Removing Heaters / Looping Coolant Lines

bigskypc50 · 01-20-2017, 09:13 PM

Hello, I am at the point in my project that I am ready to remove the stock heaters. I searched the forums and can't find the awnsers I am looking for and trip to Car Quest and Ace Hardware came up with nothing.

What did you use and how did you loop your coolant hoses with? I looked at a plastic barbed ABS elbow but they at ace said coolant eats abs plastic. Also what size is the hose likely, from what I can tell it's likely an 1" and car quest has northing that size. An elbow would likely kink the hose did you all add springs or something in there?

So guys what do I need and what size? Thanks for any and all feed back.

TAOLIK · 01-20-2017, 10:51 PM

I used barbed brass tube connectors (not exact name probably), looks a lot like this. I determined the size by cutting some of my hose tube (which I had a ton of) and bringing it with me. Good luck!

Rameses · 01-21-2017, 12:04 AM

All you have to do is keep the coolant from leaking out. You don't have to have coolant flowing through that circuit.

You can just cut a piece of hose long enough to loop from one fitting to the other. If it kinks, no big deal. It's no different than when the valves in the heater lines are turned off during warm weather.

Azuleslight · 01-21-2017, 08:17 AM

so there are two methods available to you. 1 you loop the hoses internally by using the equipment already on the bus. cut a decent sized amount of the original tube about 3 feet and use the existing internal barbed cooper connectors. or two, you externally loop the coolant hose in your engine compartment and remove the internal hoses completely. there are pictures here on the forum for method one and for method two you can use your bus maint guide and youtube. i went internal but plan to do the external loop when i properly trace the hoses.

cadillackid · 01-21-2017, 10:53 AM

if you remove the hoses under the hood then you will lose your heating and defrosting for driving...

capping those lines is the preferred way to go unless you have a bluebird conventional. on the bluebird conventional you need coolant flowing through as they are a series loop for the right / left heaters since they have 1 single interior valve for all of the heater cores.. so in that case you would loop it.. I bought 1" hose fittings off of FleaBay to use for reworking / installing new heaters..

-Christopher

Azuleslight · 01-21-2017, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

if you remove the hoses under the hood then you will lose your heating and defrosting for driving...

capping those lines is the preferred way to go unless you have a bluebird conventional. on the bluebird conventional you need coolant flowing through as they are a series loop for the right / left heaters since they have 1 single interior valve for all of the heater cores.. so in that case you would loop it.. I bought 1" hose fittings off of FleaBay to use for reworking / installing new heaters..

-Christopher

what chris said is very true, you do lose defrosting capabilities. i totally forgot that, but those are the two methods ive seen our there. id go with looping before capping, which is what i did.

bigskypc50 · 01-22-2017, 07:08 AM

Thanks guys for the feedback, I still have not exposed all of my heater hose's, I hope there is a fitting somewhere I could use or something I will finish taking off all of the metal covers and report back to what I find and what I did.

This forum is such an awesome place.

Azuleslight · 01-22-2017, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigskypc50

Thanks guys for the feedback, I still have not exposed all of my heater hose's, I hope there is a fitting somewhere I could use or something I will finish taking off all of the metal covers and report back to what I find and what I did.

This forum is such an awesome place.

good luck!

Geo Jeff · 01-22-2017, 09:09 PM

I looped mine at the engine on my 466td fe. It took about 20 mins to do including the drain and refill of the coolant. Your just un doing one hose clamp and cutting another hose to slip onto where you removed the return clamped hose. Not sure what bus you have but i can take a picture. If your not familiar with how the flow on the coolant works it could be a bit confusing.

bstewrat3 · 01-23-2017, 07:09 PM

I used 3/4" black pipe and built a U with three 3" sections and two 90 degree elbows.

yeggs · 01-23-2017, 08:54 PM

I just did this on my bus!

I removed the rear heater and de-plumbed the underfloor lines all the way to the engine. I then capped the "t" fittings -- on my bus, there are two heaters, one up front (that also defrosts the windows, important!) and one in the back. Capping the "t"s allows the front heater to work.

Couple more tips:

Engine coolant is hot! And under pressure! ~200F and ~7psi on my bus, maybe up to 15psi on more modern engines. Defiantly don't use ABS!

"Heater Hose" is what you're after. Auto parts places sell it by the foot, up to about 1". I had to source 1-1/2" which was a bit tricky. West Marine, the boat-stuff store ended up being the most convenient supplier.

Berty · 12-20-2017, 07:35 PM

So ...
i took out the 2 heaters to the rear of the bus ...
I capped both the in-line and return line just after the drivers heater core ... (i'm now wondering if i should of looped them with a 'U' ?)
I also took out the door heater ... so i had to remove the in and out all the way to the inside of the engin bay ... and changed the 'T' into direct lines to the only heater left ...

all the 3 valves (one inside for the heater and the 2 in the engine bay) are open but my coolant is not circulating ... the over fill tank get hot but noting else ...

