Type 4 Heat Exchangers

[tewfiks]

I have been urged to inquire of peoples experience with Dansk heater boxes / exchangers and muffler set up.

I am slowly completing the assembly of my type 4 motor and have noted that my heater boxes are in terrible shape. Was planning on purchasing a Dansk set up for the heat exchangers and muffler.

I would greatly appreciate any real life experience rather than opinions.
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1968 VW Bus
1972 VW Westy

[JaimeH]

When I had my engine out for rebuild I had the same heat exchanger dilemma. I wanted OG but nothing good came my way. I purchased a pair of Dansk from Bus Depot and they have been working good for 4 years. I also got this muffler from BD its been in use for 10 plus years since I've had my bus.

http://www.busdepot.com/071251053e
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1978 Transporter 2.0 FI, BA6
Special Thanks to Razor's Customs, Boscawen, NH

[Wasted youth]

I think I might have a pair of good early Type 4 heat exchangers. Oval port.

EDIT: I actually have nothing available.

[aeromech]

This past weekend my buddy and I removed a nice pair of Dansk HE from a type 1 powered bus and reinstalled OG HE. The owner reports much better heat now. You could easily feel the difference in weight between the two makes. Meaning that the Dansk have a lot less heat sink material.
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[tewfiks]

That doesn't surprise me. The original heater boxes are deceptively heavy.
Other than the possibility of less heat output are there any known issues with the Dansk units?

We are moving to Florida and pumping out heat I hope will not be of such concern as it is in Iowa.
_________________
1968 VW Bus
1972 VW Westy

[Bleyseng]

They work fine but they don't put out as much heat.
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70 Ghia Black convert-9/69 build date-stock w/133k 1600 SP-barn find now with a rebuilt tranny and engine
77 Westy 2.0L w/Ljet, Camper Special engine-95hp and with LSD!(sold)
76 Porsche 914 2.1L L20c, 120hp Djet (sold)
87 Syncro Westy Titan Red 2.1L 2 knob 100k miles

[Lil Lulu]

After my experience with Klokkerpiss, the only thing Danish I'll buy is the butter cookies.
_________________
'65 Beetle "Lil' Lulu"- Ruby Red
1600 stock from '71 bus

'72 Deluxe - Niagara Blue w/pastelwiess Camper Special 2L dual 40 Webers 002

'74 Hightop Weekender "Dixie" 1800 34 Del singles

[pittwagen]

I have asked the question many times but no one have ever come up with hard numbers. So how much less? 10% 20% what is it? A simple dollar store meat thermometer stuck down the air vent will provide the answer. So how bout it?

[Hoody]

Your not going to get real time temp differences from those who have paid 700 for the after market Danks. They are crap compared to the original German VW ones. The fins inside are completely different. Dansk cut corners and it's obvious once someone installs a new set. But that's what available to most. Unmmmm a dollar store meat thermometer won't tell you anything else besides how warm your pocket is. Have we really gone this far south? Are people really this dumbed down?

[JaimeH]

They work good on a 50 degree day. For those that live in the south or only drive in the summer they fill the gap when OG is not available. I can't see them being much use for real winter driving.
_________________
1978 Transporter 2.0 FI, BA6
Special Thanks to Razor's Customs, Boscawen, NH

[mygreenbus]

Kind of on topic, it there a way to preserve or recondition, if that's the right term, the stock boxes? Mine work great, but they are old.
_________________
'72 Bus

[wcfvw69]

[JaimeH]

Try this

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=507350&highlight=
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1978 Transporter 2.0 FI, BA6
Special Thanks to Razor's Customs, Boscawen, NH

[mygreenbus]

[NASkeet]

There were (and might still be) two other manufacturers of exhaust heat exchangers, for 1972~78 & 1979 VW 17/18/2000 Type 2s; these being Bosal and Arvin Meritor – TIMAX.

I have yet to find the current contact details for Arvin Meritor, but here are those for Bosal:

http://bosal.co.uk/AUTOMOTIVEPRODUCTS/Aftermarket/Exhaustsystems/tabid/1033/Default.aspx

Bosal Automotive & Industrial Components Ltd, Unit 330, Four Oaks Road, Walton Summit Centre, Bamber Bridge, Preston, PR5 8AP

Tel: 01772 771000
Fax: 01772 771341
E-mail: [email protected]

The following link might also be useful, which amongst other things, includes the contact details I had for Dansk Autopart A/S, Bosal and Arvin Meritor:

Forum Index > Performance - Engines/Transmissions > OEM VW vs pattern-part, exhaust heat exchangers & muffler

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=227245

I also mentioned that several years ago (i.e. January 2009!), I had posted details of mine and other people’s earlier problems with Dankspart exhaust heat exchangers, on the South African Air-Cooled VW forum, for which this is the link:

Ill-fitting exhaust heat exchangers & silencers

http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12783

This includes transcripts of my correspondence with the managing director of Dansk Autopart A/S (aka J. P. Group, Jopex Division) in Denmark, BBC Watchdog, The Consumers’ Association – Which? Magazine and the Director General of The Association of Trading Standards Offices, based in Hadleigh, Essex.
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

https://vwt2oc.co.uk

[Busdepot]

Dansk is the only one still making these. There are other companies reselling and rebranding the same Dansk units, though.
_________________
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[mcdonaldneal]

Ok, I have a little experience here.
Five years ago (before I discovered TheSamba!) I was having problems with the heating in our bus (you will all sympathise!)
The garage I used to go to persuaded me to get 'new' heat exchangers, which they fitted (and then zip-tied the controls to 'hot') This didn't actually fix the problem, which turned out to be frozen control cables and, maddeningly, there was probably nothing wrong with my OG units that had lived in the dry of Australia 'till then.
Anyway, the reproduction units they fitted cost £180-£200 each (about $300 each then). I don't know if they are Dansk but they have been on for five years of moderate use, plenty of long trips, rain aplenty and garage parking when not in use.
I've been refurbishing them in situ for the last couple of weeks, and the photos I have are below (mostly after wire brushing). They were very rusty on the undersurface, which I attacked with a wire brush on a power drill, but the topside still had a bit of paint on. I have painted them with POR15 manifold Gray high temp exhaust paint.
There were no holes, and now that my heating system works, they put out a moderate amount of heat. My cabin temp was 19degC (66F) on an 8degC (46F) day recently after a short run.

Damn, I wish I still had the original ones so much it hurts! There is a NOS pair in the classifieds from Holland for 1000 euros, not including postage! (no chance!)

Hope this helps the discussion.

[Hoody]

There is always a way to refurbish any part....with the 75-78 boxes this is how to do so. First and most imporstant is looking at the flanges. If they are shot....i.e. Rusted to hell, very little steel left you only have one option. Either find another set with good flanges....or weld on new ones. To do so you will need Scott at GS's flanges and a very competent welder who will build a jig to do so. If they are not too bad you can file them flat. Taking them apart is not a big deal. VERY time consuming and you have to go slow. A Very thin flat bladed screw driver 1/4 inch at a time with very mild strikes will lift the thin steel. The corners and the round areas are the most challenging. There are a a few small sport welds where the cases meet the pipes. Once you have successfully removed the cases from the pipe....get the cases media blasted. I had mine ceramic coated inside and out. Ditch the asbestos inside the boxes. The ceramic coating will do a MUCH better job with the heat. The most common issue with original boxes are the flanges where they meet the pipes. I hade mine brazed up. What I ended up with is better then original heater boxes that will probably outlast me. I have pics of the whole procedure somewhere. It's not cheap to go this route but in the end you are WAY better off then paying 750 for a set of Danish sub standard shite.