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Otmar Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2006 Posts: 71 Location: Corvallis, Oregon, USA
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:35 pm Post subject: Ford front heater valve. |
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My first heater control valve lasted 12 years. Then the next three (2 Meyle and 1 Üro) all failed catastrophically within weeks of being installed. They all leaked around the shaft and the valves were so stiff they would bend my new control cable.
Tired of paying for new coolant I figured I'd find a better solution.
I acquired a ford heater control valve at NAPA. One like this one: It is very east to turn on and off unlike the aftermaket junk that's currently available for the VWs.
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=815475&cc=1125290
I then replaced the lever with the volkswagen one after using a razor blade for some slight trimming of the shaft mount point to make it fit. I test fit it on the cable inside the van to make sure the travel worked correctly. It is important to adjust the fully "on" end and let the fully closed end of travel flex and bow the cable so nothing breaks. You can see the housing is mounted at an angle to how it's supposed to be on the Ford, but it works well for me.
After that I put a new hole in the rubber grommet to allow the cable to come out closer to the heater valve and and made sure all cable the slack was available down below. I then installed the valve in the original location. The new valve has a screw (instead of that confounded clip!) and facing out is much easier to install.
I hope this helps someone along the way... _________________ -Otmar
Tesfalia: https://twitter.com/tesfalia
The '87 Westie for the mean time,
& Dad's old 1965 Transporter. |
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peasant Samba Member
Joined: April 25, 2009 Posts: 321
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:01 am Post subject: |
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Cool, nice fix. Good idea on how to work around the failing replacement ones _________________ 89 wolfsberg weekender carat
89 Westfalia |
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Destructo Samba Member
Joined: July 31, 2006 Posts: 405 Location: Westhampton, MA
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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Awesome fix, can you list the part number for the one you found at Napa? _________________ 1985 Wolfsburg Edition Westfalia Camper Bostig conversion
Dude, where's your van? |
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Otmar Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2006 Posts: 71 Location: Corvallis, Oregon, USA
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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The one I used is a 660-1140 http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Result.aspx?Ntt=...=3&N=0
Disclaimer: I never checked to see if the flow was in the right direction. I hear there is a 660-1141 that flows the other way, but also reverses the off/on cable directions. _________________ -Otmar
Tesfalia: https://twitter.com/tesfalia
The '87 Westie for the mean time,
& Dad's old 1965 Transporter. |
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ARMc Samba Member
Joined: February 10, 2012 Posts: 116 Location: Wisconsin
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Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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So because I'm not having this problem and am considering going this route, did using the 660-1140 present any problems running it backwards? I'd like my controls to make sense, I have enough trouble with dyslexia. Otherwise I'd go with the 660-1141. Is the arrow indicator just a suggestion or is it important for the function or longevity of the part. Thanks. |
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Otmar Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2006 Posts: 71 Location: Corvallis, Oregon, USA
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Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 10:00 am Post subject: |
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The 660-1140 works well for me, and the other model may have different cable mounting. I don't know if it will be a problem in the long run, I don't even know if the flow is correct or reversed on mine. Plus, since mine is a stretch with a spliced heater hose, there is no assurance that the flow on mine would be the same as a stock Vanagon. Someone with a normal van will have to verify that. _________________ -Otmar
Tesfalia: https://twitter.com/tesfalia
The '87 Westie for the mean time,
& Dad's old 1965 Transporter. |
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ARMc Samba Member
Joined: February 10, 2012 Posts: 116 Location: Wisconsin
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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Well I picked up the special order 660-1141 from Napa today. Only thing different from the 660-1140 was the direction of the flow. The cable mounted the same way, so the dash control works and reads as it should. Popper her in, drove around for awhile no leaks. Thanks for this fix, it was an easy mod. I'm very pleased. |
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Ibuprofen Samba Member
Joined: September 15, 2008 Posts: 70 Location: PNW
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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I did this job on my van yesterday. It was a bit tricky getting everything set well, but I think I got it dialed in. Some back-and-forth getting the sheath in a good spot to prevent binding of the wire was the hardest part for me. I did re-route the wire under a metal bar near the heater controls to make it closer, but the angle is tighter now.
I also used the 660-1141 part which has the flow going in the correct direction, though I doubt it matters.
Thanks for the tip! _________________ Filbert: 85 Westy, 1.9 AHU mTDI, LR 300 pump stock fueling, 520 nozzles. |
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seanjenn Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2009 Posts: 722 Location: TAOS
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Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:20 pm Post subject: |
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This may be the way to go for me.
I installed a new heater valve about a month ago, supposedly a "German" OEM part, superior to the aftermarket variety, blah, blah, blah.....BS.
The new one is leaking from the shaft, just like the old one.
Awesome. I love doing sh*t twice, over poor quality parts.
Part came from one of the two, bigger online suppliers, so if you need a new valve, look elsewhere as they both use the same one. afaik. _________________ 1987 GL Sunroof
2.1 4 spd |
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Howesight Samba Member
Joined: July 02, 2008 Posts: 3274 Location: Vancouver, B.C.
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Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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seanjenn wrote: |
This may be the way to go for me.
I installed a new heater valve about a month ago, supposedly a "German" OEM part, superior to the aftermarket variety, blah, blah, blah.....BS.
The new one is leaking from the shaft, just like the old one.
Awesome. I love doing sh*t twice, over poor quality parts.
Part came from one of the two, bigger online suppliers, so if you need a new valve, look elsewhere as they both use the same one. afaik. |
I am also finding the quality of some of our Vanagon parts to be wanting.
