TheSamba.com :: View topic - BN4 heated air is ducted behind/under the rear seat, and?

Thu Apr 01, 2004 12:06 am

I have all the air ducts leading thru the rear wall and elbowing down, then parallel to the floor, and that's it. Is this how it was installed back in the factory? Does it rely on the airflow from heater box to drive it out from the slot underneath the rear seat kick panel, or is there a special vent that's installed on the kick panel itself to let the hot air through??

I just wondered because my rear seat kick panel found from swaps does not have any additional vent, other than the one long slot at the middle bottom.

I also wonder how it's done in the Westy, with z-bed wooden frame boxing in the hot air totally. But I am installing mine back in a deluxe so any info on that is most appriciated. Pictures are even better!

Thanks in advance,

Ricky

Thu Apr 01, 2004 3:25 am

ricky, gas heaters vent thru the fire wall and that's it. it sounds like you have all the ducts. buses with gas heaters usually had their rear kick panels removed. otherwise there would be no way for the hot air to warm the passengers.

as for venting in a camper, i'll leave that to one of our resident camper experts. i think crofty has one in his bus.

Thu Apr 01, 2004 5:35 am

On a Westy there is an opening through the bottom of the z bed on the drivers side.

Thu Apr 01, 2004 8:39 am

I can tell you on SW heaters they vented out of a duct exiting in the corner of the kick panel, kick panel needed to be cut. You could even get a kit that ran on the left side to the front seat bulkhead with outlets on it.

Thu Apr 01, 2004 9:35 am

Ricky,
The heated air exits through the firewall and has it's own vent. In a camper there is a large paper hose that conects to the forward most (closest to driver) section of duct work and exits through a vent in the botton left hand side of your Z Bed, as said in another post.
Type2.com has a few pics of a complete BN4 to give you a better idea. PM me if you need any help with it.

Thu Apr 01, 2004 10:03 am

Thanks for the answers gentlemen. It makes sense to just take the kick panel out. Kinda glad it's not a Southwind, which will add more work for the completition.

Crofty I have the installation mocked and it should be a breeze.. my guess is that it's a dealer installed option, since it's not on the m plate but the cavities cut for installation were perfect, clean and precise. Got the hard copy manual from Woody to check with as well. I'll be calling you when I have it all apart and cannot put it back tho, hehe.

Thu Apr 01, 2004 10:09 am

On the westys with a BN4 there is a sort of rectangular aluminium tube that curves down from the the firewall over the well curve then forward to the wood under the Z bed, and a rectangular hole in the Z bed wall that has a screen over it. I think SW heater buses had a round tube

The non campers had the same tubing, with a screen in the kick panel.

even if you don't feel like cutting a hole in the kick panel, the tubeing is a good idea, so the heat doesn't blast at the seat.

you could P-mail me for a pic of the tubing (not installed)

Thu Apr 01, 2004 12:24 pm

BN4's had round tubes as well. The duct work that attaches to the firewall went from rectangular (at rear of heater) and folled the curvature of the wheel well; it was round at the end of that piece and had a paper tube connected to it that also ended at a round opening. The later BN4's had square openings. See below link for a photo.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2469673691&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOAB:US:6