I'm wondering is the capping of the heater line could do that ? They are behind the heater and fluid goes inside as the copper pipe has 1/2' 'T' connections ... perhaps to small for the circulation ? but the heater is barley warm...

I think perhaps also the direct line from the rear of the engine block to the in to heater might be the issue ... I should re-install the 'T' and take a line to the over fill tank so that the coolant loop first in the engine ?

has you can see an coolant line diagrame for the one heater option would help me out lol

Defjr333 · 12-20-2017, 07:52 PM

I never "cap" coolant hoses. ALWAYS "U" them. That way, even if it wasnt "necessary" for engine cooling, it acts as an additional reservoir of coolant. Now if its in the way for tanks, wall, etc I can see eliminating them. But other than that i would leavem be.

Doug

BlackJohn · 12-20-2017, 08:12 PM

Take any and all capping off and just add heater hose to loop back together. Your coolant has no where to go when these are capped.

John

Berty · 12-20-2017, 08:14 PM

yes thanks Doug & John, i'm going to loop them and max out the circulation ... I think i made my task of bleeding the air out impossible with just the driver side core heater natural 1/2'' loop ... a big bus needs a big loop lol

Robin97396 · 12-20-2017, 10:27 PM

Those are 1" lines. You need 1" preferably brass pipe connections. It's hard to get the coolant to flow through long stretches of hose. You can't reduce the size of the hose connections if you want to maintain good flow.

Get rid of the 1/2" pipe connections if you installed them. And definitely uncap the lines and loop them.

gmrubin · 12-27-2017, 05:00 PM

My one inch heater hoses (1993 Thomas FE) ran to both rear heaters in a sheet metal chase over the interior floor. They ran in series where one hose went from front to the rear heater and the other looped in and out of the two passenger area heaters. The drivers heater core was plumbed into each hose. I cut the hoses just behind the driver's heater core and capped them with 3/4" brass nipples and brass caps. The caps are about 6 inches to the rear of the driver's heater core risers. 3/4" Brass pipe has an outside diameter of one inch. The coolant loops through the heater core and recirculates back to the engine compartment. The only stagnant coolant is what is in those two 6 inch lengths of 1" hose and the caps to the rear of the heater core. I get good heat for the driver and plenty of heat blowing back into the living area. The defrost comes from the front right heater core which is un-molested.

Twigg · 12-27-2017, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmrubin

My one inch heater hoses (1993 Thomas FE) ran to both rear heaters in a sheet metal chase over the interior floor. They ran in series where one hose went from front to the rear heater and the other looped in and out of the two passenger area heaters. The drivers heater core was plumbed into each hose. I cut the hoses just behind the driver's heater core and capped them with 3/4" brass nipples and brass caps. The caps are about 6 inches to the rear of the driver's heater core risers. 3/4" Brass pipe has an outside diameter of one inch. The coolant loops through the heater core and recirculates back to the engine compartment. The only stagnant coolant is what is in those two 6 inch lengths of 1" hose and the caps to the rear of the heater core. I get good heat for the driver and plenty of heat blowing back into the living area. The defrost comes from the front right heater core which is un-molested.

Mine is a Thomas RE, and I want to delete the four passenger heaters and keep the front heater/defroster.

I am going to have to keep the 80' of rubber pipe, but I think I'll move it under the bus and run it inside the frame rails. Covered in pipe insulation and clipped in place it should be fine ... I hope.

Robin97396 · 12-27-2017, 05:41 PM

Mine, while only 52' total, is merely ziptied to the bottom of the frame rail. It is insulated.

Given the expense of this rubber plumbing, it seems like there would be an alternative for long runs.

Berty · 12-27-2017, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmrubin

My one inch heater hoses (1993 Thomas FE) ran to both rear heaters in a sheet metal chase over the interior floor. They ran in series where one hose went from front to the rear heater and the other looped in and out of the two passenger area heaters. The drivers heater core was plumbed into each hose. I cut the hoses just behind the driver's heater core and capped them with 3/4" brass nipples and brass caps. The caps are about 6 inches to the rear of the driver's heater core risers. 3/4" Brass pipe has an outside diameter of one inch. The coolant loops through the heater core and recirculates back to the engine compartment. The only stagnant coolant is what is in those two 6 inch lengths of 1" hose and the caps to the rear of the heater core. I get good heat for the driver and plenty of heat blowing back into the living area. The defrost comes from the front right heater core which is un-molested.

oh good, i did the same thing and it seemed to me that it was ok as the coolant loop's by the drivers side but the heater core has only 1/2 pipes... I now think that my pluming was to direct. Going out of the engine and directly to the driver heater will make the heater warm in summer by the driver and i now realize that if I close the drivers valve the coolant can no longer loop. I'm going to re-introduce the 'T' at the rear of engine above the valve there to allow coolant to flow directly to the overflow tank. I will make it much easier to flush air bubbles

it's now -28c so i'm going to put it off for now

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