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GoAround'89
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2022
Posts: 11
Location: No. Calif
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 Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2025 1:11 pm Post subject: dash side airflow vent |
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My airflow vent in the dash and to the left of the steering wheel is broken. I have another van I can switch it with. My question is how do I remove and replace it? I don't want to experiment with pulling it out, and accidentally break it.
Thank you!
Virgi |
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Crooked Designer
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2018
Posts: 573
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2025 2:21 pm Post subject: Re: dash side airflow vent |
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this video shows you how it is attached (at 1:50) The guy in the video is removing a broken one, so he's rough with it, but definitely shows you in great detail how it is attached and how you remove it.
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'85 Westy full camper, Subaru 2.5L, 5 speed SubiGears + 5speedbus shifter kit |
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GoAround'89
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2022
Posts: 11
Location: No. Calif
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2025 1:31 pm Post subject: Re: dash side airflow vent |
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| I watched the video.. more work than I thought. I have removed the instrument cluster several times before, so not too worried on that. However, the vent in the video has all the blades removed so he can get his hand in there to dig it out. He doesn't care about breaking it cuz he has a new replacement. I want to switch the vents between two vans and don't want to break either one. The video mentions the 4 tabs inside that the vent snaps into, but they don't seem accessible from the front of the dash. Does anyone know how to remove the vent without breaking it? |
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Crooked Designer
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2018
Posts: 573
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2025 1:42 pm Post subject: Re: dash side airflow vent |
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| Virgimaier wrote: |
| I watched the video.. more work than I thought. I have removed the instrument cluster several times before, so not too worried on that. However, the vent in the video has all the blades removed so he can get his hand in there to dig it out. He doesn't care about breaking it cuz he has a new replacement. I want to switch the vents between two vans and don't want to break either one. The video mentions the 4 tabs inside that the vent snaps into, but they don't seem accessible from the front of the dash. Does anyone know how to remove the vent without breaking it? |
The guy in that video is pretty heavy handed and clearly doesn't care about the broken vent, but I would imagine gently prying up the tabs enough to clear the edge of the opening on the bottom and then doing the same with the top and rocking the vent forward is the way to go. When I got my van, the previous owner (or most likely the mechanic that had just removed the dash to replace the blower motor) left the vent hoses detached from the back of the vent, so I had to remove the instrument cluster and reach in there and hook it back up (I have an '85 westy and the hoses are just press fit on to the vents. There was no glue or anything). Anyway, getting your hand behind it is probably the way to go for gently rocking it out forward after pushing up the tabs. I have not had to do this, so if anyone else who has and has tips, definitely weigh in.
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'85 Westy full camper, Subaru 2.5L, 5 speed SubiGears + 5speedbus shifter kit |
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MsTaboo
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2006
Posts: 4546
Location: East Kootenay, British Columbia
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2025 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: dash side airflow vent |
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In the case of dealing with any old plastic, heat is your friend. Use a heat gun (or hair drier) to GENTLY heat the plastic to make it more pliable. The swivel part of the vent is removable by carefully prying the sides away from main body, one side at a time, but try to remove without doing that first with thin shims/blades.
Dash out view:
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'90 Syncro Westy 3 knob w/Zetec
The information age has morphed into the age of disinformation and willful ignorance. Agnotology!
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GoAround'89
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2022
Posts: 11
Location: No. Calif
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| Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2025 2:31 pm Post subject: Re: dash side airflow vent |
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| Hmm, so it sounds like your suggesting I can pop out (easy, gently of course) the swivel part without removing the whole vent structure from the dash. The swivel part is what is wrong with mine - one of the blades has fallen off. If I can do that, then I don't need to remove instrument cluster, etc. I can just work from the front of the dash. Is that right? Are there just two nipples that pop into either side of the main vent part? ..and that can be slowly, carefully pried apart (with heat)? Also, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by using shims first. |
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Altoona
Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2011
Posts: 590
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| Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2025 3:53 pm Post subject: Re: dash side airflow vent |
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| Virgimaier wrote: |
| Hmm, so it sounds like your suggesting I can pop out (easy, gently of course) the swivel part without removing the whole vent structure from the dash. The swivel part is what is wrong with mine - one of the blades has fallen off. If I can do that, then I don't need to remove instrument cluster, etc. I can just work from the front of the dash. Is that right? Are there just two nipples that pop into either side of the main vent part? ..and that can be slowly, carefully pried apart (with heat)? Also, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by using shims first. |
Just grab the fixed vanes close to either side and pull, it will pop right out. Also, you can use a small flat blade screwdriver to pry at either end. |
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GoAround'89
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2022
Posts: 11
Location: No. Calif
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2025 9:46 am Post subject: Re: dash side airflow vent |
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Thank you for all your help and replies. MsTaboo was correct that I could just pop out the swivel portion of the vent. It was so easy, and in my case that's all I needed to do cuz it was just one of the vanes that had fallen off. I put it back in place, reinserted the swivel part and now all is well.
Afterwards, I took off on an 8 day journey in the mountains, now back home and catching up with stuff.. also planning the next summer trip.. hmm, where to? |
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 52271
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2025 2:22 pm Post subject: Re: dash side airflow vent |
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I did an easy mod to my vents two decades back that made then easier to operate. Just took a couple of bit of wood and glued them in place to slightly limit the movement of the mechanism. Everything has moved smoothly ever since.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2804603 |
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