Club 80-90 Forums

1.6D 1990 watercooled....

I was driving down the road on the way to Sparkford Motor Museum, and the van suddenly filled with steam, just like a Swedish sauna...Missus wanted to strip off & enjoy it... But I knew it was something serious, with less fun attached to it. So we jumped out to find the van was resembling a cow relieving itself.

Under the back R & R bed there is a water heater, hot water supplied from a manifold that in turn is supplied from the radiator.

Now this heater is fitted inside a moulded box that cannot be accessed from in the van, ya gotta get underneath, well when i did water pi$$ing out everywhere, so my heater is knackered. I have made a tempory bypass so the water just circulates thru the hoses.

So my question's are;
1. What is the best way to get it out?, (cant see nowt in the wiki)can I chop & modify the housing so that it can be worked on from inside?.

2. Where can I get a good 2nd hand heater ? or anyone got one to exchange for coupons.

Cheers Kev..

I removed mine a couple of years ago.
Simply remove the black cover (four self tappers, 2 each side).
Disconnect the cable loom.
Disconnect and stopper the water pipes.

I linked my to pipes together with a piece of stainless piping.

You can get the heaters on ebay.de (VW T3 heizung fahrgastraum) complete with switch. - Item No. 120537358286

Sorry, I meant to say that it can be removed from inside.

Hi Titus,
good man...I knew someone out there would be knowing what to do, but i did have a good look around for screws to undo the cover. Problem is it had all been carpeted up around it & well stuck down, gonna have to dig it all up & find those screws.

Thanks for your help..gotta rush & get it fixed before my missus demands that sauna

Cheers,

Kev

If I remember right I had to remove the front panel of the under seat storage/box.
The cover has to slide forward off the front of the heater assembly.

I'd go for the sauna (there's nothing like a good thrashing with Birch twigs and then rolling in the snow).

Just change the matrix for a new one, they aren't expensive, same as a MKII/III Polo.

Thanks for the advice Simon very helpul......BUT I think I will do some snow rolling in the snow & find me some Birch twigs .

So I will nip to my local scrappy, & see if he has any Polo's on the pile.

Thanks Guys..

errr....is this a gismo that gives you hot running water inside the van, or have I got the wrong end of the stick??

Pictures appreciated (for those of us who have a very basic van and are just grateful the van starts).

If I'm wrong, just ignore the ramblings....

no its a reat coolant fed heater

DevonAid wrote:errr....is this a gismo that gives you hot running water inside the van, or have I got the wrong end of the stick??

Pictures appreciated (for those of us who have a very basic van and are just grateful the van starts).

If I'm wrong, just ignore the ramblings....

It's not a water heater, it's a passenger heater.

We can't ignore ramblings, the ramblings are necessary here.

The water guz in - guz around & guz out & the metally thingy has a fan thingy blowing accross the matrix thingy & it is supposed to warm the passenger thingy's in the back.

But I thik after some thought I may just leave it out & let my tired ole van enjoy the weight loss & i'll enjoy the space gain. Still got the so called heater in the front.

Kev

minke wrote: But I thik after some thought I may just leave it out & let my tired ole van enjoy the weight loss & i'll enjoy the space gain. Still got the so called heater in the front.

Kev

I left mine out and then put a propex in the same place.
There are several schools of thought when comes to the piping.
Some say that you should not link the two pipes together as it would provide an alternative path for the cooling water which would lead to overheating.
Others, me included, say that it's okay to link them. I linked them two years ago and have driven over 10,000km in temps. upto 45c with no problems.

Rear passenger heater, well I never.

Any passengers in our van are, like us, grateful if it starts so they are not required to push. Although at least that would warm them up.