In a message dated 02/12/2006 1:13:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

Sorry to  be the bearer of bad news but ---

When the bearing goes, you don't just  replace a bearing. The whole motor
gets replaced. And to do that you have  to take the heater box apart. And
to get to the heater box you have to  remove the entire dash of the
vehicle. There simply is no way around  it.

That's right  - take out the entire dash. Only then can you  get to the
heater box to dismantle it to get at the motor. For that much  trouble,
you don't just replace the motor bearing, you replace the motor.  It is
also the time you renew the padding that all the heat and air flaps  seal
against.

I have not done this myself, but others have, and  there are some
websites of list members that show how it is done, plus  descriptions of
it in the archives. My understanding of it is that it takes  about a day
if all goes well, two days if you run into little snags along  the way.

While you have the dash  apart, you can do repairs, new  wiring, etc, etc.

Maybe someone will post the locations of the websites  that show how it
is done.

AND, DO NOT FORGET, to glue a cover over that  exposed end bearing before
installing that new motor to help prevent its  demise.  I use a plastic bottle
cap of the appropriate size, glued on with  Goo Glue

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy, '90 Carat, '87 Wolfsburg  (Forsale) & Lionel Trains
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa  Valley
_Frank Condelli  & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 07 ~ 10,  2007