New Member looking for some help..

[BrotherB]

Hi...
I hope I am posting this in the right place...
I am the proud owner of a 1979 VW Camper van. I was my Fathers and he passed a few years ago. Been in the family for quite some time now.
Has a broken heat exchanger. Guess my Mother went to replace it a few years ago and was given the wrong one and had to send it back. She is now 76 and don't remember what side it was or anything. All she knows is that it was heavy and expensive to ship back.
To be totally honest here, I am not sure if it is the right or the left side.
I don't really know a lot about the van, but I am a car kind of guy at heart.
I need to get this fixed if it is possible to fix. I've been kind of looking for one and I can not seem to find what I am looking for. I have found heat exchangers, but no listings for a 1979 Van with fuel injection.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
W.

[OB Bus]

Welcome BrotherB! I do not know a lot about the late bay buses but there are a number of details for 79's depending if the bus is a California or Federal. I'll let other knowledgeable folk chime in with details.

Just don't dump or hack the bus!
_________________
Larry in OB
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
69 Westfalia and 2002 Eurovan Camper.

[Wasted youth]

Welcome! You've come to the right place.

Your bus has some parts that were 'one-year-only', but I don't think you have anything really special or odd with your heat exchanger. Not sure if you really need to go to the trouble of replacing it entirely, or maybe it can be a welded repair.

If your bus is still factory stock, you should have a Type 4 2.0L fuel injected engine with hydraulic lifters and square-port exhaust headers. You might be able to use early (1980-1982) Vanagon heat exchangers, as the last year for Baywindow buses was 1979. Many of those engine parts carried over to the 1980-1982 Vanagons.

You will unlikely be able to use heat exchangers from the Type 4 engine model years 1972-1977 or perhaps 1978 as those had oval exhaust ports. You cannot use heat exchangers from a Type 1 engine (1950-something to 1971).

If you do need to actually replace your heat exchanger, there are several parts suppliers carrying many of the parts we all need, but it will likely be somewhat expensive. Not only for the same reasons as your grandmother experienced, but because these may be limited in supply for good quality. Heat exchangers, like many exhaust parts, tend to rot away.

Here is a link to a popular supplier with a lot of parts, but they are quite distant from you:

http://interstateusedparts.com/

[BrotherB]

Thanks for the heads up..
I was afraid of that/this.
I'd like to purchase good used if possible if it is out there.
I am also in another car hobby that is no longer with us. Bought out to another company in 1988. Last of the 4.
I know all about supply and demand.
I need to get it up on ramps and get a good "reach around" as Ed China would say.. It's been a few years since I've looked under it.
Dad had a bunch of work done to it back in the mid to late 80s.
Motor rebuilt, new clutch, re-paint on the exterior...ect...ect..
Then Mom and Dad took it cross country and back...
It really hasn't been drove much since then. Only for "emergency" situations where a car would breakdown.
It runs and drives well for what it is and is fun to drive.

[aeromech]

Hi there,
Like was said, you have come to the right place. There are several guys here like me that love these 40 year old buses and spend hours every day trying to help people just like you.

Since you don't know much about the problem or the parts you need I think the best thing right now would be for you to get some digital pictures and post them here. We can look at them and make recommendations. Best would be several shots from the underside and a few on the top of the engine. Maybe include a couple of the overall bus just so we can visualize what you have.

If you don't know how to post pictures here just ask.

_________________
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

[SGKent]

are you looking to do this work yourself or have someone do it for you?

can you take some photos of what you have and post them so members can decide on what you have. If the engine is an original '79 then it is one of 2 different configurations. If it is not the original year then it could be one of many.
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[Randy in Maine]

A couple of things....

It is important to know if you bus is a 1979CA emission bus or a Federal emission bus.