In the meantime, I've found some of the Ford parts and Toyota parts to be quite good. I guess that Ford and Toyota use some of the same parts across the entire range of their vehicles and therefore design a quality part and build it in numbers.
I am doing a DIY front air conditioning unit and the brand new VW blower fan that I was going to use vibrates terribly. Obviously, it did not get balanced with those tiny metal balancing clips. Turned out I couldn't use it in my application anyway in the end because of insufficient space.
I got a scrapyard Toyota 4runner/Tacoma blower fan that fits the space nicely and pushes more air. Included was the blower resister and four speed switch. $40 all in. Oh, and they threw in for free the all-metal never-leak Toyota heater control valve.
It's really something when you end up buying used Toyota parts to replace VW parts. _________________ '86 Syncro Westy SVX |
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kawasakiman84 Samba Member
Joined: March 03, 2010 Posts: 43 Location: troy missouri
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Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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Bought after market part from on line vendor. Did research after i bought the part "dumb" did not even try to instal it looked cheep not to mention all the bad reviews like catastrophic failure went with the ford fix part #660-1141. I had a bit of trouble getting the cable aligned but other than that works well and looks like it should be there. Great idea Keep up the good work |
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woggs1 Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2007 Posts: 531 Location: South Pacifica California
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 8:47 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the write up on this, my problem is not a leaking valve but mine is either full on blasting heat or off. There is no in-between levels of heat and I am tired of turning it on and off to maintain a comfortable heat level. I will give this mod a try when I change out my hoses. _________________ 4 speed 88 Westy |
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Ibuprofen Samba Member
Joined: September 15, 2008 Posts: 70 Location: PNW
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2013 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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Is anyone else who is using NAPA part 660-1141 having heat at the vents even though the valve is in the off position? I've tested with the cable disconnected and valve fully in the 'off' position but I still get some heat.
Thanks _________________ Filbert: 85 Westy, 1.9 AHU mTDI, LR 300 pump stock fueling, 520 nozzles. |
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syncrodoka Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2005 Posts: 12006 Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 12:28 am Post subject: |
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If it truly is heat coming from the heater box and not radiant heat from the firewall then your valve needs replacing. |
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djkeev Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007 Posts: 32625 Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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Honuak Samba Member
Joined: April 21, 2009 Posts: 521 Location: AK
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Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:35 am Post subject: |
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I seem to have forked myself. While trying to replace the control valve I lost patience trying to get the hoses off the old valve, after 27 years they were too large for the clamp to slide down the hose. Thinking I could cut them and get away with it I think I cut the one closest to the dash too short. And now I realize those pre-formed hoses are NLA. Of all the jobs I've done on my van this is the most frustrating. No clearance to get in there and work. I imagine that at the factory the heater valve must have been put in before the radiator.
I've used high quality hose that has a metal layer allowing bending while still maintaining the flow path. At this point I will have to try to replace the pre-formed hoses with this.
Just wanted to vent. |
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Honuak Samba Member
Joined: April 21, 2009 Posts: 521 Location: AK
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Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:36 am Post subject: Done! |
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A shot of the modified control valve. I had to cut the plastic of the NAPA valve stem to get the stock lever arm to fit. And I cut the lever arm itself to get more range of motion. With the shorter arm you get less precise adjustment but no problem fully opening and closing the valve.
For those of you considering this project I recommend removing the three 10 mm bolts that hold the electric radiator fan in place so you can move it aside. This make the whole job much easier. As other posters have mentioned I had to trim some of the outer plastic off the cable, not to hard at all with a wire stripper. Looking forward to being able to shut off the heat with the stock controls.
SAMBA! |
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woggs1 Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2007 Posts: 531 Location: South Pacifica California
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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I finally did this mod today because I was putting in a new radiator and the Go Westy plastic pipes fix. It was very easy with the radiator out. In fact I would recommend that anyone doing this drop the radiator, it will make your life much easier and dropping the radiator (use a jack) is pretty easy.
I didn't have to trim any of the plastic cable covering and I drilled a new hole in the big rubber grommet so the cable comes in at a better angle. I noticed the the heater hoses were original so I am on the hunt for new ones, wish me luck. _________________ 4 speed 88 Westy |
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jslew Samba Member
Joined: March 03, 2008 Posts: 55 Location: Trinidad, CO
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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Add me to the list of people doing this job twice because of crappy parts. The "german" ones from VC apparently still suck. Barely made it 100 miles and now it's leaking at the screw.
The ones from NAPA for a vanagon are made by Altrom, which has a pretty good name in the toyota world. They make some OEM toyota parts that arent cheap. In another thread a vanagon one from NAPA leaked immediately, but the guy said it was brazilian. Are the Altrom ones brazilian? If not, maybe this is a good replacement?
The Ford alternate from NAPA appears to be made by Balkamp. I can't find anyone who has converted complaining of leaking, so I'm inclined to go with this one. They also seem to be readily available at most NAPA stores vs the vanagon ones. _________________ Current Garage:
'67 Cal Look Bug
'70 Westy
'73 Baja
'74 Spec Ed Love Bug - my first car bought in '86!
'89 Vanagon GL
'92 Corrado SLC |
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Snort Samba Member
Joined: April 02, 2005 Posts: 1957 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:16 am Post subject: |
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Some reverse part number searching shows this valve fits 1960's and early 1970's Ford trucks. Rockauto also lists a Motorcraft part number, "MOTORCRAFT YG133". If you have trouble with the aftermarket ones, perhaps try the Motorcraft. |
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