So here I sat pretty smug in knowing that I was taking good care of the rear
heater core of our 1991 westy.  Having been on the list since 1996, I have
read all the conventional wisdom on how to keep the core from leaking so I
change my coolant every 2 years and leave the valve in the open position
year round so that coolant constantly flows through the core.  In my
demented mind, that would guarantee a sound core forever.

On our overnight trips, we keep our clothing under the rear seat so every
time I open the back seat, I look for a visible leak and have never seen one
until last week.  I

 was surprised to see a small amount of coolant behind the floor of the rear
seat, so I removed the protective cover from around the heater.  Looking
down, there was no obvious leak and everything looked fine.  I then went to
remove the two screws holding the heater assembly to the floor.  One of the
screws had rusted in half while the other screw was completely sound.  I
removed the assembly, disconnected the hoses and then inspected the heater
core.  It was obvious that the core had been leaking for awhile, collecting
in the plastic housing, and must have been dripping and collecting on the
screw on the side nearest the fridge and eventually rusted it through.  Of
course the van tilts in that direction so that makes sense.  However, we
never noticed the "sweet smell" that others have reported.

Anyway, if you have not checked your rear heater core in awhile, I advise
taking the five minutes it takes to remove the protective cover and remove
the two retaining screws and just inspect the housing assembly even if you
don't remove it completely from the van.  You might catch a problem before
it gets too messy.

We have a big trip planned this summer and I am so glad I found the problem
before our trip started.

Harold

___
Harold Teer
1991 Westy (Vangaux)
Harrisonburg, VA