping trip with one of my sons. Going up the mountains was
> fine, heat-wise, but going down got kind of chilly, if it was for very long.
> If I'd only had the heater then....
>
> Thanks again for the docs, and your help.
You bet. There's a post of mine running around on someone's site about
the trials and tribulations of installing a heater in a van that didn't
originally come with one (mine). If you can't find it, let me know and
I'll post it to the list and copy you.
Jack
PS -- I'm going to copy the list on this in case someone else is thinking
about getting a jump on Old Man Winter. Now's definitely the time to get
started.