John,

You can get to the cable and the valve it attaches to by removing the
spare tire and getting at it from below, it is in the heater hose that
goes to the heater core.  Most likely the valve arm has worn through or
is broken.  Get a new one, they are cheap from the Bus Depot.  If the
cable is broken scrap the van or sell it to someone in a warm climate.

Just kidding; get a copy of the Bentley manual and set aside a bit more
time to fix it.

"John P. Flaherty" wrote:
>
> Hi Volks:
>
> Maine is starting to get a bit chilly at dawn. I tried to turn the heat on
> this morning, and didn't get any. Blower works, but blows cold air, even
> after engine was at operating temp. I noticed that the 2nd lever down, the
> one that's supposed to control the temperature, offered absolutely no
> resistance when sliding it back and fourth. I suspect the cable or whatever
> attaches to it has come loose. Is there an easy way to get at this without
> disassembling the dash? If the cable is still connected to the lever, what
> does the other end connect to?
>
> TIA,
> John Flaherty
> '84 Vanagon GL
> '84 Rabbit GL