BBBRRRR I'm freezing (and stalling) Help!

[aaronsm]

Need some help. bought my first van, a '72 Bay Window (Viking spacemaker) a couple of weeks ago, need some help with the complete lack of heating and stalling problems. And before my wife things I've totally wasted our money buying the van!!

I know heating was never great in the vans, but something would be better than absolutley nothing.

The guy I bought it from said its got new heat exchangers, however I dont know where to look for them, underneath somewhere I'm guessing. And that the flaps, need opening. I have got someone to wiggle the heating controls whilst I was underneath, to see if I could see any cables moving but nothing moved at all. Any suggestions.

Can you buy heaters that plug into ciggy lighters, cos that would do for now.

And the stalling. Using the gas pedal, the engine doesn't deliever the power smoothly. Sputters before getting the power. And in the lower revs, especially approaching traffic lights in the low gears, it stalls, moreso when its cold. I think its ignition problems but new to vans, I dont know where to start. I'm thinking sparks, HT leads, etc. Suggestions please would be very helpful. Thanks

Mike

[dave]

Hi - get a haynes manual for the transporter van - very useful and will help identify where things are.

there heat exchangers are either side of the engine towards the front of the van, there will be a cable running to each one attaching to a bracket that will swivel and open a plate inside the exchanger, they are operated by the 2 levers on the dash.

you can get heaters that plug into cigar lighters - try ebay for a "12v car heater" or similar there are some £10 - £20. you can get more serious heaters for them - http://www.bluebird-type2.co.uk/prod4.html

I'm not great with engines but try cleaning or replacing points and condensor in distributor - that caused me probs earlier in the year, cleaned up and now runs fine but I have a new set in the van for when they need changing.

[Ade-the-bus-driver]

Hi,
I to have a Bay/Viking Spacemaker and recently found a little dashboard heater in Woolworths for £7.99. It can be dash mounted and also has a fold away handle so when detached can be used to defrost ice on the outside of the windscreen.

Ade the bus driver

P.S. Everyone's jealous of my huge roof! ;-)

[jackbox]

This applies to campers AND Beetles actually. In the hope that it might guide others with the same kind of problems lets take each in turn.

Stalling is often due to the engine sucking in air where it shouldn't be - commonly the carb gasket and with type 1 (beetle lumps), the throttle flap can wear considerably. Try running the engine and spraying WD40 around carb/carbs base and see if the engine speed increases. I do know a guy in Clacton who can put new bushes in and return the throttle flap to get a good fit - at very reasonable cost (certainly cheaper than a new carb). Let me know if you'd like his contact details.

Basically a weak mixture will cause stalling at junctions, usually when you cruise to a stop and this can simply be because you've been too mean with the mixture screw or as I said, because air is getting in somewhere including inlet port rubbers or where manifold bolts on to the heads. VWs HATE this!

As for heating, from experience old heat exchangers are often inefficient anyway. If you do fit new ones, treat them to a good dose of high temperature paint BEFORE you fit them - you'll get years more use out of them if you do and they're FAR easier to clean at a later stage. Secondly the route the heating takes is BADLY insulated and often the central pipe goes (i've actually seen plastic drainpipe used as a good replacement) leaving lots of places for heat to escape. Check the entire route, all the joins and insulate anything that gets warm (if it gets warm then its escaping right?).

And make SURE the heater flaps on heat exchangers are actually open fully. (you need another bod in the cab working the levers to check this). The classic bodge if the cables are broken at the exchanger end is to use choc-bloc connectors and snipped off coathanger wire to get the length back (or fit new cables of course).

Camper heating CAN work but it just needs a little time underneath checking the entire route for places the heat can escape. Less of a problem in a bug because of the size of the vehicle. Get it right and you can actually melt wellingtons in the back (done this myself). :)

[tombowler]

THe stalling in the cold is very probably carb iceing. check the heat risers are getting hot they are there to warm the inlet but get bloked with carbon when used on small runs all the time. You could look at getting an "imdu" as this is a little electric blanket for the inlet manifold. usually advertised in volkswolrd or ultra vw. John Muirs book how to keep your vw alive will help you and the van get to know each other in a very easy way great book but not if you want to stop smoking ! I still want to roll one each morning as the engin warms up!

Have fun in your van !

Tomb