Itinerant Air-Cooled

It is getting colder here (yeah, right, I live in SoCal) and there really is a need for a functional defroster. Especially first thing in the morning after a 39 degree camp out.

When I got the bus, the defrost flapper valve in the heater "T" was zip-tied in the open position. I know I can do that again if needed, but VW was wise enough to give us a control lever to open and close the valve at will, so I'd kind of like to get that working.

The cable is in place, but I'm missing whatever it is that pins the cable to the bracket on the heater tube. Take a look at the pics below and tell me what it is I need, or what I can do to make the defrost control/cable functional. (The defrost cable is installed, it is just tucked in behind the foot panel to keep it out of the way.)






I have a feeling that what is supposed to hold the cable on the bracket is a spring clip kind of like what holds the upper end of the heater cables in the dash. Let me know what you think. Photos appreciated since I'm a visual learner.

Thanks for your help, Tim

So I'm at work today and I just happened to drive my bus to work (it's been WAY too long!). I went down to take some pictures and let's just say I'm glad I don't make my living as a photographer! Anyway, here's the deal:


The end of the cable has an 'S' bent into it which slips through the hole of the floor/defrost lever. As mentioned my skills are not photography so I drew the end of the cable in red so you could actually tell what you were looking at.




Then, the sheath of the cable is attached to the bracket with a special clip that no doubt is long-lost. Here's another view.




I'm sure Ken Madson has a few of those clips or perhaps you can find one somewhere else. To sum up, it doesn't seem the cable attaches to the flapper with anything special. It's the clip that holds the cable sheath that is the missing puzzle piece.

That looks like the same clip that holds the heater cables on mid-90's Land Rover Defenders. I'll check to see if I still have any in my toolbox. The one I'm thinking of is RNA911. You can buy it for $2.95.

Thanks, dtrumbo! I figured there was probably a spring metal clip involved. The pics were fine.

I will check a local used parts place down here for the clip and call Ken Madsen if I'm unable to locate one.

Tim

Tim,

Did you get this fixed?

What often happens is the end of the cable breaks off too. That's the spot I am in. I think that cable is unobtainium. Hope it's not the problem on yours.

drober23 wrote:Tim,

Did you get this fixed?

What often happens is the end of the cable breaks off too. That's the spot I am in. I think that cable is unobtainium. Hope it's not the problem on yours.

You can fashion a front cable to the floor/defrost lever using any throttle cable from a lawn mower. You will need to fashion a dog leg, and you will need to trim the sheath to the correct length.
Colin

Got it fixed. Ken at theBusCo sent me a clip. I modified a heater cable to replace the NLA defrost cable.

See folks at BBB this weekend.

Tim (in Joshua Tree)