No, it's not the amount of rust. It's the ability to properly operate your heater controls. No It was a cold day yesterday A.M. during our run. I asked 3 other guy's in our group, "What is the proper positioning of these knobs for heat". Got 3 different answers.

If I can make it to one of your dawn patrols (sans my 914 at this point), then I'll show you!

It's actually pretty cool, cuz you can put cold/cool air on your face & heat below, which comes in handy on long drives where you want to stay warm but not get drowsy from hot/warm air in your face/eyes!

The 914 is the only car I've had or driven that was set up to do this (including many rentals on biz trips over the years).

I always thought it went like this:

Top lever controls the fan speed control (fresh air fan)

Middle (Red) lever is the temperature control (L=Cold, R=Hot)

Bottom lever controls direction (L=Under dash vents, R=Windshield defrost vents)

The console lever adjacent to the shift lever opens heat valves in engine compartment, allows heat from engine to enter the fresh air venting system. There's also a switch on this lever to power up the fan motor in the engine compartment.

In addition to the bolded notes with additional info above, you can retro fit any pre-75 914 with the y-branch at the engine bay fan with a hose to the passenger side heat supply tube in the longs. (this was std. in 75-76) for more cabin heat.

This morning was 24 degrees F when I drove to work. I have these levers down to an art. This information is for a stock 914 that has all working parts.

DASH:
Top lever (Fresh air fan):
Left - No freah air
Center - Fresh air no fan
Right - Three fresh air fan speeds

DASH:
Middle Lever (fresh air location):
Left - Fresh air to feet
Middle - Fresh air to vents
Right - Fresh air to windshield

DASH:
Bottom Lever "mine is red" (Warm Air when red floor knob is pulled):
Left - Warm air to feet
Middle - Warm air to vents
Right - Warm air to windshield

FLOOR:
Knob near shifter
- Pull up on red knob below shifter for heat
- The higher the knob the more heat.
- Pull up more and at some point the fan in the engine bay will kick in

Thank you...That is beautiful!

People in socal even have heaters on their 914s....?
I prefer headers over heaters...

Chicks dig cars with heaters. Especially if you’re going to drive around at night topless…

I was incorrect with the layout of the levers ... red is bottom lever, duh

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I'm color blind, which made it easy on my parents when I was a child ... they only had to buy me one color of crayons

middle, middle, middle, all the time
Never change them.

Pull lever to turn on heat.

rich

Or we could look at the owners manual, & get past all of our half-zymers issues!

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Show of hands for those that actually have the owners manual anymore!



Okay, it's online as well... But what the hey...

Wow, there's a map pocket on the underside of the center cushion? I'll have to check mine. Was it an option?

I was on the Dawn Patrol run with no heat...well, just enough radiant heat from the engine, coolant plumbing, etc. to take the edge off. Brrr! I just had to think warm thoughts...glowing charcoal, Apollo capsule on re-entry.

Yes, I have the owner's manual! But no other real documentation, or service stamps in the back.

Heat. You all have heat? Wear some clothes and roll up the windows.

All along I thought it was the bumper sticker.

I knew it wouldn't be long before Eliyut would chime in! Congrats on your son's wedding.

Hey it's been below 40 for the past week at night. That's more than anyone can bear down here. Who knows....rust may happen at those temperatures.

I stand edjukaded now that I know how to work the kintrols. I'll have to install the aux. heater fan that's been sitting on the garage shelf now gathering dust.

Well, now I can print this and keep a copy in that secret map pocket in the center cushion, just in case I forget how the damn controls work in the future

... and there's an escutcheon plate for the heater lever? ... who has one of those???

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I drove around half the summer with the pass side open blowing heat into the car.

but then you might forget about the secret pocket

Pretty sad, but i keep the bottom lever to the left, otherwise i get oil film on the windshield when I turn on the heat. That's my favorite setting anyway. The top lever middle to right, depending on how much air i need. The middle lever to the right, to force fresh air out the top vents. The bottom lever to the left to force hot air out the bottom. Perfect settings for when the top is off and its cold out. I definelty used the heater a lot more in Northen Cal. versus So. Cal, but heat is still nice to have.

I bet you want me to put the top on too.

Nope ... Barney is used to flying Jennys.

Maybe we should get Pat G & the Admins to add a nailed topic at the O&H forum with pix of the various MY owners manuals posted by those that do have one, so that those missing them can download & print them?

Any interest out there in doing that mini-project?

I can do pix of my 73 manual, & convert the pdf to jpeg for each page from another member's of the 74 manual that I'd downloaded off this site, from which I did those 2 pages to jpeg that I posted above (I don't recall who posted theirs in Acrobat Reader).

Of course, then folks would be expected to actually read it before posting their questions in the Garage as the first resort!

You can also find used owners manuals on evil-bay, as well as some new/NOS & reprinted ones from AA, Ecklers/Automotion/PP, Pelican, P-dealers, etc. - for those who like to have one.

Mine was MIA when I bought my 73 2L in 12/75 - thanx to the OO/PO's kids, so I recently bought a new/NOS `73 one for about $35 IIRC. Of course I actually have read all my vehicle's owners manual at least once!

It was minus 8 in Reno this morning... I did not drive the 914. I have heat.

Looks like you need Windex injection for your heat exchangers.

Those work best with injectors at the flapper boxes!

Mark it was cool that you had that radio with you....That kid would of froze up there. I wonder if he had any idea how to use his heater I need to get one of those radios.

I think our member "Montoya"? beat you to this. I believe it is in his signature. I actually have the owners manual too. I was just joking about how our vent/heat controls usually stay set in one position. Or as Ron Poppeil said, "Set it and forget it".

Slits in the 80's! No?

Yes, I think it was Montoya's posting that I'd downloaded before, & converted his pdf to jpegs for the 2 pages above.

I did figure you're tongue-in-cheek about this out.

However, I was suggesting more of a useful data bank of each MY 914/4 & 914-6 Owners Manual uploaded as jpeg pic per page, for those that need/want one & for reference.

There really are a bunch of questions which are covered in the 914 owners manuals, that get asked repeatedly - particularly starting in Spring when 914's hatch from their winter cacoons across the northern reaches!

My favorites are the how do I start my 914 (usually ones not holding the gas to the floor while cranking, as per the manual), and then later in summer - the batch of repeating hot start/vapor lock problem posts.

Th funny thing is up in the seattle area we can spot the SoCalers up here! most still run around with the air vents on recycle air, (modern cars) like the ac is on. When it rains all that moister inside the car fogs all the windows on the inside. I see it every day and have to laugh.

But the Vanagon guys have the same problem down there. As soon as the temp hits 59 the threads start up "what position gets me heat?" But up here its "How does the AC work?" for the one day it cracks 90.

jcl

Had an interesting chat with another former Vanagon owner at our OCR/PCA breakfast today, who had the same problem with theirs, about VW Vanagon AC - not made for humid climates!

Midwest, Eastern & Southern Vanagon owners know what I'm talking about.

Every year in our `88 Westy we'd hit about OKC on I-40 heading east, & the cold rain condensation starts coming down on the back seat/cargo area due to inadequate drainage; then it stopped about there heading west - as soon as the humidity dropped to desert/semi-arid levels!

I solved it by taping a plastic Home Depot wall paper trough below the rear A?C vents (nothing goes forward on pop-tops), with a drain tube out to the rear sub-floor channel on the side sliding door. I then removed the "drain rig" after each trip, for SoCal/Southwest/PacCoast driving the rest of the year.