At 01:58 PM 7/21/2006 -0400, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>If you use the AC alot, you will find that resistor is a consumable
>item. Keep a spare. with regular use, they seem to last a season or
>two. A tired radiator that causes the fan to run a lot adds to the problem.

I've no idea what these resistors look like or what they cost, but
that's sorta ridiculous.  Someone at VAG was smoking rope and his
supervisor was Harry Halfass.  If people don't want to go through the
hoops of figuring out the value(s) and building one with higher
capacity, it's always possible to wire four of the stock resistors in
series-parallel which will give the stock values with four times the
watt rating (less if you don't keep them separated physically) --
which frankly sounds about right.  Getting a bit of cooling to it
couldn't hurt either.  Getting it/them into the radiator intake would
be great but I bet even flowing radiator exhaust over them would be
an improvement.

Faintly related note -- the '91 Toyota Camry uses an open-air (no
ceramic core or covering) nichrome winding set for its four-speed
heater blower, sitting in the blower output stream.  Operating on low
speed in still air, the section that is unique to low speed glows
dull red in daylight.

--
David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage," '85 GL "Poor Relation"