New heater boxes -- need to drop engine?

It's a major hassle, but can be done in the car. The exhaust stud nuts have never been removed and they will be solidly rusted to the studs. If you put a wrench on them, the studs will break.

An oxy-acetylene torch (aka "blue wrench") does wonders to loosen the nuts. But here's another trick: Use a very sharp cold chisel against the flat of the nut. With surprisingly little effort, the nut will split apart like a ripe melon.

Get underneath the Bus to see what you are up against. I would want to be damn sure they were leaking before I went thru the motions...

Speedy Jim

The engine has 3,500 miles on it. Might be a bit easier to remove?

Mmmmmm . . . melon.

And the for-sure test is?

"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" wrote

Maybe a CO detector?:

My local home-improvement store also has them for $40. Very good, then. That's what I will do!

I took a pair apart a year ago because of CO leaks. Turned out to be a leaky heaterbox to muffler joint that got sucked back into the fan...

wrote:

Yeah, well, instead of using a CO monitor, I stuck my nose next to the outlet in the front and opened the magic red levers. I smelled exhaust.

Cheaper than a CO monitor!

But taking this mess apart to find the problem looks challenging. Someone mentioned a good VW shop in San Diego a while back?

Did you smell exhaust or did you smell burning oil? The test is not a $40 CO sniffer. If oil is getting / has gotten into your heater air tract it will burn on the heat exchanger fins and that will set off the CO sniffer also. If you have an oil leak anywhere near the fan you will get oil in the heat exchangers. The test for leaking exhaust is with engine idling, cover the end of the pipe. If there are no leaks, the engine will die. If there are leaks, they probably aren't inside the heat exchanger. Just my opinion, but you're looking at a chunk of money, hassle, and time and you really don't know what the cause of the fumes is until you investigate it.

-- Dave "Busahaulic" Pears>

,

wrote:

Turned out

back

next to the

smelled exhaust.

challenging.

back?

Exhaust. I smell exhaust. Will try the hand-over-end-of-pipe test. Sounds scientific. Clinical. Gotta get a white lab coat. And an attractive assistant with a clipboard and sexy glasses.

Well since you have a "Fresh-Air" type heating system, the exhaust fumes could be sucked into the fan (or ductwork) that blows it inside of the cabin. Of course you need to check where the heater exchangers are sealed to the exhaust part of the muffler. I have seen the exchangers that are so rusty or worn that they no longer are the same diameter and therefore can not seal with just the circular seals/gaskets/clamps. I seal that area with a little muffler cement before securing those clamps to make a "airtight" seal.

If the engine is running way too rich and not moving quickly enough, the fumes might be sucked up by the fan. Nasty smell!!!

just some thoughts!. later, dave Reminder........ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes. Frieda Norris

No need to drop the engine.

Jan

MMmmmmmm.... Lab Assistant...........

Jan ;)

Hi. On a '71 bus it is so easy to remove the engine that the hard part of removing the nut s without breaking the studs will be SO much easier you should do it just for the experience.Be sure to WD40 the nuts the night before.They will probably come off easy as its a fairly new motor if I 'member rite.Steve

...use PB blaster instead...much better. =-) And do not forget speedy jim's suggestion...studs are no fun to replace in situ when they break..I generally will tap a 6 point box wrench lightly with a hammer to break exhaust nuts free...if they don' t seem to want to move I grab the chisel...I break very few exhaust studs. =-))

...Gareth

blah....use a real "penetrating" fluid...i am partial to PB Blaster...good, cheap, and available at local chain autoparts stores, and even wal mart.....

------------------- Chris Perdue

*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug" reply take your PANTS off

...yeah yeah.,...thats the pansie version =-) real men use a big chisel and pull out before damage is done ;-0

...Gareth

Blaster...good,