I had the cold problem on my 85 GL and again on my 88 GL. A new
thermostat fixed it both time.

You could have bad/worn air flaps at the heater box .

You could have a heat control valve up front that is not going fully to
the correct position.

You could have a partial blockage somewhere in the coolant system up
front or in or at the heater core.

I lived in Alaska when I acquired my the 85 Vanagon GL. We had some
serious cold. up there. After getting the thermostat problem taken care
of, and making sure the cooling system was working proper, I realized I
was having heat distribution problems. I learned to leave the front
heater off, until such times as the engine was fully warm by way of the
temp gage. If I was starting down the road with engine relatively cold,
I would not turn on the heat until the engine was thoroughly warm. Then
and only then would I turn on the rear heater. This avoided creating a
cold wind in the van before the engine warmed up. The rear heater would
do a good job overall of heating the van. then I sould supplement it
with the front heat. With the rear heater running, I rarely needed to
run the front heater at top speed. That methodlogy worked well. Still
does even in my 88 GL.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Andy Highland wrote:
> I've been using my van (1990 Westfalia) in sub 40 F temperatures for
> the first time. When I'm at freeway speeds, the heater is blowing
> cold air. When I close the floor vents, (3rd lever pushed to the
> right) the air gets a little warmer, but not by much. Basically, the
> heat coming out is totally inadequate, but only when going fast in
> cold weather. In more moderate temps, or when I'm on city streets it
> seems OK. So is my front heater broken, or is this how other people's
> vans work? I find it hard to believe that people up north could live
> with such a pathetic heater.
>
> Thanks,
> andy
>