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BoneStock67 Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2006 Posts: 439 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:23 am Post subject: What else to do while replacing a front heater core? |
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So I'm getting ready to replace the front heater core and blower on my '86 weekender. What other preventative maintenance/restoration things do people recommend doing up there while I have the dash out? _________________ 1986 Wolfsburg Westfalia Weekender 2.1L stock
1967 Beetle, now becoming my daily driver again, after a long rest in the garage
"There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery.” -Enrico Fermi |
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Dogpilot Samba Member
Joined: October 03, 2005 Posts: 4205 Location: Flagstaff, AZ
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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Clean up the grounds on the pillar. Clean out the squirter lines. Lube the Windshield wiper system. Replace the foam on the heater box flappers. Install insulation on the forward nose section for noise. Install any extra electrical lines for future goodies, like aux battery cig plugs or stereo systems. Find all the pennies you lost. _________________ Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G |
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psych-illogical Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2004 Posts: 1181 Location: AZ
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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I went ahead and replaced my 24 year old wiper shafts while I was in there. _________________ 83 1/2 Westy waterboxer
'57 Beetle-sold
Coupla '81 BMW motorcycles (R80G/S; R100RS)
'96 BMW R1100GS |
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joetiger Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2005 Posts: 5068 Location: denver
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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Here's some good step-by-step info on the removal process:
http://www.vanagonauts.com/Heater-Blower-R&-R118.htm _________________ Joe T.
'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32
"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron
"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond
Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present
www.josephtrussell.com |
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BoneStock67 Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2006 Posts: 439 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks, guys!
That's exactly the kind of wisdom I'm looking for.
BTW, here's another good r&r on the same topic, from the same site:
http://www.vanagonauts.com/%5B70.5-%5DInstrument-Panel---Dashboard-(T-J-Hannink)117.htm _________________ 1986 Wolfsburg Westfalia Weekender 2.1L stock
1967 Beetle, now becoming my daily driver again, after a long rest in the garage
"There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery.” -Enrico Fermi |
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skaaudivw Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2006 Posts: 316 Location: wesT hartford, ct
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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I'm tackling the same project. My fan is shot so new heater core is going in also. Winter comes and so do the projects. |
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shizzon Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2006 Posts: 596 Location: Boulder, CO
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Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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So I removed my dash today, and will be replacing my front heater core and blower motor very soon... I keep seeing people posting saying "fix the foam on the heater flaps" with foam you get from home depot. ...Are people meaning Frost King type insulation, or can you just buy the foam? If so, can anyone tell me exactly what kind of foam to use?
Also, once you have foam, how does one actually replace the foam thats there? It didn't seem obvious when I looked at it yesterday.
Finally, what about lubing the windshield wipers? What specifically should be lubed?
Thanks! |
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McVanagon Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 1684 Location: Northern part of the Virginia
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:53 am Post subject: |
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I just finished this project. Saturday I removed the dash and the heaterbox and cleaned it up, replaced the fan and the flapperfoam. Sunday I did another thing or two, then put it all back together. I have a few observations.
1) It is a lot easier the second time around.
2) You don’t have to remove the dash to replace the windshield squirters. You can wiggle them out, and replace them with new. (a heat gun is nice to make 20yr old plastic lines a little softer to slip the nozzles off/on)
3) The number of stereo installs that have lived in a 20yr dash leave a bit of wiring mess.
4) The tip of the shearbolts comes right off; right after you put your vice-grips away and realize you forgot the washers. Why did I use them again?
5) The heaterbox is a great hiding place for pennies, confetti, watch batteries, and little dash lightbulbs.
6) Replacing the “to-the-back” vent flap foam is a pain the butt, since you do them in place. I read that someone removed it, but I didn't want to hack up the box.
7) If you stick the foam on (2.5"x .25", made by 3M)******edit - it's 1.25" wide, oops***** without cutting the 6-8 holes for the retainers, a hot awl from the backside opening in the flap makes the cutest little holes, in the right place, too……
8 ) Are those dangly fresh-air flaps removeable?
9) I was “blown away” by the difference the new foam made. While the new fan is not any stronger, the new flapperfoam allows all of it to be focused on a single place. Defroster is like a hurricane compared to what it was before.
Photo album
http://picasaweb.google.com/Oodacmekim/HeaterMotor# _________________ '69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop
Last edited by McVanagon on Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:19 am; edited 2 times in total |
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lovedavdubs Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2004 Posts: 1597 Location: New York, NY.
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:43 am Post subject: |
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How about some sound deadening on the front panel?
Before
Link
After
Link
_________________ 82 Air-cooled Westy (Lola)...My other vehicle is a subway. |
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danfromsyr Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004 Posts: 15129 Location: Syracuse, NY
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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great time for headlight relays.. _________________
Abscate wrote: |
These are the reasons we have words like “wanker” |
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earlywesty Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2004 Posts: 2356 Location: In the woods, Ontario
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 6:39 pm Post subject: Gotta take my dash out this week too.... |
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I have to pull the dash to find a mouse nest on the 91 Multivan I just bought. I suspect it will be found near the fan as the van is also intermittent. I guess this is a good time to kill two birds with one stone...
How much are the fans and cores? I was considering doing both since I am going to all the trouble of getting in there. I can't see any other way off getting a mouse nest out of the front duct work. It smells awful. I shut the front air flow off completely and the smell dissipates some, however relying on the rear heater in Canada won't cut it, not to mention no defrost...
