Coolant, that valve, & that's a lot of antifreeze

[Therese]

Hey Gang-
I hope y'all are doing well.
I did a search for other coolant and heater removal threads and did get some info but it only brought up more questions.
We were going to remove our rear heaters and I thought that the valve with separates the engine system from the rest was in the closed position but I ended up with over five gallons of antifreeze so it obviously was not.
First question: Is there a sticker somewhere on the engine which says what kind to fill up with?
Second question: What the heck is air lock in respect to the coolant system?

That's it really. I mean I wish the heat wave would go away so I could stay out longer and get more accomplished.
All my best
Therese

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by Therese

Hey Gang-
I hope y'all are doing well.
I did a search for other coolant and heater removal threads and did get some info but it only brought up more questions.
We were going to remove our rear heaters and I thought that the valve with separates the engine system from the rest was in the closed position but I ended up with over five gallons of antifreeze so it obviously was not.
First question: Is there a sticker somewhere on the engine which says what kind to fill up with?
Second question: What the heck is air lock in respect to the coolant system?

That's it really. I mean I wish the heat wave would go away so I could stay out longer and get more accomplished.
All my best
Therese

Not knowing your bus, front engine, rear engine, length, etc., it's hard to tell just how much coolant would be in your heater hose lines and your heaters. Yet, 5 gallons is a lot!

Most of the time, you go by the color of the coolant that came out of the system.

You really should get the VIN of your bus or the engine and contact the dealer to determine what can and can't be used. For example, the T444E before about June of I think 1997 (99?) used green, yet, just a few short months later it could also use extended life (red I think) coolant.

Per air lock, here is the result from a quick search:

What is a coolant air lock?
Simply put, it is the presence of air bubbles inside the cooling system. Even a small amount can create air pockets which prevents proper circulation of coolant. Signs and symptoms of radiator airlock include: Overheating during normal driving. Heater not functioning correctly.

[cadillackid]

my heater loops alone on my short bus are several gallons.. simply if you closed the valve took the heaters out then check the coolant in the engine bottle.. if you start it for a minute is the coolant lost in the engine ? is the bottle empty? if its still full then your valves worked...



remember though some of that coolant you removed will need to go back in as closing both valves wil still allow the driver heater to drain out which you dont want to take out unless you never drive in cool or rainy weather..



if you only closed ONE valve then yes your whole system drained out because one of the 2 lines was still open to the engine loop... and you'll just refill it till its full