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Old 09-26-2022, 10:24 AM   #21
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
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Thanks for this. When I removed the rear heater I did trace the coolant lines back into the engine and kept the loop connected there. Just eliminated the length of the line to the back of the bus. So my thought was that they didn't put a heater core in the dash area and just relied on the rear heater to do the heating for both. But, again I don't know really what I'm looking for when it comes to finding a dash heater. But, looks like what my next YouTube videos will be about. Thanks again!

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Old 11-28-2023, 11:02 AM   #22
Bus Nut
 
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Engine: T444E
Just Engine Water Pump

I'm glad I found this discussion. My short bus has a small heater in the back which runs off of engine coolant. I was considering just cleaning it up before reading this and using it. I now am sold on perhaps buying an aftermarket unit if they are putting out much more heat!

I wonder though: is the engine water pump the only thing circulating the water in these systems? I would think so on my short bus, but what about the bigger internationals? I have longer bus too with a beat up looking heater in the rear. The protective grates are gone and it looks like passengers would sit on the exchanger and now the fins are all bent.

Has anyone found more after market heaters they like? I will check Jegs since I saw that mentioned. How do the ones connect that actually can pre-heat your engine? Is there a diagram? I don't need it for my '97 Chevy short bus which has a gas 5.7 liter engine. Pre-heating could come in handy for the larger international which has the diesel. That would be a super cool feature to add!
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Old 11-29-2023, 03:46 PM   #23
Bus Nut
 
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removed rear heaters, now front only blows cold air

Im also trying to figure out how to fix my front heater after removing the rear heater 2 years ago, so my memory is now pretty weak on what I did back then, but I seem to only remember removing and capping the rear heater.


I have 2 lines running from the engine to the front heat ex-changer under the dash, but only cold air comes out. I made sure the switch to send the coolant to the front was switched on, there is a on/off knob on my bus's coolant line.

I assumed the two lines were for one in both directions but that's prob not the case..
Maybe I should eliminate them and just go w a diesel, but Id rather just try to make this work if possible first.


@caddilacid says: in that case you would loop your rear feed lines together.. or better way would be to bypass them altogether so you take both engine connections to the heating system and connect them to the dashboard heater core (like a regular chevy van would have)

RE: bypass them altogether so you take both engine connections to the heating system.


Im pretty sure that's what I did. But again, cold air only comes out, fans work fine in the front.


Thanks in advance.

Peter
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Old 11-29-2023, 05:29 PM   #24
Bus Nut
 
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Peterjk, I think I read earlier in this thread that the rear heat may loop back to the dash for both to work. So if the rear is disconnected it may be causing your dash not to get circulate hot water. Also, are your valves in the engine bar open?
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Old 11-29-2023, 05:45 PM   #25
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It should be a loop. At the engine the line coming out closest to the water pump, probably the front, is the outlet. The other line should be somewhere near the back of the engine. If the loop is intact, after warming up the engine, both lines should be hot to the touch. If not either the loop was blocked or there is a valve closed somewhere. Usually, but not always, there are valves on the engine where the lines come out.
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Old 11-30-2023, 07:38 AM   #26
Skoolie
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diverdude0075 View Post
I'm glad I found this discussion. My short bus has a small heater in the back which runs off of engine coolant. I was considering just cleaning it up before reading this and using it. I now am sold on perhaps buying an aftermarket unit if they are putting out much more heat!

I wonder though: is the engine water pump the only thing circulating the water in these systems? I would think so on my short bus, but what about the bigger internationals? I have longer bus too with a beat up looking heater in the rear. The protective grates are gone and it looks like passengers would sit on the exchanger and now the fins are all bent.

Has anyone found more after market heaters they like? I will check Jegs since I saw that mentioned. How do the ones connect that actually can pre-heat your engine? Is there a diagram? I don't need it for my '97 Chevy short bus which has a gas 5.7 liter engine. Pre-heating could come in handy for the larger international which has the diesel. That would be a super cool feature to add!
Water pumps generally are your prime mover for coolant. They can produce good flow and pressure (PSI relative to resistance to flow).