The number on the distributor if a 1979CA bus will be something like part number VW 039-905-205C Bosch #0237 022 009

if it is a' Federal" bus it will be something like VW # 022-905-205S and Bosch # 0231 170 093

The reason it is important is that the (drivers side) left heater boxes are different for the CA buses vs the federal buses. All 1979 use the same right side heaterboxes. If yo uneed a left one, let me know. If you need a right one, somebody like "Busted Bus" might have one.

By the way, aircooled 1980-1983 vanagon heaterboxes are different and won't work on your 79 bus.

A P-22 camper is Sage green and a P-27 is Mexico beige.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

this is why photos are important....who knows what engine you have at this point.

welcome.
_________________

[Wasted youth]

EDITED...

Sounds like it was well cared for, and probably a 'keeper', too. 1979 has the final Baywindow Westfalia features, but sometimes the engine management parts are difficult to find. I imagine you probably have the Federal emissions package.

When I find free time, I am helping a fellow get his 1979 Westfalia (air conditioning, automatic trans) back on the road. These are pretty solid buses, and valuable when complete, functioning and not rusted out... but that's true with a lot of things, right?

[Randy in Maine]

Vanagon...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1854931

Baywindow....

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1921148

[Wasted youth]

Interesting comparison. Thanks!

[alman72]

totally stupid question. if he does not care about getting heat or defrost, does he even need the heat exchanger? or is it important for keeping the motor cool?

[SGKent]

[Curtquarquesso]

Get some pictures of the car, and of the engine, and make a new topic with any and all questions you have. If the heat exchanger is "broken", help us understand in what way it's broken. It may be something that doesn't require out-right replacement. Ultimately, you'll need to proved some more information and some pictures for us to properly help you.

Keep us posted.
_________________
1978 Westfalia
1971 Westfalia/Sportsmobile
1966 Beetle

[Wildthings]

FYI, all US spec '79 Bay Window buses were fuel injected. Yes we need to know what is broken. Maybe it is just an inoperative flapper valve which is actually not part of the heat exchanger proper. Rust is pretty much the failure mode for a heat exchanger, so the word "broken" doesn't apply all that well.

[aeromech]

I'm thinking that a heat exchanger is kind of a strange part for you to need. I don't want to sound too critical but over many years we've kind of gotten used to what normally fails on a bus and heat exchangers failing aren't very common. All I can think of is that somehow the engine must have taken a hit from a road hazard because I doubt rust could be the problem. It's a mystery to me right now.
_________________
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

[Tcash]

Welcome to TheSamba
click on link
Bus 1700/1800/2000 Exhaust/Heater 1972-1979

Tcash

[Tcash]

Here is a little information. Good Luck

Pictures would be cool.
How to post photos/How to post a photo in the Forums

Pronunciation (Samba) English

I am thinking of buying a VW van
Cleaning+Rodents+Hantavirus
Up in smoke... Bus fires... don't let it happen to you!
M-Plate Location
M-Plate Decoder Volkswagen Type 2 Bus
Bus VIN / Chassis Numbers
Type 2/Bus Owner's Manuals
Bus repair manuals
Bus parts manuals
Early Baywindow Bus Parts Book
Late Baywindow Bus Parts Fiche
Type 2 Wiring Diagrams
Model and Year Variations
Type 4: Secrets Revealed
Distributor Parts & Specifications
PARTS INTERCHANGE MANUAL
Youtube Videos

There is a ton of information located at the top of the Forum section.

[BrotherB]

Hey Everybody!!
I just got off of work and I appreciate all the positive feed back already!
Thanks!
To answer a few questions that I know already.
Yes, the heat exchanger is cracked and leaks like a sieve and is LOUD!!
VERY LOUD!! Sounds like a very bad exhaust leak. Lets exhaust fumes back into the cab. Mom tried quite a few years ago to get it fixed but it was the wrong part. I believe it was for a beetle and not a Van.
I will get you pictures in the AM and a video of it running.
Now I am going to hit the sack!
Thanks again!
W.

[Peabody]