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Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:23 pm

The snow is in the foothills, and the scramble is on to fix the heat/defrost situation in my '73 standard!

So far I have replaced:

The cable from the (right) operating lever to the heater box under the car
The cable from the (left) operating lever to the rear footwell vents

I see that there is also a cable from the (left) operating lever going *forward*, presumably this is for the heater vents beneath the doors?
It's apparently broken too, so in the "defrost" position I still get nothing to the windshield (except, oddly; leaking from the very corner, right above the VIN tag - not from the vent).

I've checked the MAMotorworks, JC Whitney, and Airhead Parts catalogs; but cannot find this cable listed - can anyone tell me what it's called and where I can find one?

Many thanks in advance,

Randy

Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:45 pm

There should be a pair of cables that open the heater box flaps linked to a single lever between the seats. And the other lever is for the rear heater flaps under the back seat. When the heat is on, it should have the front footwell heaters blowing and the defroster blowing. To direct more air to the defroster, you simply close the foot vents. (this may be that broken cable - a change in 73 MY)

At the deep rear corners of the trunk you can shine a flashlight down in to see a pipe splitter from 1 to 3 outlets. One goes up to the plastic ducts (which also connect to the fresh air box), one gores to the corner vents and one goes to the center defrost vent. If any of these hoses are broken or missing, your defroster won't work well.

I had all my heater stuff sealed up in my 72 standard, and it heated and defrosted fine in the winter. One trick is to not breathe out of your mouth, as it will more easily fog up your windows. Or if you have a talkative passenger...

Wed Nov 18, 2009 2:13 pm

Assuming you still have the conduits the cable is available here.

http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=133711791

Also make sure you have the thermostat and air control flaps in place. They
make a big difference in the efficiency of your heating system.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:52 pm

Matt Wilson wrote: There should be a pair of cables that open the heater box flaps linked to a single lever between the seats. And the other lever is for the rear heater flaps under the back seat. When the heat is on, it should have the front footwell heaters blowing and the defroster blowing. To direct more air to the defroster, you simply close the foot vents. (this may be that broken cable - a change in 73 MY)

At the deep rear corners of the trunk you can shine a flashlight down in to see a pipe splitter from 1 to 3 outlets. One goes up to the plastic ducts (which also connect to the fresh air box), one gores to the corner vents and one goes to the center defrost vent. If any of these hoses are broken or missing, your defroster won't work well.

I had all my heater stuff sealed up in my 72 standard, and it heated and defrosted fine in the winter. One trick is to not breathe out of your mouth, as it will more easily fog up your windows. Or if you have a talkative passenger...

Also the tubes from heater channel to defrost are insulated paper and when they go to hell they collapse internally and need to be replaced. There is a small hole down at the bottom of the A pillar behind the carpet you will have to enlarge a little and you can replace the defrost tubes.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:58 pm

I also have a flat screen standard 73 Beetle.
I just removed the defrost cables that go to the front footwell vents, the defrost lever has two sets of cables. One set goes to the flaps on the kickpanels under the rear seat, the other set goes the flaps at the front footwell (by the front edge of the doors).Probably most bugs dont have this and need to closed by hand (please dont try this when car is moving).
My problem is the cables are rusted inside the jacket (already destroyed one trying to get it free). Both ends on mine were broken so I'm guessing the length is around 64" (1625mm). They have a very small jacket/cover/conduit to allow being shoved through the tube from the defrost lever to the front floorboard. It routes in a loop, along the tunnel towards the gas pedal then horseshoes over towards the door. Mine has two clips on each side to secure it.
My search continues. Paul

Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:50 pm

pbasham wrote: I also have a flat screen standard 73 Beetle.
I just removed the defrost cables that go to the front footwell vents, the defrost lever has two sets of cables. One set goes to the flaps on the kickpanels under the rear seat, the other set goes the flaps at the front footwell (by the front edge of the doors).Probably most bugs dont have this and need to closed by hand (please dont try this when car is moving).
My problem is the cables are rusted inside the jacket (already destroyed one trying to get it free). Both ends on mine were broken so I'm guessing the length is around 64" (1625mm). They have a very small jacket/cover/conduit to allow being shoved through the tube from the defrost lever to the front floorboard. It routes in a loop, along the tunnel towards the gas pedal then horseshoes over towards the door. Mine has two clips on each side to secure it.
My search continues. Paul

I just ordered some special 3M shrink tube to try for this application on a customers car. It takes a real heat gun to shrink (no hairdryers :wink:) but it cools very very stiff. Knowing that this product will only shrink 50% seemingly makes it ideal. I will post afterward if it works out.

