how to tell if you have reproduction heat exchangers?

[AxlFoley]

After dryving my van yeserday in the cold and having ice on the inside of the screen, i thought it was time to check the condition of my heat exchangers, so now i have a few questions;

how do i know if they are reproduction?
and
How do i know if they are beetle ones?

Thanks

Mark

 

[Fortunate Son]

Repros only have 4 thick fins either side of the inner "j" tubes and they follow the j shape. OG HEs have 8 thin fins either side of the j tube. OG Hes are stamped in random places on the outer casing with a VW log about 10mm Dia

Beetle HEs have a fulcrum type leverabout a third of the way down from the front end of the HE which attaches to a smaller lever near the top of the front.

I have some photos somewhere - will try and find em and stick em up for you

 

[Fortunate Son]

Here you go:

Repros:

OG VW:

OGs will really roast you! - I had some OK repros for a few years which were OK but the additional surface area of the OG fins "exchange" the heat far more efficiently - I couldnt beleive the difference. I have read somewhere of someone who left a plastic coke bottle on the dash that actuallu started to melt with heat from OG HEs"!!

 

[Tofufi]

FS, your repro ones were better than mine!

I've now got two genuine ones and still not a stupid amount of heat. I think my van needs some insulation, new door seals and I need to check out the pipes under it too.

 

[AxlFoley]

Thanks for the info, is there an easy way to tell when they are on the van ?

 

[Benyon]

Although I have no pics, when they are insitu the easiest way to tell is the levers. Basically bus exchangers have a lever rising from the top, beetle exchangers have a lever that points down, and the repro's I have in my garage have both levers. I think the levers on a bus are gearbox side of the exchanger, whereas beetle exch levers are on the opposite side.

 

[AxlFoley]

I thinik i'll take a photo and see what i have.

thanks for the help

 

[Benyon]

Can't find a good picture atm but with Tofufi's help:

from http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10479&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The top one is a genuine beetle exchanger with the fulcrum type lever as mentioned above by Fortunate Son, tho this may well be removed as on my exchangers (beetle exch on van) you can also see the bottom one has no long lever compared to top, but you can still see the fulcrum the arm would rotate around, this will also be present on the repro exchangers.

Sorry I don't have a picture of a OG bus exchanger, or a repro exchanger showing the side with the van lever...

 

[wanderlust]

who sells the best ones?

 

[Benyon]

who sells the best ones?

Not heard of anyone do a comparison between repro exchangers, but it is generally accepted that they are quite a level below OG exchangers - keep your eyes open for second hand OGs in the usual places.

 

[AxlFoley]

I think mine are the top ones bugger!

 

[Benyon]

Borrwed this photo off Surfbus

These I think are repro exchangers, you can see the Beetle levers pointing down inboard of the exchangers, the fulcrum lever would attached to the pin sticking out halfway down, and the bus levers pointing up on the outsides of the exchangers. Did you confirm which sort yours were?

 

[AxlFoley]

no not yet its too cold lol, i will soon though