Effects on plugging an unused coolant outlet vs looping. (1 Viewer)

[TurboDennis]

Long story shot - my 1HD-FT has 2 coolant ports (feed and return) that were previously used for ACSD (which has been deleted). Currently there is a rubber line connecting the two ports, creating a loop.

I would like to route that feed line somewhere else (to use for a heat exchanger). I want to put an on/off electric solenoid on the line to control the flow. With the solenoid closed, what are the effects on the rest of the cooling system? Is the water pump going to be stressed more since it's now trying to pump into a dead end? Would it be preferable to have a 3-way solenoid that would redirect the coolant back to the return port instead of just closing?

Another question - this line is much smaller diameter than the rest of the lines in the system. Lets say my solenoid is open. Would the coolant still flow well through this circuit, if there are other paths (with less resistance/larger lines) that are currently open (such as heater core).

 

[dbmaxpayne]

As my ACSD fell apart with a loud clunk whilst driving, I'm am just wondering the same.
I'm leaning towards looping, but am not quite sure and haven't decided yet.

Diesel Power Systems offers the following kit which contains block off caps.
Source: Facebook

 

[Feistl]

For what it’s worth I pulled the barb out, tapped the hole and put a plug in, so no coolant flow at all. No adverse effects at all…

So you would be fine doing what you want to do, although if you’re using the heat exchanger for something that requires a fair amount of heat I would suggest plumbing it into the heater circuit. The small line size and limited pressure differential between source and return means very little flow rate.

 

[dbmaxpayne]

Update: I ended up looping the top hose behind the fuel lines directly to the lower barb which was halfway accessible with the oil filter removed.