Fri Nov 20, 2009 12:53 am

Thanks for the link and the advice - I have ordered the part ($5 for the cable, $10 for shipping - and who knew Fedex even *had* 5-day service anymore! Geez...)

Cheers,

Randy

Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:44 am

I didn't have any luck finding anyone who carries the heater cable conduit, but I did see that Bugpack make a throttle cable kit which comes with a nylon "cable guide" that might work. JC Whitney carries it for $18.99.

Fri Dec 18, 2009 4:55 am

i was looking for this cable on my car and couldn't find it. i guess a 70 model doesn't have it.

Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:01 pm

I removed the old broken heater cables, which were hard to remove, and in the process of installing the new cables. There seems to be a blockage at the right rear cable exit tube leading to the heat exchanger. I have tried coat hangers, long punch, etc to no avail. What would be causing this blockage? It feels like a metal object. Getting kinda frustrated. Any and all help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

Tue Dec 29, 2009 8:24 pm

When I replaced the sheathing on my hood latch cable I used the sheathing that goes on brake cables for bikes. It's much cheaper and is teflon coated on the inside. You can get it by the foot at any bike store.

Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:47 am

The blockage was close enough to the rear that a I used a drill bit and broke through it. I went to the hardware store and bought some cable like the cable you run thru the springs on your garage for safety in case they break. I rammed this thru from the front controls and cleaned out the cable guide.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:18 pm

johneliot wrote: When I replaced the sheathing on my hood latch cable I used the sheathing that goes on brake cables for bikes. It's much cheaper and is teflon coated on the inside. You can get it by the foot at any bike store.
x2. I'm redoing the rusted/frozen front cables on my vert and bought similar sheathing from a bike store for about $15 (both sides). It fits PERFECTLY inside the existing guides through the tunnel, and the inner diameter is the right size too.

Viande wrote: Assuming you still have the conduits the cable is available here.

http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=133711791
Viande, thanks for that link, I've been searching in vain for those cables for awhile and was about to kludge something.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:41 am

mnussbau wrote: johneliot wrote: When I replaced the sheathing on my hood latch cable I used the sheathing that goes on brake cables for bikes. It's much cheaper and is teflon coated on the inside. You can get it by the foot at any bike store.
x2. I'm redoing the rusted/frozen front cables on my vert and bought similar sheathing from a bike store for about $15 (both sides). It fits PERFECTLY inside the existing guides through the tunnel, and the inner diameter is the right size too.

Viande wrote: Assuming you still have the conduits the cable is available here.

http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=133711791
Viande, thanks for that link, I've been searching in vain for those cables for awhile and was about to kludge something.

No problem, and you have an email. I typed it but never sent it... :oops:

Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:45 am

mnussbau wrote: johneliot wrote: When I replaced the sheathing on my hood latch cable I used the sheathing that goes on brake cables for bikes. It's much cheaper and is teflon coated on the inside. You can get it by the foot at any bike store.
x2. I'm redoing the rusted/frozen front cables on my vert and bought similar sheathing from a bike store for about $15 (both sides). It fits PERFECTLY inside the existing guides through the tunnel, and the inner diameter is the right size too.

You know the drill -- pics.... I want to see your setup.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:17 am

Viande, have you tried that 3M shrink tubing on the heater cables yet, and did it turn out satisfactory?
No big deal if you haven't but was curious how well they worked..

Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:39 am

Has anyone used small diameter aircraft (Stranded) cable? (Similar to the cable used on bicycle brakes)

Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:50 pm

a.wilson wrote: Viande, have you tried that 3M shrink tubing on the heater cables yet, and did it turn out satisfactory?
No big deal if you haven't but was curious how well they worked..

Oh yes, sorry forgot to post. Yes works great and is holding up well. You would need a real heatgun though. Hairdryer will not cut it.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 3:47 pm

Gary wrote: You know the drill -- pics.... I want to see your setup.
Will do...probably tomorrow.

Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:49 am

Viande wrote: a.wilson wrote: Viande, have you tried that 3M shrink tubing on the heater cables yet, and did it turn out satisfactory?
No big deal if you haven't but was curious how well they worked..

Oh yes, sorry forgot to post. Yes works great and is holding up well. You would need a real heatgun though. Hairdryer will not cut it.
Kewl.. I'll have to look for those then.
Take care.