Warming my cockles

[RobnRae]

I'm attempting to find some solutions here about my 72 T2 that I haven't really been able to do on my own.
I do own a volt meter but don't really know how to work it without instructions.

Anyhow, I've noticed on my bus, and I guess most of yours, that there isn't a switch that turns on a fan that blows warm air at you on cool days. I'm resigned to the fate that there is a fan in the rear of the bus, that passes air through a heater box and forces that through an insulated pipe to the front of the vehicle and thus, gives you a bit of air flow.
However, I look at the mechanism in the rear of the bus, with two pipes leading into the floor of the engine area. At the centre of this mechanism it has a spinny looking thing that has never spun in the times I've had the engine running and am staring at it. I can spin it freely with my finger. Is this thing indeed the fan that sends air through the heater box and then to the front of the bus? And how can I test if it is receiving any power? I've attached a photo of what I'm talking about (from the net).

I appreciate any and all insight. I do realize that this, properly operating probably won't make me toasty warm in the Canadian winters, but any little bit would be great.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

yes, there is a switch. it's located on the heater lever on the dash. slide lever, fan turns on
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[haggardrob]

Hi and welcome to the samba!

Like Skills said, one of the levers on the dash should turn the fan on when you move it...

I am also in Vancouver, and also have a 72 westfalia, and im always happy to meet other local Vw owners, send me a message if you still cant figure it out and I can try and help you!

[sjbartnik]

Yes that fan is a supplemental or booster fan for the heater.

As originally installed, the switch that turns it on is the heat lever on the dash. It is only meant to turn on when you have the heat lever in the fully on / wide open position.

When you slide the heat lever all the way down, it makes the ground connection for the relay that operates the fan. The relay should be located alongside the fan in the engine compartment.

It's mostly helpful for boosting heater/defroster air flow at low engine speeds.
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1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[RobnRae]

[orwell84]

As mentioned before, this fan is really only helpful for airflow at low engine speeds. Most of the real heating airflow comes from the cooling fan which gives most of the real heat at higher engine speeds. If your heat is lacking even during higher speed driving you have to look elsewhere in the system for the problem.

[crownline]

The fan will only run when engine is running. Check connections on relay that the fan plugs into. Bentley has the answers.
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1972 Bus 1700 cc Single Carb. But not a progressive.
Barelymuvin
Wish I still had the ones I got rid of.

"It"s got some dings and dents and neither of us is going to SEMA."(Update, I went to SEMA in 2019 but the Bus stayed home)
[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-8446.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[sjbartnik]

If I recall correctly there is an in-line fuse in the power wire to the fan relay (I believe it's visible in the photo above in the red wire by the fan) which you should check too.
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1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[Randy in Maine]

From the owners manual (under technical at the top of the page).

[Spike0180]

[Gregg in the 603]

Check this first, inline fuse. Available at your FLAPS.
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1979 Mexico Beige Westy auto
Dirty Dover, NH

[Wildthings]

When you operate the "Temperature" lever on the dash, the cables attached to the lever are supposed to open and close the flapper valves that sit above the rear half axles. If the flapper valves do not operate correctly you will have little or no heat. Mice also like to stuff the heater duct work full with both nesting material and cashes of seeds and such. The mess will totally block the air flow through the heater system.

If everything is working right you will likely still hot have all that much heat, but there are mods you can do that will make your van nice and warm at least on highway runs, but around town heat will still be lacking unless you buy a gas heater.

It is not unusual to find that important parts of the heater system are just not there any longer.

[SamboSamba22]

[Abscate]

You can start troubleshooting by disconnecting the wire at the heater lever, then looking for 12 V to ground at that disconnected wire. If you have it, touch to ground and see if the fan motor spins up

The ground switch at the lever is a trouble point , I recall

Ignition on for this test.
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.ssS!