Gettin' some Heat in my '71 Super (Page 1 of 2)

Welcome. First off get an owners manual for your car and the Bentley manual for your year of car. These will tell you how to operate the system and give you good info on how to fix it if need be.
The heat is operated by the levers or knob by front seats depending on what ? year that open the heater boxes to let the warm air into the car. Make sure they are opening up all the way and that the hose  between the heater boxes and body are in place. Also open the rear decklid and see if the hoses are hooked up between the fan housing and the heater box connections there. This will give you a place to start.
There is more but we need to know the year of your new bug

It's not too uncommon for various parts of the Beetle heating system to be worn-out, rusted out, or completely missing...but the parts are available, and thus getting some heat is doable.

Welcome,

- Nick

Yep, problems are usually due to rusted/worn/missing parts. My car was a summer only driver when purchased, and NOTHING worked! However it's easy to go through it and see what is or is not working. Below is a diagram of where the air goes before it is supposed to warm you up, and I also included a list

Air flow from fan to windshield. Note, my numbers have nothing to do with the numbers in the diagram.
1. Hoses from fan shroud to heat exchanger. There will be two, one for each side. They should be connected securely at both ends.
2. Heat exchanger. Here is where the air picks up heat from the exhaust. This part commonly rusts out and leaks, causing a loss of air flow. If rusted out, it will need to be replaced by a professional.
3. Control flap. The warm air flows or stops here depending on the flap position. When you pull the heat lever next to the parking brake, the lever pulls a cable that is hooked up to the flap lever (circled in green), and the flap lever moves a rod attached to the flap. Missing or stuck parts are the most common problem here, so when you pull the lever in the car, the flap does not open.
4. The air duct, the last item in the image, can come loose on either end or split. Either condition will lose warm air. It's best to pull this off and inspect it.
5. Control flaps for rear heat. You will also have levers near the parking brake for these. When you pull the lever up, it opens the vent under the rear seat to allow warm air to flow out for the back passengers. It should open and close easily. If it's stuck closed, then no heat in back. If stuck open, you will get reduced heat from the front footwell vents, and nothing to the defrosters.
6. Control flaps for the front footwells. I forget if these are cable operated in the 71 SB, but when open they allow heat for your feet. When they, and the rear heat vents are closed, it forces air to the defroster vents.
7. The defroster vents are at the base of the windshield, of course, but are connected by paper hoses that fail with age. They can be a pain to replace, and I'll let the more experienced folks here explain that if it turns out to be an issue.

That's all this noob has for now, hope we can help!

Paul

Last edited by Altema (2009-10-03 19:03:46)

Nice pic Altema! Haven't seen that one. Here's more of the system.

The '71 Super also has a fan forced fresh air/defrost system. If everything works but defrost then the paper tubes in the door pillars need replacing. They unravel on the inside.

Here is the dash plumbing but instead of the fresh air box, #16 you have the fan box in the next pic.

Here is your drivers manual, you definitely need the Bentley though.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/71bug.php

jim

Hey Yo Fellas!!! Can we resurrect this thread?  I have a 72 Super, bought it 4 months ago, love it but i live in Idaho fellas, I drive this thing 10 miles to work at the Fire Department and while my feet are toasty warm, my windshield and face suffer.  The previous owner had terminated the convoluted tubing #37 and taped off the port.  Also I can't figure out while they have all the holes in the heater box exhaust port, i know those Germans are engineering masterminds, just want some explanation i guess.

Anybody who bought a new Beetle back in the '70's knows the heat and defrost work fine. The problem, and reason for the bad reputation regarding heat, is that the heater channels are the first thing to rust. Heat exchangers aren't far behind and the paper tubes in the A pillars unravel on the inside. They are not that hard to replace either. I have step by step instructions if anyone wants it.

It's not poor engineering but rather price control. This was an economy car after all.

jim

PS: Where is the cold air coming from? If it leaks through the dasboard, then your trunk seals may be shot. If it only comes from the defroster vents and you can't turn it off, then your control cables are not hooked up properly or the part that closes off the fresh air may have dry rotted or broken.