From: wpc@po.CWRU.Edu (William P. Claspy)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: Proposed answer to the gas heater FAQ
Date: 15 Dec 1992 21:24:14 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.ins.cwru.edu


Here's my proposed answer to the question that seems to get asked a bazillion
times starting in October or so.  I may change the first section that talks
about how gas heaters work if I can dig up the manual for the Eberspacher I
have.  So, without any delays, here she comes...

------------

I need information about the gas heater in my bus/bug/ghia.  
Where can I get my gas heater fixed?  Where can I get a gas 
heater for my bus/bug/ghia?

	Gas powered heaters were made available as a dealer 
option on busses/bugs/ghias for quite a few years for people 
who drove their vehicles in colder climates. These heaters 
work in addition to the stock heat provided by engine heat 
through the heat exchangers on the engine.  They are powered 
by a gas line from the gas tank and use a glow plug, spark 
plug, separate ignition coil and fan.

	Since they use gasoline, gas heaters are inherently 
dangerous, due to the highly explosive nature of gasoline.  
Hence, I have found that almost no one is willing to work on 
them, probably for reasons of liability.  The local VW dealer 
said that he "would take a look at it and see what I can do."  
I think he has to say that since VW sold the heaters as an 
option.  It sounded like even if he could fix it, the cost 
would be prohibitive, above and beyond the normal high 
dealer repair costs.

	However, many people still have these heaters and 
want to keep them working.  During the fall/winter of 1991 
there was a discussion thread on r.a.vw concerning these 
heaters, initiated by myself and Jack Reed.

	What we found is that there are two places in the 
U.S. that will service/sell gas heaters. (Jack tried contacting 
companies in Germany with little or no luck, as I 
remember.)  The first advertises in HotVWs and VWTrends, 
J.B.'s Heater Service in Castle Rock, Colorado.  Both Jack 
and I spoke with him and both of us came away with the 
impression that he is, to put it mildly, not a person you 
would want to send money to.  Other "blue" words were 
used in describing his character, not only from Jack and I, 
but from others on the 'net at the time.  His prices also 
seemed quite high.  His number is (303) 660-9032.  The 
other person is Ark Mirvis in Hopatcong, NJ.  His name 
came from a guy on the 'net who met him at a show, and I 
have subsequently seen his name in either the newsletter of 
LiMBO (Late Model Bus Owners) or VVWA (Vintage 
Volkswagen Association).  I have not spoken with him, but 
from all reports he is very good.  His number is (201) 398-
6363.

	I have also seen busses equipped with propane 
powered furnaces, and there was some discussion on this 
topic on the 'net.  The problems here are that you need to 
mount a fairly sizeable propane tank under your bus, the 
furnace itself is fairly large and has to be put inside the bus 
somewhere, and you need to cut an exhaust hole in the side 
of your bus, which, if not done right, can cause the pilot 
light in the furnace to be blown out from blow-by wind.

	Personally, I finally opted to give up on the gas 
heater option.  I use a wool blanket.  Others have suggested 
that a tight heat exchanger/duct-work system, perhaps with 
an aftermarket blower booster (the kind that fits up front in a 
bus) makes for a perfectly acceptable, warm ride.

Bill Claspy
---------

p.s.  If anyone wants to change or add anything, let me know!

B
-- 
William Claspy			Case Western Reserve University
Internet- wpc@po.cwru.edu
MaBellnet- (216) 368-3595