My heater valve just fell apart on my 80, ..go check yours (1 Viewer)

[how900]

just on my way to meet a few mates for a couple of beers a few days ago and on the way saw a little puff of steam from under the hood when I stopped and had a look under the hood one of the pipes to the heater valve had snapped off, the plastic heater valve was so rotten it just started falling apart in my hands, so if your 80 cruiser has the original old grotty looking heater valve mounted to the bulkhead in the engine bay I would take the pipes off and have a little look, how I fixed it was to take of both pipes to the valve, search the trees at the side of the road where I stopped, find a cleanish looking piece of branch about 3/4 in, snap off about a 6" length stuff both ends of hose onto it and tighten up the clamps and off we go again ......

 

[george_tlc]

Yep, you aren't the first and won't be the last (search and there's a few threads with plenty of visual evidence of failure).

Plenty of warning to *ALL* that the heater valves are:

1) plastic
2) OLD
3) will catastrophically fail and dump coolant out RAPIDLY

therefore:

CHANGE IT SOONER THAN LATER...

Mine from several years ago:

Failed on a dune, fortunately I had a nice length of hose ready for any such issue and fresh water handy.

cheers,
george.

 

[Kernal]

^^^This^^^.

 

[Tools R Us]

Yep, have changed a bunch of them. Easier at the shop than on the trail, but now carry one in the spares kit.

 

[how900]

I was expecting to find a metal one available as replacement, but only finding plastic one, ...so should I buy 2 of them and put one into stock, although I guess the first one did last 21 years........

 

[george_tlc]

As per my post, I keep a length of heater hose in my tool box, easier to bypass if ever needed when in the field or needed for some other part of the cooling system - too many bloody hoses on our 80's...

cheers,
george.

 

[Tools R Us]

As per my post, I keep a length of heater hose in my tool box, easier to bypass if ever needed when in the field or needed for some other part of the cooling system - too many bloody hoses on our 80's...

cheers,
george.

Agree, hose is more adaptable for a trail spare. I carry one because we wheel with lots of '80s and stock a new heater valve, so might as well keep it in the rig. If we have to do a trail fix, better to put the valve in and be a one time deal.

 

[Heckraiser]

Kudos on plugging the hoses with a stick. Excellent form!

 

[george_tlc]

tools ... how much do you charge for a heater valve replacement on the trail?


J/K

cheers,
george.

 

[Tools R Us]

tools ... how much do you charge for a heater valve replacement on the trail?


J/K

cheers,
george.

It's usually a great opportunity to abuse the broken guy!

 

[dogfishlake]

Nothing like the lure of an ice cold beer to make you think outside the box to get there. Well done!

 

[Madwatch]

Just replaced mine a few weeks ago. It was all brown and faded. It wasnt leaking yet but i wanted to replace it before something bad happend, since my original radiator looked the same and started lesking on me. It did last almost 200,000 miles...

 

[rc51kid]

Yep. $86 for a new one sounds like so much. But truthfully I think it is money well spent on not being stuck on the side of the road.


Originally I carried around a section of copper pipe that would fit if the valve failed. Then I realized I would be replacing the valve on the side of the road at the worse possible time. In a down poor when I am late for a job interview.

Really. Avoiding that type of problems and stress in my life is worth $80.

 

[beachcomberspi]

Sorry about this. I changed mine last fall

 

[how900]

My truck has got 190,000 miles on it, has anyone else replaced a radiator, I have heard this is a common thing,

 

[Madwatch]

Yes i got my 80 in Feb this year with 198,000 on it. My radiator crapped out only a few miles later.

 

[decoco]

I've been meaning to do this as well since I'm changing some cooling hoses, t-stat and doing a flush, has anyone checked into the difference between the oem and the rock auto one?

I got a quote from the local toyota for $184; I'm not sure if that's a realistic price. I've heard things about it at one time being copper for the OEM, but I think the new OEM ones are all plastic?

 

[Tools R Us]

The OE is plastic, have run a bunch of aftermarket ones with good success.

 

[Madwatch]

If your talking radiator, i got a plastic one from Napa for under $200 with lifetime replacement. Would i prefer a metal one... Sure but the radiator broke in the middle of a lot of other maintenance and money was tight. I have had no issues, guess time will tell.

 

[decoco]

If your talking radiator, i got a plastic one from Napa for under $200 with lifetime replacement. Would i prefer a metal one... Sure but the radiator broke in the middle of a lot of other maintenance and money was tight. I have had no issues, guess time will tell.

radiator is a diff business, I'd go koyo all the way.