I had an '83 VW Rabbit whose heater valve got stiff round about 10 years old, and after that I easily increase the heat from inside the car, but reducing it once it had been set above half-way required opening the hood and pushing back the valve by hand...  If it needs replaced, get a good new one!

James Eaton
Ottawa, ON

> Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2013 13:26:28 -0800
> From: scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM
> Subject: Re: Looking for correct name or terminology f or a push-pull
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> 
> nothing that I know of ..
> but I can tell you this ..
> when moving the temp lever towards warmer you are pulling a solid wire
> out of the flexible tube ( bowden tube ? ) ...
> but when reducing heat you are pushing that wire back in..
> 
> the geometry of the heater temp lever and that control cable is very poor ..
> at full max temp there's over an inch of cable hanging in space...
> no one ever lubes these control cables as much as they need..
> so ..
> one day ....you move the temp lever left..instead of sliding back in
> ..the wire kinks...
> and from then on you have very compromised heater valve control...
> 
> until ...you go in there, carefully straighten the kink ..
> lube the hell out of the cable ..I hold the end up and dribble good lube
> ( Triflow is one of many ) into the cable housing while I move the cable
> in and out with a needle nose pliers.
> 
> 76 % of all water cooled vanagons need this service and adjustment. (
> maybe more. Certainly every one I've ever seen , or owned, or worked on )
> It's classicly on the weak side in a 'VW way' ...and usually never
> serviced until it's really broken.
> and 95 % of the time it's just inspection.....straighten ...lube
> ..adjust. I've rarely had to replace a cable.
> 
> oh ! I have seen a newish off-shore made cheap heater valve be very
> stiff to move.
> ( original and good ones never do that in my experience ) ..
> and it seemed like it must be cable for sure..
> but it was a too-cheaply made newish heater valve.  Don't buy a 9 dollar
> one is my recommendation ..
> get a 30 dollar VW dealer or Van Cafe heater valve ..only !
> 
> Scott
> was turbovans
> 
> 
> On 12/2/2013 11:05 AM, greentabe-vanagon@yahoo.com wrote:
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> > I am looking for the correct terminology here:
> >
> > You know the heater and vent cables?  They are flexible sheathed rods that can both push and pull.  By contrast a sheathed cable like a bike brake cable can only pull - if you push on it it will buckle.
> >
> > What is the name of either a sheathed rod that can push and pull, or a sheathed cable with a rod on the end, again for both pushing and pulling?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > t johnson/90MV
> >
> >