1989 bluebird

[Billyfinley79]

Hello everyone. Just joined, I just bought a 1989 bluebird with a 5.9 cummings and its in real nice condition and motor runs strong. I have a heater question: I have two heaters behind drivers seat in bus. One in middle and one near rear. I see people taking both out and connecting hoses together to return to engine. So, can I just take out the very rear heater and leave middle one in only? If so can I just cut the two hoses after first heater and connect them so it would circulate back through it and back to engine? I just dont want rear heater in due to design and space. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by Billyfinley79

Hello everyone. Just joined, I just bought a 1989 bluebird with a 5.9 cummings and its in real nice condition and motor runs strong. I have a heater question: I have two heaters behind drivers seat in bus. One in middle and one near rear. I see people taking both out and connecting hoses together to return to engine. So, can I just take out the very rear heater and leave middle one in only? If so can I just cut the two hoses after first heater and connect them so it would circulate back through it and back to engine? I just dont want rear heater in due to design and space. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Yes.

Remove the "T" and connect the hoses to the last heater you wish to keep. It will then loop the coolant through the heaters you keep.

[Billyfinley79]

Thank you. Sorry but where and what T are you talking about.

[Billyfinley79]

I have not uncovered the hoses yet, prob why I dont know where T is yet.

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by Billyfinley79

Thank you. Sorry but where and what T are you talking about.

Coolant travels down two pipes.

The individual heaters are usually T'eed into those pipes at each location. It is possible that T's might not be used, but that would mean the heaters run cooler the further they are from the engine.

Whichever set up you have you can simply make sure that the return pipe is attached to the outlet of the last heater you want in the system, and that the inlet pipe joins directly to the same heater.

Everything past that point you can just remove.

There will also be individual wiring connections to each heater to control the fans (two-speed on mine), and another wire from a panel switch to the coolant pump.

[Billyfinley79]

Awesome. So the wire I can just cut after the heater I am keeping correct? Last question.

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by Billyfinley79

Awesome. So the wire I can just cut after the heater I am keeping correct? Last question.

I don't know the wiring layout of your bus, so I can't say that. Mine had four passenger heaters, each with control wires going back to individual switches. Four heaters, four separate wires.

Yours might not be like that.

[cadillackid]

you may not have a T, the heaters in my bluebird are connected in series... what IO have in mine is the coolant goes in one, out the same one, then into the next and out again.. my rear heater being the last means that the coolant goes in.. and then out of that heater and a single long hose goes all the way back to the engine.

these busses seem to be biuilt differently.. but ig you take the plate off the floor where the hoses are you can see if you habe one continuous hose from the back to the front.. if so then they are like mine without T's.

you would then just cut that super long hose, disconnect where the coolant came out from the mid heater.. and connect whats left of the long hose (going to the front) to it.. make sure your 2 valves under the hood and the driver valve are closed before you cut any hoses or disconnect.. you will still lose coolant, but all of it in the radiator and the engine will not leak out if those valves are all closed.
-Christopher

[Billyfinley79]

Thank you for your help Christopher. Much appreciated and def makes sense now.

[Billyfinley79]

Thank you Twigg. Appreciate your help