I used to drag race my Mercury Cougar around town and would blow my engine heater frost plug out of the block from the coolant pressure produced @ high RPM's. Stock water pump. Lol, usually only happened when I was being beat and had to go RPM to yellow/red!! I never gauged it, but I bet over 40PSI to break that heater plug's wings off.

I've tried to use my finger to plug a large machinery coolant feed line with the engine running. Maybe able at an idle, but when they rev the engine, you're getting wet.

I also did not loop mine, they now go direct to the dash cores. It's more efficient.
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Old 11-30-2023, 11:57 AM   #27
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I will be at the bus this Friday or Sat, Ill try to diagram the engine coolant lines as they go to the front heater then.
Basically, they go from the engine, to the drivers side of the bus, along the baseboard. there are two lines.
For now as i mentioned ^^^, I made sure the switch to send the coolant to the front was switched on, there is a on/off knob on top of the C7 engine, I'll take a picture of that.

My assumption was, one of those lines is a return, maybe that's incorrect, idn. Like I said, I dont recall what I did when I disconnected that rear heater, other then capping lines off going to it. As if now, there are no other lines other then the two on the driver side. Why are there two, idn.
Ill draw it out best as I can this weekend.

Thanks in advance for the helpful suggestions.
Peter
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Old 11-30-2023, 04:30 PM   #28
Skoolie
 
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Peterjk -- On my 31 foot HDX, the coolant lines are a big loop - from the valve on the top of the C7 to the front heater/defroster matrix, then back to the rear heater on the right rear side of the bus, and then back to the inlet of the water pump, where there is a second valve to shut off the heater loop. There is a booster pump in the system in the engine compartment, it's under the air filter assembly.
When I removed my rear heater I also moved the heater hoses to the underside of the bus along the left side frame rail to the front heater. The connections where the heater hose go thru the floor were not in good shape.
If you just capped the heater hoses when you removed the rear heater you will have no front heat. It needs to be a loop.
There is also a temp control valve at the front heater matrix, operated by the temp control knob on the dash .
Good Luck !
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Old 12-02-2023, 08:34 AM   #29
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I found it! I didn't know there was a second shut off! Naturally it was OFF.
I traced the lines, top one goes to a shut off then to the drivers side of the bus and all the way up front to the front heater, then comes back to the second shut off and a lower side of the engine. So loop is in-tact.

Now both are set to ON just have to test them, Im waiting on my Allison TCM to get reinstalled so I have 6th gear.
Thanks again everyone!
Peter
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Old 12-10-2023, 09:49 AM   #30
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I installed the TCM, got 6th, and let the engine run a few , heat came on almost instantly to the front ducts! Man, that was easy.
Thanks all !


Peter
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Old 12-10-2023, 01:31 PM   #31
Bus Nut
 
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Congrats! The victories are so pleasant! I did a trans swap two years ago and couldn’t get out of limp mode until I finally found one little wire that needed to get connected. Finally driving over 30 mph was exhilarating!
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Old 12-10-2023, 02:43 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peterjk View Post
I installed the TCM, got 6th, and let the engine run a few , heat came on almost instantly to the front ducts! Man, that was easy.
Thanks all !


Peter



I remember many years ago.. hot as hell summer.. I was at a cookout... went to leave and my car had a flat, I put the spare on, one of the guys at the party said "come on.. theres a cool tire shop up the street, he will fix your original.. i'll take you'.. so I tossed the wheel in his trunk and off we went.. 1/2 mile after we left i asked, "does your A/C work?".. 'dude this car doesnt have air'.. (it was an early 80s toyota).. im like "yeah it does".. 'no it doesnt dude.... OK show me then.. cause ive had this car 3 years and it aint got air'.. I stabbed the blank round button on the dash and turned on the fan.. we had ice cold air in about 2 minutes....



the letters A/C had long been worn off but amazingly it worked.. (till the day the car rusted into 2 halves literally..).. he thanked me for years after that..
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