I will lube the wiper linkage too... Any other suggestions>
Eric |
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McVanagon Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 1684 Location: Northern part of the Virginia
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 7:21 pm Post subject: Re: Gotta take my dash out this week too.... |
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buseric wrote: |
How much are the fans and cores? |
Fans are $80-100
Front cores are rediculou$ _________________ '69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop |
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brooklynvan Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2006 Posts: 342 Location: Brooklyn NY
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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McVanagon-
do you have a # for the 3M foam you used?
I have a spare core on my bench I'm going to rebuild then put in since I park on the street, and need to pull the dash and do all the work in a short time frame. _________________ 1990 Vanagon "Plain Jane" Bostig in the Back
TRADED: 1967 Panel for 1976 BMW 2002
SOLD: 1984 Sunroof Vanagon with EJ22
RIP 1986 Saab turbo
and my daily commuter: a Bicycle |
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Terry Kay Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003 Posts: 13331
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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<<I have a spare core on my bench I'm going to rebuild then put in since I park on the street>>
Interesting.
How does one go about rebuilding a front core?
I'm all ear's on this caper Harry--- _________________ T.K. |
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McVanagon Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 1684 Location: Northern part of the Virginia
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:17 am Post subject: |
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brooklynvan wrote: |
McVanagon-
do you have a # for the 3M foam you used? |
No, I sure dont.....sorry. I threw away the packaging... I bought the roll at Advanced Auto for about $12, and the instructions would have helped me attach a cab to a truck bed. The dimensions were 1.25" wide, and 0.25" thick. It was self-adhesive, and I had a plastic film on the other side that I had to peel off.
The 1.25" width was just about perfect.
_________________ '69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop
Last edited by McVanagon on Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:23 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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BoneStock67 Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2006 Posts: 439 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 7:23 am Post subject: |
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Great pix, McV; thanks.
Although I started this thread six weeks ago, I STILL haven't done the front core (but I did do the rear core, which started leaking and thus moved up in the urgency rankings), so I for one am still very interested in the great info that continues to come out here. _________________ 1986 Wolfsburg Westfalia Weekender 2.1L stock
1967 Beetle, now becoming my daily driver again, after a long rest in the garage
"There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery.” -Enrico Fermi |
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Terry Kay Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003 Posts: 13331
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 7:49 am Post subject: |
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Good info on the 3-M foam tape---
Here's another one of them jobs you don't wanna cut corner's on.
Do not buy the Ace is the place or the brand X sealing gasket material when your having a hard time locating the right stuff.
The adhesive on the back side of the cheap stuff is garbage and will not stick to the heater door's very long.
The 3-M foam tape will stay on the door's a long time without rolling off. _________________ T.K. |
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McVanagon Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 1684 Location: Northern part of the Virginia
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Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:15 am Post subject: |
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Terry Kay wrote: |
Good info on the 3-M foam tape---
Here's another one of them jobs you don't wanna cut corner's on.
Do not buy the Ace is the place or the brand X sealing gasket material when your having a hard time locating the right stuff.
The adhesive on the back side of the cheap stuff is garbage and will not stick to the heater door's very long.
The 3-M foam tape will stay on the door's a long time without rolling off. |
True, that stuff was sticky. Make a mistake, and you'll be scraping, sanding, and using googone. Even though this tape was clearly adhesive, I would have never trusted it alone without those retaining clip-plates.
***edit*** I stopped by the store on the way home and got the foam info.... as well as upload a few photos.
3M Pickup Camper Tape
Part # 03420
1 1/4"x 3/16"x 10 yards.
What's left of the factory foam.
Remove foam clip, I mean.... dust clip.
After sticking the tape to the flap, trimming it, and peeling the plastic off, I heated up the tip of an awl, and stuck it though from the other side...I actually threw this one from the other side of the garage. I was getting pretty good by the second set of flaps. Bullseye!
Once the smoke cleared, this is what the other side looked like... Neat, and no cutting or measuring involved. Just put the retainer back in.
_________________ '69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop |
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earlywesty Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2004 Posts: 2356 Location: In the woods, Ontario
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 1:25 pm Post subject: Can you cheat to tell if the heater has been serviced? |
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I don't know if my heater housing has been opened up... Is there anyway to peek and see if it has clips. I have never had the dash out so I am not sure how hidden the heater housing is....
I would like to know if I need to buy the 11 clips or not..... Can you peer through the ashtray or glovebox or something if you take them out?
Thanks,
Eric |
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McVanagon Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 1684 Location: Northern part of the Virginia
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 2:02 pm Post subject: Re: Can you cheat to tell if the heater has been serviced? |
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buseric wrote: |
I don't know if my heater housing has been opened up... Is there anyway to peek and see if it has clips. I have never had the dash out so I am not sure how hidden the heater housing is....
I would like to know if I need to buy the 11 clips or not..... Can you peer through the ashtray or glovebox or something if you take them out?
Thanks,
Eric |
Eric,
Here is a photo album from Ken. I borrowed a few photos from it (since I don't have any where I am right now)
http://picasaweb.google.com/Madsen.Ken/HeaterBlowerReplacement
I highlighted the seam red. You may (or may not) have to break this seam, depending if it has already been done. If you take the glovebox and the lower center panel off, you will be able to see part of the heater box. (I highlighted Ken's defroster flapper control lever in blue, for reference).
Trace as much of the seam as you can with your eyes and fingers. There should be some clips along the seam, clamping the two halfs together. I believe there are two in the front between the heat vents, and at least two or three you will be able to see from the passenger floor, looking up. Don't be misled by the clips holding the ends of the control cables down.....
Good luck!
_________________ '69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop |
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