Hi Roy. I had the same problem. First I got on the net as you did and got some good advice. Then I made up a `U' With copper fittings and bypassed the heater while I worked on it. I stripped it down, cleaned the end cap where it was leaking, and following Tim Smith's advice, coated around each of the tubes with JB Weld. Made a new gasket with silicone seal and put it back together. It still leaked!!! Following more advice from the net, I bought the heater core from a 86 Ciera. It was the right length and thickness but too wide and I wrecked it trying to make it fit. A radiator shop could have taken off one tube and it would have fit perfectly. I went back and bought a core from a 79 Caprice. That fits well but is too long. Doesn't matter as there is room for it to stick out of the housing under the box cover. Works fine but has no shut off valve. > If anyone else has had this problem before, I'd appreciate hearing how > you went about cleaning the floor padding and carpet. When I started work on the heater, it coincided with my plan to gut the camper section and check everything. I pulled out every unit, cupboard, shelf, and of course the floor boards. I won't go into what I found and fixed. The sound proofing board under the seats is in two small pieces. I took them outside and washed them down with a hose. Left them in the sun for a week and they were fine. The big sheet of soundproof under the floorboard was ok. Then I ripped off the carpet, sanded the plywood flooring and covered it with vinyl deck coat material. This gives me a nice looking floor that is easy to clean after camping in rainy weather. We have a strip of house carpet we unroll at the end of the bed for bare feet in those night time trips. Only mistake was in gluing the vinyl onto the plywood in the basement. The house stank and I was really sick for nearly a week. Do it outside wearing a gas mask. Good luck Earl from Sunny Sooke 84 ex-California Vanagon |
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