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bajaleo 
Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009
Posts: 211
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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 Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 4:35 pm Post subject: Broken plastic on heater box |
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While disassembling my heater box to replace the core and motor, I found that part of the plastic has broken off (big gaping hole), and I'm also missing the shaft retainer on that side.
I've had the van since 2001, and I'm pretty sure it's been like this since then (17 years!).
Looking for opinions on whether I need to replace this part or not, if it's even available.
Thanks, Leo
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Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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cmayna
Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2014
Posts: 1147
Location: SF Bay area, CA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 4:49 pm Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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Unless this part is readily available, and at a good price, I'd start thinking about just repairing it. Glue, rivets, aluminum sheetmetal, etc.
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'90 Westy / automatic.
If I'm not working on the camper or my '50 Chebbie truck, I'm either fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
Craig |
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IdahoDoug
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Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 10248
Location: N. Idaho
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 4:56 pm Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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Agree. I'd just use that quality metal tape for ducts to seal the hole, or another strategy with sheetmetal and epoxy, etc. No biggie. As for the shaft retainer, one of mine was broken and I just set it in place with some RTV. When I saw yours, I thought "Heck, I'd just trim a piece of plastic with a rounded notch for the shaft to pivot in and RTV it in place. It doesn't take much force - the shaft just rotates in it. A spot of grease before you put it back in the dash and you're good to go another 20 years.
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader |
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Gnarlodious
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Joined: September 28, 2013
Posts: 2320
Location: Adobe Jungle USA
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DanHoug
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Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4777
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 4:51 am Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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all you need to do is retain the shaft in place so that it can rotate and not drop down via some plastic + screws, etc. the opening itself doesn't matter as that is the floor outlet post damper plate so there's no place to 'leak' air other than where it was going to go anyway.
-dan |
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WestyWanter
Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2017
Posts: 459
Location: San Diego
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 6:12 am Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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| JB plastic weld is the route I would use with some Popsicle sticks etc. |
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cmayna
Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2014
Posts: 1147
Location: SF Bay area, CA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 7:34 am Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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Think MacGyver and yes for metal duct tape.
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'90 Westy / automatic.
If I'm not working on the camper or my '50 Chebbie truck, I'm either fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
Craig |
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hdenter
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2008
Posts: 2753
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 9:38 am Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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I would rather find a good used unit. Since you have an '84, why not find a later model unit that has the better style fresh air duct routing. While you're at it, think about the Vanistan fresh air/cabin air recirculation kit.
Hans
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'79 triple white convertible bug
'84 sunroof vanagon
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bajaleo
Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009
Posts: 211
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 1:37 pm Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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| hdenter wrote: |
I would rather find a good used unit. Since you have an '84, why not find a later model unit that has the better style fresh air duct routing. While you're at it, think about the Vanistan fresh air/cabin air recirculation kit.
Hans |
That's a great idea, Hans. Unfortunately there seems to be none of these for sale anywhere. I'll keep looking.
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Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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hdenter
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Joined: October 14, 2008
Posts: 2753
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 1:50 pm Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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Try VWcultmember in the classified section. He seems to be parting out vans.
Hans
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'79 triple white convertible bug
'84 sunroof vanagon
'85 weekender |
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dobryan
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Location: Brookeville, MD
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bajaleo
Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009
Posts: 211
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2020 11:48 am Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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| hdenter wrote: |
I would rather find a good used unit. Since you have an '84, why not find a later model unit that has the better style fresh air duct routing. While you're at it, think about the Vanistan fresh air/cabin air recirculation kit.
Hans |
I took Hans' advice and procured a later style heater box. It does have two additional ports compared to the original (I think) that came out of the van.
What I don't understand is that these two ports are blocked off and won't do anything if I hook them up.
What am I missing here?
Also I included two pictures of the p/n's molded into the box. Same part number for both except the older one has a suffix B and the newer one has a suffix of C.
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Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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bajaleo
Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009
Posts: 211
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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| Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 2:01 pm Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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Bump. Can anyone give me the skinny on these two blocked off oval ports?
| bajaleo wrote: |
| hdenter wrote: |
I would rather find a good used unit. Since you have an '84, why not find a later model unit that has the better style fresh air duct routing. While you're at it, think about the Vanistan fresh air/cabin air recirculation kit.
