Fresh air controls?

[petesavan]

My heating works in that I can get warm air up to the screen but at the same time this is effectively neutralised by cold air blasting out from the vents either side of the dashboard that look as if they would have been connected to some vents in the doors had the original door cards been present. My heating is permanently on as the flaps by the heat exchangers are wired closed (?) so that the heat goes to the front of the van. The cables aren't connected because the engine is a 1600 twin port from a 1972 Beetle (whereas the van is a 1968 model) and the heat exchanger flaps don't line up with the cables properly, hence the wiring up idea. I've tried adjusting the fresh air levers on the dashboard up and down but the cold air still blasts in regardless so is there any way I can fix this short of sticking duct tape over all the vents?

 

[lilblue1970]

The fresh air vents should be connected by an unsophisticated rod lever to the controls on the console. When you move them up and down you should be able to hear the vents opening and closing in the front grill area. If not, you need to get the rods fitted to them.

 

[Happystamps]

also, the heat exchanger flap mechanism is mounted differently on a beetle than on a bus, but it is the same system. essentially you have to remount the lever on upside-down, which is a bit fiddly under the van i'll admit.

 

[bigdaz]

if you take your front grille off and check the flaps are fully closing, also have a look to see if they still have all the foam seals in place,if not you can use draught excluder tape or gaffer tape them shut for the winter.

 

[petesavan]

Thanks very much everybody for your very helpful suggestions and information. I had no idea that the flaps on Beetle heat exchangers were arranged differently to those on vans and it offers some hope of perhaps getting them fully operational in the future. Tomorrow, or when it stops raining, I'll take the front grill off and check if it's working or not. The rods certainly move under the dashboard when the levers are operated but whether or not they're connected to anything beyond that I may find out in the next day or two.

 

[reezvaan]

Don't mean to hack your thread but I am after the rods which are under discussion here for my RHD 69er. I have the assembly and the flaps and all but the rods that connect the flaps to the assembly (those which connect to the levers in the dash panel). Any idea where could I find them or perhaps somebody would have a couple in spare.

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[Dave.P]

if you take your front grille off and check the flaps are fully closing, also have a look to see if they still have all the foam seals in place,if not you can use draught excluder tape or gaffer tape them shut for the winter.

I had to do the same, good call.

 

[petesavan]

if you take your front grille off and check the flaps are fully closing, also have a look to see if they still have all the foam seals in place,if not you can use draught excluder tape or gaffer tape them shut for the winter.

I have taken the front grille off and inspected the flaps. They open and close using the dashboard controls but are a little stiff in places and there is a bit of fouling between the two levers when almost fully closed so I presume there's some adjustment needed here. There don't seem to be any foam seals present but instead the rims of the flaps have rubber seals inserted which seem to be in pretty good condition considering their age. I have pushed them both fully closed from the front as I could get them to move in a bit more with the grille off but if I was going to add some foam draught excluder where would I put it, just stick it on top of the rubber? I've not tried driving it with the flaps pushed in fully yet so it might now be draught free anyway!