Internal radiator removal

gobygoby · 10-19-2015, 05:22 PM

I have a quick question.

My bus has two internal radiators, one in the front next to the driver's seat and another one about midway through the bus. There are two large blue tubes that connect these internal radiators to the engine. Underneath the bus, near the engine, each line has a separate shutoff valve.

If I wanted to remove the internal radiators and the blue coolant lines, should I simply remove the tubing and shut off the valves, or should I connect the two ports together to form a loop?

(Or to phrase my question another way: are the internal heaters connected in series or in parallel to the engine cooling loop?)

crazycal · 10-19-2015, 06:57 PM

Form a loop.

austin1989us · 10-20-2015, 06:18 AM

They're in parallel. You don't really 'need' the coach heaters to keep the bus from overheating (but that added cooling capacity can help you out when you're in a bind). I chose to keep the heater by the driver's seat and get rid of the heater in the back of the bus. That way my defogger works in the rain, and it might keep me warm-ish when driving in the winter time.

Underneath the driver's seat (under the bus) there were two lines running from the front heater to the rear heater. I cut those lines and reused some of the fittings from the rear heater to help make connect the two lines I cut.

somewhereinusa · 10-20-2015, 07:13 AM

Quote:

They're in parallel.

You really need to check, mine were in series.

austin1989us · 10-20-2015, 07:27 AM

The coach heaters are in series with each other, but in parallel to the radiator for the engine. Or at least mine were. There are 4 lines. 2 go to the radiator in front of my engine. The other two have some valves on them and go to the coach heaters.

austin1989us · 10-20-2015, 07:30 AM

Come to think of it, I don't think I opened those valves back up after I rearranged my coach heaters. I might ought to open those before winter.

austin1989us · 10-20-2015, 07:32 AM

If they were in series, those closed valves would close off my loop and my engine would be overheating.

somewhereinusa · 10-20-2015, 08:01 AM

Mix up on words. Radiator cools the engine, hoses are at least 2" on a bus, I've never seen a shut off on a radiator hose. Heater or heater core, heats the interior and gives warm air for defrost, hoses are probably 1" on a bus. Probably heaters are in series. On a RE you can take out the rear heaters, but hoses must go all the way to the front for heat/defrost. On a FE you can take out the rear heaters and hoses that go to them, you must close the loop, hook the hoses together where you cut them.

Dick

austin1989us · 10-20-2015, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

I've never seen a shut off on a radiator hose.

Yeah, I don't have a shut off for the radiator, it's just on the heater hoses. I was puzzled at first looking at the engine and wondering "what are those water hose spigot looking valves?"

gobygoby · 10-20-2015, 11:16 AM

I've seen a few people with rear engines cut/remove the heater core lines going to the front of the bus. I won't be driving my bus much, and I'm not so worried about the heater functionality, but I am concerned with the defrost option. Is it worth keeping the 1" lines to keep defrost capability, or is there a suitable alternative when it comes to defrost?

jazty · 10-22-2015, 03:47 PM

You should really trace the coolant lines to figure out what configuration you're heaters are in. Some heaters are in series. Some heaters (like mine) are in parallel. If the heaters are in series to one another then you will want to loop the coolant lines. If they are in parallel you will want to plug the coolant lines.
All buses I've seen have valves near the engine to stop all flow to the heaters without affecting the coolant flow to the main radiator. Again, it's important to keep the front heater to defrost the windshield.

gobygoby · 10-22-2015, 10:17 PM

Someone mentioned using the two internal radiators to help cool down the engine if it starts to overheat. I remember doing the same thing on my first car, which I bought for $200, and it was always having issues with something or another. So is it worth taking the midway radiator and mounting it to the side of the bus and using it as a secondary radiator?

nat_ster · 10-22-2015, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gobygoby

Someone mentioned using the two internal radiators to help cool down the engine if it starts to overheat. I remember doing the same thing on my first car, which I bought for $200, and it was always having issues with something or another. So is it worth taking the midway radiator and mounting it to the side of the bus and using it as a secondary radiator?

It won't hurt.

Those heaters dump half as much heat as the rad. So two dump as much as the rad.

Nat

Mandinee1 · 07-17-2020, 07:50 PM

Know this is an old thread but just getting started on our tear-out and am interested in this question -- we are planning on a serious solar/battery system along with woodstove so am not worried about losing these for heat. But am unfamiliar with diesel engines and was wondering if over-heating is a real concern and I should keep one of these heaters to help offset demand on the engine in difficult climates, or if the engine is in good shape that is more an outside concern and I can go ahead tearing out all three. Thanks

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