Hans |
I took Hans' advice and procured a later style heater box. It does have two additional ports compared to the original (I think) that came out of the van.
What I don't understand is that these two ports are blocked off and won't do anything if I hook them up.
What am I missing here?
Also I included two pictures of the p/n's molded into the box. Same part number for both except the older one has a suffix B and the newer one has a suffix of C.
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Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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revolution337
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2009
Posts: 372
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 2:26 pm Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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On the later style heater boxes, those oval ports were opened up. Those are the feed ports to the outer most dash vents. On the later model vans, the ovals are opened up and the large circle ports are closed. On earlier vans, the oval ports are blocked and the round ones are opened up.
The main difference being where the air is drawn from in the heater box. On the later style vans, the air is drawn from the oval ports which is after the heater core, so you could have heated air coming from the dash vent. The early vans drew the air from before the heater core, so you could only have ambient air coming out of the dash vents.
See this thread for more discussion.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=460628
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2017 VW Golf Sportwagen
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bajaleo
Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009
Posts: 211
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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| Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 3:42 pm Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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So it's an either/or situation. You're either using the circular ports or the oval ports, not both at the same time?
If I decide to use to the oval ports, do I need to get matching oval shape tubes?
| revolution337 wrote: |
On the later style heater boxes, those oval ports were opened up. Those are the feed ports to the outer most dash vents. On the later model vans, the ovals are opened up and the large circle ports are closed. On earlier vans, the oval ports are blocked and the round ones are opened up.
The main difference being where the air is drawn from in the heater box. On the later style vans, the air is drawn from the oval ports which is after the heater core, so you could have heated air coming from the dash vent. The early vans drew the air from before the heater core, so you could only have ambient air coming out of the dash vents.
See this thread for more discussion.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=460628 |
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Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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revolution337
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2009
Posts: 372
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 7:03 am Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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| bajaleo wrote: |
So it's an either/or situation. You're either using the circular ports or the oval ports, not both at the same time?
If I decide to use to the oval ports, do I need to get matching oval shape tubes?
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Yes, it is an either/or situation, you can't connect them both to the dash vents (without some custom work, anyway)
If you used the oval ports, ideally you would also need to use to matching oval hoses. I've seen them for sale in the classifieds in the past, so it may not be too hard to find them. Of course you don't have to use the oval hoses, that is just what would be the easiest. You could certainly try to modify your current round hoses or use some sort of adapter to connect the round hose to the oval port.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2397851
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1982 Westfalia AEB 1.8t
2017 VW Golf Sportwagen
2001 Audi A4 4.2 V8 swapped
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bajaleo
Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009
Posts: 211
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 1:55 pm Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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One last question, rev. I'll need to open up the blocked oval ports somehow, say drill some through holes and then dremel out the rest, correct?
And then block the round ones also.
| revolution337 wrote: |
| bajaleo wrote: |
So it's an either/or situation. You're either using the circular ports or the oval ports, not both at the same time?
If I decide to use to the oval ports, do I need to get matching oval shape tubes?
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Yes, it is an either/or situation, you can't connect them both to the dash vents (without some custom work, anyway)
If you used the oval ports, ideally you would also need to use to matching oval hoses. I've seen them for sale in the classifieds in the past, so it may not be too hard to find them. Of course you don't have to use the oval hoses, that is just what would be the easiest. You could certainly try to modify your current round hoses or use some sort of adapter to connect the round hose to the oval port.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2397851 |
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Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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revolution337
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Joined: May 23, 2009
Posts: 372
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 1:59 pm Post subject: Re: Broken plastic on heater box |
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Correct. If you plan on using the oval ports, you will need to open them up. A dremel tool or similar should suffice.
And yes, you will then need to block off the larger round openings. That would be pretty easy to do. Just find some sort of cap that can be adhered to the opening, or make a simple block off plate from plastic or sheet aluminum.
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1982 Westfalia AEB 1.8t
2017 VW Golf Sportwagen
2001 Audi A4 4.2 V8 swapped
2000 BMW Z3 roadster
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