Your van is low on coolant.  The most accessible and reliable winter time
coolant level sensor is your right ankle.  When it starts getting cooled
rather than heated, you're down on coolant.

You'll want to do the Bentley procedure to purge the air from the the rad
bleeder screw, then enjoy better heating in the front!

On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 9:00 PM, Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@mts.net> wrote:

> David where do you live?  My van has always been like this, for ten years
> or so, so I just can't believe it's because of an ailment that I haven't
> sorted out during that time.  If you live somewhere particularly frosty you
> might notice this more than someone in a more temperate climate.
>
> I live in Winnipeg, where it  gets super cold, and I just always assumed
> that when the engine is turning slower the coolant is circulating more
> slowly, and cools down by the time it reaches the front of the van.
>
> Sometimes ignorance is bliss, sometimes it isn't ...
>
> Jeff
> 85 Westfalia GL
> Winnipeg
>
> On 2010-01-05, at 11:26 AM, David Prendergast wrote:
>
> > Did a search on this but didn't find much.  84 Westy, heat seems to be
> > working fine (although not as hot as I remember, although it could be
> > my imagination) Whenever I come to a stoplight and reach down to feel
> > the heat (front, havent checked the rear) its blowing cold until I
> > start moving again.  Weird and wacky to me.  No coolant leaks and
> > bottle is full.
>

--
Jake

1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"

Crescent Beach, BC

www.thebassspa.com
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27