That leads me to believe that the heater core is leaking, right?
It sure does. I just replaced mine a week ago. Start by getting a
replacement: I got mine from a junkyard. Make sure it is incredibly clean
and doesn't have visible corrosoin between the vanes. Also, inspect the
valve housing for any apparent leaking; I understand there is a gasket in
there that can be replaced, but I haven't done that.
BTW: Any edits by you wrench-heads are welcome by me!
Do what I did:
*       Pull fuse from panel for rear heater to isolate the electrical
stuff.
*       Remove wooden kickstrip from seat frame (four self-tapping screws)
*       Remove fiberglass cover (six screws); this is not easy, it goes
around the output vents. A good amount of pushing and pulling will free it.
*       Remove mounting screws (2) from fan/heater housing. Disconnect
wiring. Place a pan under unit to catch coolant.
*       Clamp hoses with something to stop the flow from the cooling system.
If you use Vise Grips or something like that, protect the hoses by wrapping
the teeth in duct tape. Clamp them upstream enough so that you can back the
spring clamps off the fitting.
*       Release spring clamp on lower hose and remove; allow to drain in the
pan. Release spring clamp and remove top hose. This will allow the rest of
the collant in the core to go, so be ready with the pan.
*       Remove core from housing (2 screws). Clean housing as best you can;
coolant left in there will smell like a leak later. At this point, I
reattached the mounting brackets (the riveted ones) that got loosened during
removal with screws after drilling out the rivets.
*       Install new core and reconnect hoses. Start engine, allow coolant to
heat up, and check for leaks from core and hose fittings. I needed to trim
back one of my hoses to get a good seal. Be carefull if you have to remove
the hoses because the system is hot and pressurized!
*       If there are no leaks, attach unit to floor and reconnect electrical
goodies.
*       At this point, I hacked off the section of the cover that goes
underneath the vents to ease replacement. You can't see it anyway. Replace
the cover.
*       Replace kick strip and fuse and you should be ready to go!

Good Luck!

[Brad Anderson]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tony [SMTP:cogbox1@XMISSION.COM]
> Sent: Monday, June 28, 1999 2:29 PM
> To:   vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject:      Heater Leak
>
> Hey all,
>
> Just a quick question that I saw addressed here a while back but didn't
> pay attention because I didn't have the problem at the time :) The '90
> that I am buying does have a wet
> carpet in front of the rear bench. That leads me to believe that the
> heater core is leaking, right? What is the fix on that? Is it in the
> archives? If so, when was it listed and under what?
>
> thanks you guys
>
> I LOVE VW'S (and the tattoo proves it!)
>
> Tony
> '90 GL (tonight)