Heating FAQs - BN4 Gas heaters & heating related topics

[Serpent7]

I have a 73 Vw Thing, and when I purchased it all the heater parts have been removed. I tried contacting the previous owner to see why all the heater stuff had been removed. How hard and expensive will it be to locate and reinstall everything? I know it's a very general question but it a possible thing to do without getting screwed?
Your thoughts?
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2019 Audi Q5
2014 Volkswagen Touareg X
1997 Honda Shadow
1979 Kawasaki KZ1000
1979 Volkswagen Transporter
1973 Volkswagen Thing

[notchboy]

Yes its entirely possible to do.

Weather you do it piece by piece or most all at once it for sure can be done. Last year - and this is not a common thing but two complete units poped up in the box NOS condition.

I got one of them here - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?...t_dir=DESC

These will fetch in the $500 to even $1000 foe the ambitious. Those listed pics will also aid you in seeing the complete unit and parts - less the cabin ducts.

It may take some diligence but all the stuff is out there. Look for parted Thighs with gas heaters, Ask the seller to pull everything for it.

There are also plenty of "fixit" info here and you tube so you can restore one or three.

I myself have lots of vids and an ongoing thread over in the Bay forum.


Link

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[notchboy]

Ive had a space dedicated to the Eberspacher made up. All types of Eberspachers welcome!


https://www.facebook.com/groups/1029635500462666/
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[notchboy]

What?

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8454784#8454784
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[vwwestyman]

I was excited that I got my heater to work again over the weekend! It had quite heating some time last fall and I didn't bother to figure out just why. (It didn't seem to be firing at that time, the fan was running but no fire and eventually it timed out.)

I got it working by cleaning up all the electrical contacts. I had been working on the contacts in the fuse area and got inspired to give that a shot.

So it worked great for a few days.

Then yesterday while driving it made a squeaking noise a couple times. They were very brief the first two times, and I actually thought it was the speedometer getting cranky.

But the third time it made the noise, I was at a stop light and quickly realized that was the heater. Before I could turn it off, though, it quit altogether. No fan run on or anything.

I haven't had a chance to check the safety fuse or the "breaker" or any of that on the heater yet.

Just wondering though, what the noise may have been and where to start.

While I was at the light, I did briefly reach in and see if the air fan moved and it does still spin.
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Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[notchboy]

There are only two moving parts - the fan and the pump. Most likely the fan pooped out. The combustion side lives in a harsh environment.
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[notchboy]

Stickers available.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2259243
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[kenj06]

OK BN4 experts, I'm looking for suggestions to resolve my issue.
The heater works fine during startup, cycles through combustion and cool down and shut down fine.
The problem is at night when I have the lights on, and the heater is NOT in the combustion cycle, the lights dim and the fan slows, in time with what would be the fuel pump pulsing. But the fuel pump is not working at that point in time. It's almost like there is a short during that time but no blown fuses or burnt wires. Even without lights on, I can hear the fan pulsing. During the combustion cycle, when the pump is pulsing, no lights dimming and fan speed is steady. During Shutdown, no pulsing.
Engine speed does not make a difference on the pulsing. I can be at a stop light or on the highway and the lights dim just the same.
The charging circuit (generator) checks fine, 12.8V out of the regulator at idle and 13.8 about 1500 RPM.
I cleaned the grounds (battery, battery to body, chassis to tranny and heater). Cleaned all the connections on the charging circuit. Cleaned all the terminals on the switch and those I could reach on the heater, without taking it out. Took the pump out and cleaned it and checked it. Measures 6 ohms so pulling around 2A which seems normal.
This would make sense to me if it happened when the pump was running.
It's been this way a few years and I would like to get it fixed so as not to attract the attention of law enforcement during chilly nights because my lights are pulsing. I'm used to driving cold VWs but the other 1/2 likes the heat.
My next step is to pull the heater over the summer, tear it down and clean it up.
Any suggestions on where to look? Maybe a bad capacitor/condenser, relay or?
Thanks!

[notchboy]

Generator or alternator? VW put 75 amp alts in later bays with the metering type BN4 & BA6 gas heaters. The only time I hear this kind of issue is not enough amps or the voltage drops below 11.5. I just bench tested a later metering pump BN2 and the pump kept stopping during ignition cycle. Put the trickle charger on then - bam enough juice, ran fine.
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[kenj06]

[notchboy]

Picked up some Eberspacher goodies. Ill be selling the Thing thermostats with cables for $180 ea if anyone is interested.

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[NormGarr87]

Can someone direct me to information on setting up the Temperature Regulating Switch. I think I have read all the FAQs and I'm on my way to memorizing the manual. I have mine freed up and I see how it works. I'm just not sure how to properly set the switch. I guess I'm not really sure how the "switch" rides on the cam to regulate temperature.
Thanks,
Frustrated in South Carolina!
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72 forever project Bug
03 Boxster S
18 Tiguan SE
73 Thing
81 Caddy w/2.0 liter ABA
Every VW has some Porsche DNA and every Porsche has some VW DNA. Sorry boys, they started as hopped up V-Dubs.

[notchboy]

[NormGarr87]

Thanks Notchboy. Great Vid. Now I have a very specific question. I have the square temperature regulator. How do I set the points so the heater will cycle? I have never seen a "good" regulator so I do not know where the plastic cam should be in relation to the "points".

I have freed everything up so it moved free. I can set it so power goes off as the spring contracts (heat gun). It moves freely into the "get hot now" position from the cooldown position. I can't figure out how the points ride on the cam to regulate temperature.

Frustrated in South Carolina. It's not cold here yet but it's coming.
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72 forever project Bug
03 Boxster S
18 Tiguan SE
73 Thing
81 Caddy w/2.0 liter ABA
Every VW has some Porsche DNA and every Porsche has some VW DNA. Sorry boys, they started as hopped up V-Dubs.

[NormGarr87]

Notchboy, I finally watched a You Tube Video you posted on this thread that shows the inside of the Temperature Regulating Switch. SCORE!!!! The cam inside my box lines up with the cam in the new unit installed in the video.
Now I just need to learn how to set the temperature limit.

Not so frustrated in South Carolina!
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72 forever project Bug
03 Boxster S
18 Tiguan SE
73 Thing
81 Caddy w/2.0 liter ABA
Every VW has some Porsche DNA and every Porsche has some VW DNA. Sorry boys, they started as hopped up V-Dubs.

[notchboy]

Good to hear. THey are simple creatures.
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[volkybus]

Here is a dumb question but related to heat not the gas heater Has a anybody ever taken the heat from the doghouse out vent and used it as a heat source for some heat, say in Oct or early Nov. My gas heater caught on fire so it scares me .I got the fire out but flames coming out under the fender just make s me nervous .I don't use my thing after mid Nov so the shoulder season is what I m looking at. I may put heater boxes on but with all that free heat I'm wondering if anyone has done this..Thanks Bill (73 thing,76 Westy)

[NormGarr87]

I thought about this conversion. Should not be hard; you just need the parts. I do not remember if there are channels for the heater control wires on the Thing pan.
_________________
72 forever project Bug
03 Boxster S
18 Tiguan SE
73 Thing
81 Caddy w/2.0 liter ABA
Every VW has some Porsche DNA and every Porsche has some VW DNA. Sorry boys, they started as hopped up V-Dubs.

[soko121]

we are restoring our 73 from the ground up for my 16 yr old Son. the BN4 is coming out, i have it posted for sale on the classifieds.

[notchboy]