ug. Bad timing for this….was flushing my coolant system and as I started refilling it I discovered rear heater hard lines had corroded through…Bugger! Looks like I'll be doing a soft line splice, by pass, or rear heater ectomy...
BJ74 rear heater hard lines fail (1 Viewer)
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Yuck!
Have you used the rear heater much. The cabin is not that large and I have only used mine to see if it worked.
Of course you are in a colder climate than I am.
Of course you are in a colder climate than I am.
.... And in my case, a vehicle that could benefit from rear heat doesn't even have it.
Rob:
I removed my rear heater lines as well as the rear heater and plugged the floor with OEM plugs.
You will need to remove the center console and then remove the clamps underneath the floor of the truck where the pipes go into the rear heater. Then you can pull the rear heater out. You will more than likely damage the metal lines.
Then remove the bolts for the bracket all the way up to the front of the firewall. Then disconnect at the soft lines. Try to save some of the hoses because if they are not straight hoses which you can still get from Toyota, you will need to match them up. A number of them are smaller portions of bigger hoses you can find in better auto parts places. That said, the inner diameter won't be exact since the Toyota hoses are metric ID.
Then you will need to get rid of the by pass hose inlet into the head. I pulled the fitting (cactus style fitting) seen below and used the part number from my local Ace Hardware (in the plumbing section).
This would allow you to tie everything back in nicely with the deletion of the rear heater.
Hope that helps brother.
-o-
I removed my rear heater lines as well as the rear heater and plugged the floor with OEM plugs.
You will need to remove the center console and then remove the clamps underneath the floor of the truck where the pipes go into the rear heater. Then you can pull the rear heater out. You will more than likely damage the metal lines.
Then remove the bolts for the bracket all the way up to the front of the firewall. Then disconnect at the soft lines. Try to save some of the hoses because if they are not straight hoses which you can still get from Toyota, you will need to match them up. A number of them are smaller portions of bigger hoses you can find in better auto parts places. That said, the inner diameter won't be exact since the Toyota hoses are metric ID.
Then you will need to get rid of the by pass hose inlet into the head. I pulled the fitting (cactus style fitting) seen below and used the part number from my local Ace Hardware (in the plumbing section).
This would allow you to tie everything back in nicely with the deletion of the rear heater.
Hope that helps brother.
-o-
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- #6
I'm confident this will be most helpful! Many thanks! I put the tools down and stepped away after rolling around in distilled water and a wee bit of long life red….LOL, of course scurrying from under the truck I kicked over the jug of red and spilled some more….If the 13BT is laid out the same as your 3B I'll probably do just like you did…..Hmmmmm? I'm wondering if my mechanical water temp sender and gauge (currently in a box) might be incorporated into that hole in the head????
jblueridge
SILVER Star
I don't really need the rear heater but I kind of like the idea of it.
My steel lines are pretty crusty looking.
My steel lines are pretty crusty looking.
Regardless of whether you want the rear heater or not, many of them are 25-30 years old. Many of them are rusting away.
The parts are no longer available from Toyota. So your solutions will have to be based on that.
The parts are no longer available from Toyota. So your solutions will have to be based on that.
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- #9
I don't really want it but might splice in some rubber lines as a "band aid" until I have more time & good weather to mess around with it more….not sure yet...
I can't recall ever using the rear heater and about 4 years ago pulled the rusty, crusty leaking hard lines off. If I recall, the 90' rubber bend into the heater I re-used where the bypass goes to just "short circuit" the rear heater loop. Onur's solution is probably much more elegant. As he recommends any replacement hoses will be a challenge to match. I've got a handful of 1" long sample pieces of hose, none of which seem to fit.
Good luck, and if you fix it please post up the solution!
Cheers
Good luck, and if you fix it please post up the solution!
Cheers
- Thread starter
- #11
My 13BT has a straight fitting into the head (not a "cactus") and I got a socket on it but trying to turn it - it feels like the fitting is twisting (metal fatigue) as opposed to turning (threads) - its tough access as it is so I think my short term plan is to put a short piece of heater hose with a plug (bolt) in the end….Rather than risk shearing the fitting off and having THAT to deal with….
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- #12
This is my current game plan…..
jblueridge
SILVER Star
I didn't know that fitting existed.
Good fix.
Good fix.
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- #14
from the plumbing section at my local hardware store….some sort of test/inspection plug….
Kind of an old thread but what plugs did you use. I deleted my rear heater and there is a single oval hole there. Is there an OEM plug?
Thanks Beno
fireball
SILVER Star
This is still on my to-do list. If someone writes a thread and includes a how-to and has all the part numbers it'll make it exponentially more likely that I actually do it!
Once the rear heater is removed I can get to work on building a custom center console with a proper cupholder or two!
Once the rear heater is removed I can get to work on building a custom center console with a proper cupholder or two!
Both supply and return were corroded? From the inside or the outside? At what place on the lines?
I'll check mine for corrosion, since failure in the winter would be extremely inconvenient.
I use the rear heater in the winter as it helps the cab warm up faster.
Those are plugs for PEX tube, and are used to plug the roughed-in tubes before the fixture is connected.
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- #19
Hi John,
As I recall the tubes were corroded worst at one of the attachment points - ie where a bracket with a hole in it is welded to the tubes - a bolt is put through the hole to fasten the tubes to the body - A Winter fail in "Coldest N. America" would def. be a hassle. Here in comparibly warm Vermont its not so much a need for the rear heater (for me anyway) - the location of the failure was back from the bottom of the firewall (from sketchy memory)
As I recall the tubes were corroded worst at one of the attachment points - ie where a bracket with a hole in it is welded to the tubes - a bolt is put through the hole to fasten the tubes to the body - A Winter fail in "Coldest N. America" would def. be a hassle. Here in comparibly warm Vermont its not so much a need for the rear heater (for me anyway) - the location of the failure was back from the bottom of the firewall (from sketchy memory)
fireball
SILVER Star
Guys,
Was lying under the truck tonight trying to figure out exactly how to do this and not quite sure I understand. Can anyone offer some help on providing the exact locations where you cap the lines?
The two lines from the rear heater exit under the truck here:
And run towards the back of the engine here:
In this photo you can see where the one lines connects to a T. I am guessing that where the ~2" piece of soft tubing is you can cap that one line.
This leaves the other line, which seems to run across the back of the engine and into the block here. What do you do with this line?
Was lying under the truck tonight trying to figure out exactly how to do this and not quite sure I understand. Can anyone offer some help on providing the exact locations where you cap the lines?
The two lines from the rear heater exit under the truck here:
And run towards the back of the engine here:
In this photo you can see where the one lines connects to a T. I am guessing that where the ~2" piece of soft tubing is you can cap that one line.
This leaves the other line, which seems to run across the back of the engine and into the block here. What do you do with this line?
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