87 Vanagon GL

Hello;  I recently purchased an 87 GL sunroof, and had to replace the
steering rack and pinion.  The parts cost $997. Now I realize that our money
is not worth much (Canada) but seriously folks one thousand dollars!  The
job took abot 3 hours with no special tools required. 
I've had 6 other VW Vans and part of the appeal was that they weren't
expensive or complicated to run or repair, which brings me to the next problem.
The heater switch has electricity going into it but I get no fan action at
any of the switch positions. All wires are connected to something. any ideas?
I had the radio out and apart trying to figure out why the right channel is
so muddy and garbled.  There was nothing obvious inside the radio so i
tested the speakers and wires for shorts or opens, and everything checks out
OK.  I'm sure there is at least 50 people out there who have suffered
through these 3 problems.  I would like to hear how they solved them.
Sincerely
Larry Carter