Heater cable stupid question

[starbiscuit]

Hello all,

I need to change my heater cables. I think I've got all the bits I need, but obviously have to remove the old ones first.

Being a hopeless cretin, I can't see how the cable ends come apart - the plastic bits at the heat-exchanger end of the cable tubes.

Here's pic of the what I mean:

(picture shamelessly nicked from http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?t=26404)

Is it one part or two (or more)? Is the tube from which the cable emerges separate from the part that grips the body bracket and just pushed into it? If so, do I just pull the end out to release the part that grips the bracket?

I am worried about breaking them because I don't think you can get them any more, and I have some bad experience of breaking plastic bits that have got brittle with age.

Thanks for helping!

 

[BRAD]

The plastic bit at the end of the cable guide pipe someone has added, I've never seen one before, I put on a rubber boot on the end to stop anything entering the pipe.
Have a look on VWheritage product page not a bad picture

 

[starbiscuit]

ratwell has the heater cables on http://www.ratwell.com/technical/Microfiche/t205810.gif" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The same, unclear, picture is in the EarlyBaywindowPartsBook, from which I took this:

There's a pic of these heater bits at viewtopic.php?f=4&t=51026

They are definitely original, but I still have no idea how to take them off without destroying them.

 

[gas1man]

CAREFULL!!!
That plastic piece is important . It stops the cable from going into the tube. It has like a slice cut into it and fits into the bracket that holds it. You have to prise it out carefully so as to not bend the tube when it comes free.
Lots of wd40 soaked overnight does wonders. Also found inside the plastic piece is what can only be described as, a round plastic tube piece with a split in it, to slip back on over the cable once pushed through.

I have just done mine and was lucky enough to get all the parts out in one piece.
Someone else I am sure will be along to assist. Good luck and I hope this helps.

J & P

 

[matt-me]

This ^^, it is very important, be careful as said.

 

[starbiscuit]

Should I be applying pressure to the plastic part to pull it out of the bracket, and the cable tube will come away with it?

Or, do I try to lever the tube relative to the bracket until the plastic part is clear of the bracket?

I guess my uncertainty is whether it is the tube that holds the plastic part in the bracket, or the plastic part that is held by the bracket and keeps the tube in place.

I can only apologise for being such a div

 

[gas1man]

The former. The tube is under tension so prise the plastic out of the bracket pulling on the tube at the same time. The tension of the tube holds the plastic in the bracket. Hope that helps. Welcome to the div club. :lol: :lol: :lol:

J & P

 

[starbiscuit]

Thanks gas1man, that's exactly what I was looking for.

I'll update with the answer to "what could possibly go wrong?"

 

[starbiscuit]

So the right tool for the job was a crowbar, braced on the chassis below the heater cable tube end, levering the tube down and away from the chassis to release the plastic bit from the bracket.

Just needed to keep a firm hand on plastic bit to control the rate at which it came out.

Here's the parts in question

I have managed to change one of the heater cables without major drama; I joined a length of wire onto the old cable at the back and pulled it through with the old cable out from the front, then used that wire to pull the new cable backwards.

The other cable, though, is stuck solid. The inner moves in the outer, but the outer is stuck at the end of the tube, somewhere between the up-and-over of the rear torsion tubes and the bracket at the very end.

More fun :roll:

At least there's quite a bit of advice on EB about this.

 

[gas1man]

Well one is better than none. I was lucky enough to get both out by just yanking them out from the front
of the bus in the cab.
On replacement though I covered everything in grease in other words as it was pushed into the tube I greased the outer casing.
Both now working but still have to put new heat exchangers in :shock: :shock:

J & P

 

[starbiscuit]

So the happy ending is that I managed to brute-force the stubborn heater-cable out.
By removing the inner completely, then pulling hard on the outer with pliers, it unwinds in a spiral that ends up much narrower than with the inner in-place.
Fortunately, this was enough to dislodge the sticky bit, and the whole lot came out in one (wrecked) piece:

Feeding the new cable was easy enough - I fed a wire from the back to the front and used it to pull the new cable backwards, greasing it as it went into the tube (thanks for the tip gas1man).

An electirician mate tells me it's always easier to pull a cable through a conduit than to push it.

Now I just need to figure out how to adjust the throw of the cable to match the open/closed positions of the heat exchanger, but that must be at the cab end and can be done when the engine is back in.

 

[gas1man]

Well done. Glad its all out. The length is only adjustable on the heat exchanger side when engine back in.
The cable ` L ` shape piece in the dashboard is non adjustable. Have fun. :lol: :lol: And a bugger to clip in.
I used small springs a washer and a `C `clip to hold them in place.

J & P