As with most cars the front heater uses all outside air. If you really
blocked it off you shouldn't get any heat at all. The heater fan most likely
really died from the vehicle being dormant for years or the fan being run at
high speed for no good reason or it was just plain old. Running and used
properly the vanagon has plenty of heat. As for blower life avoid the
temptation to needlessly run it at high speed. Maximum defrost occurs at fan
speed 2 as indicated on that legend by the controls. In fact once the van is
moving at any speed you can turn the blower off and the ram air will give
you all the heat and air you need. There are bypass flaps so in this mode
much of the air bypasses the blower. You can hear the flaps if you suddenly
put the fan from off to high speed. I have yet to see snow effect the engine
operation by suffocating it. Snow does effect the engine in other ways most
notably preventing the O2 sensor from working. What a brilliant design
sticking a part that needs to stay hot behind the rear wheels. Although once
the road salt finds a way to short it out temperature doesn't matter
anymore.   

Stay warm!
Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
MICHAEL H
Sent: Friday, November 8, 2013 11:08 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: fresh air intake(s)

presently, it's snowing in upstate NY. it's officially cold. last year I
used a piece of corrugated plastic to replace the screen behind the front
grille to keep the blower motor from inhaling the half of a blizzard and
seizing like the previous one. worked great. another piece went under the
radiator because the pressed card stock disintegrated. another piece went in
the engine bay around the air box snorkel at the side wall. so, if you want
to do your part to clean up your neighborhood - adopt an unclaimed vote for
me sign and put it to real service. �this year I'm thinking of gluing window
screening to the insides of the intake grilles in the D pillars because the
other half of the blizzard went in there to gag the engine until it heated
up enough to melt the snow and breathe properly. last year I detached the
grille, slipped it into a plastic bread bag and set it in place until the
snow stopped. I'm getting lazier as time grows short. � � � hth
 � � � � � � � � �mike