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surfwagonorangevw Samba Member
Joined: February 06, 2013 Posts: 111 Location: Hawaii
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:21 pm Post subject: smoke ! -that feeling somethings not right |
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yeah cruising home from town , costco , home depot , run with some house hold recycling drop . Its raining pretty good and suddenly I can smell something, electrical is my immediate guess , windows down take a deep breath and first thought through my mind " shit were how far from home ? will we make it ? "I am quickly jolted back into reality when my wife, who now has observed the issue at hand frantically asks if the vans going to catch fire and blow-up . I reply that I don't think either is about to happen and that I think the issue is with the wiring and hoping to continue home .
This crazy thought comes after already having had a wiring melt down a year earlier that was traced back to the headlight / dimmer switch , in that instance every thing continued to operate except for the dash lighting and I was able to drive home .
Within a minute the van fills with smoke and we are on the side of the road in the rain ,windows , doors , engine hatch all open . Quickly able to determine we are not on fire or about to blow-up and the issue is indeed electrical in dash related , so now I have all systems turned off , lights ,wipers ,fan/defroster were all running .
The smoke cleared the engine started and we were back on the road , upon getting home and after unloading the perishable goods i dug in to the task to discover what it was . Pretty easy the fan / blower is no longer working and that had been running when the smoke /smell happened . Phew , minor fix I hope , already done a search on the samba and the odds are the switch at the dash or resistor down in the housing .
Anyone have any great wisdom ? I would like to have the blower running , even though there is no heat hooked up ( Hawaii ) blowing air across the windshield when its raining etc still helps. I have not been able to find any melted wiring and the smell dissipated , not sure of the culprit . |
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E1 Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2013 Posts: 6378 Location: Westfalia, Earth
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:31 pm Post subject: Re: smoke ! -that feeling somethings not right |
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I gots nothing of use beyond "Whew!"
And further into nothing, your story reminds me about creating a cockpit-accessible, master electrical cutoff. Seems particularly important in such a case.
Really just saying I'm glad you and yours and your bus are all okay. _________________ ‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman |
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mellowslow Samba Member
Joined: July 31, 2009 Posts: 278 Location: Vacationland
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:16 am Post subject: Re: smoke ! -that feeling somethings not right |
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Hi Surfwagon,
Several years ago, while on the road locally, the blower motor seized in my bus resulting in the resistor overheating and melting the inner plastic on the heater box that it is mounted to.
Heavy burning plastic smell from the heater box. Turned off before it was too smokey. Melted the box but not beyond being usable.
The people that I know who work on Vanagons all the time say that its not uncommon to see these melted.
Pulled the dash, cracked open the heater box, kicked the rodents out, replaced the motor and resistor.
Some enthusiasts mount a jeep fan motor resistor outside the box under the dash for easier access down the road. _________________ '87 WBWE FAS Gen V |
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crazyvwvanman Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008 Posts: 9895 Location: Orbiting San Diego
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 6:46 am Post subject: Re: smoke ! -that feeling somethings not right |
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Yes, I would suspect that the dash fan resistor cooked and melted some of the plastic of the heater box. The resistor gets pretty hot even when the fan is spinning and blowing some air on it. If the fan motor stops turning while the switch is on there is no longer cooling air for the resistor and it glows red hot, melting nearby plastic and possibly causing it to catch on fire.
Mark |
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sanchius Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2007 Posts: 1446 Location: IN
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 7:00 am Post subject: Re: smoke ! -that feeling somethings not right |
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We always keep a bottle of WHS around for when this happens with the Jags.
Hopefully VAG makes a negative ground version that is compatible with Vanagons.
Seriously thought, there might be other things to check, like your ignition switch again. I don't know what all runs through the switch, but I sense that if you had your heater+wipers+lights all going, you are near max load for the system. Though usually when the ignition switch melts, you don't restart.
My advice is to pull off all the plastic covers you can (like the fuse cover, the binnacle,steering column plastic etc) and use a good flashlight to look for black ugly burnt wires or melted connectors. _________________ The Syncro years (2005-16) - The 2WD years (2017-23) - Westy & WBX rebuild spreadsheet - Sanchius & Tuna: The Video
Your gold star membership keeps this awesome list going! |
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Jeffrey Lee Samba Member
Joined: February 04, 2014 Posts: 1488 Location: Wisconsin
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 7:32 am Post subject: Re: smoke ! -that feeling somethings not right |
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Wow, happy to hear your family and you are safe!
Now that you've narrowed the problem down to the blower and related wiring, there are ample resources here on the Samba to get the job done:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=623382
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=665535
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=689001
While in there, you should visually trace ALL wiring related to and surrounding that circuit, as electrical failures like this often damage other nearby components. In fact, this recent episode could easily be a belated side effect of your previous headlight switch failure. Inspect and replace all questionable components.
A few other points to consider:
It's incorrect to assume that if it's 'just electrical,' it can't be a fire. In fact, the presence of electricity is the leading cause of vehicle fires, either powered by the battery, or worse, igniting fuel. The Vanagon fuel tank is closer to the under-dash area than on most other vehicles, so a fire there can indeed spread catastrophically.
All older vehicles, esp. Vanagons, should carry a fresh fire extinguisher, it should be kept close at hand, and everyone in the family should know how to use it.
http://campwestfalia.com/fire-extinguishers-camper-van/
Though it may not be intuitive, one's first thought in such a situation should not be getting home, but rather for the immediate safety of your passengers, the other motorists around you, and yourself. Followed by preserving your vehicle, regardless where you are at the moment. Many vehicles have been irreparably damaged by a forced 'death march' to get home, and some have burned to the ground in the perceived 'safety' of their own driveways.
One should always carry the basic tools and develop the basic diagnostic skills needed to identify problems and form a solution, independent of the location.
Glad you and your van are all safe! _________________ Camp Westfalia
Camping Tips • Newsletter • Cool Campervan Apparel
www.CampWestfalia.com |
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surfwagonorangevw Samba Member
Joined: February 06, 2013 Posts: 111 Location: Hawaii
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 1:00 pm Post subject: Re: smoke ! -that feeling somethings not right |
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Thank you all for both your concern and remedial advice .
I know its just plain stupid to think " i'm close to home and maybe we can make it " but other folk have said the same thought has crossed their mind when having auto problems , just human nature I guess .
I have pulled the console , ashtray and I have an open radio hole ,can not find any burn't wiring , pulled blower switch - no smell - thinking fan housing next ,
no fuse's blown either . Won't be running the blower until I take a look at it ,
sounds like dash removal is the only way to get in there for a look .
will post update when culprit found . |
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dhaavers Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2010 Posts: 7733 Location: NE MN (tinyurl.com/dhaaverslocation)
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 1:46 pm Post subject: Re: smoke ! -that feeling somethings not right |
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surfwagonorangevw wrote: |
...sounds like dash removal is the only way to get in there for a look... |
Indeed.
If/when replacing resistor, consider: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=623382
- Dave _________________ 86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS> |
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