Stop-gap measure to prevent coolant spill while heater is removed (1 Viewer)

[youngmanchego]

I took out my front and rear heater (tragically busted the rear motor, after I discovered it working 45 years later).

I stupidly filled my coolant back up and of course it poured out of the rear heater tubes.

While I wait for my rebuild kit, can I just get a u shaped tube and run the lines back into one another so I can still drive the truck with a heater or will this cause problems?

 

[South Texas 97]

I did exactly that in the engine bay, simply bypassed the heater valve completely. Just follow the hose into the heater valve and where it comes out.

 

[pb4ugo]

Yes you can do that.

 

[73FJ40]

If you still need to use the front heater, you've better off plugging both rear heater lines with 2 bolts and clamps.

If you installed a jumper tube, that will rob coolant from the front heater, reducing its effectiveness.

 

[youngmanchego]

If you still need to use the front heater, you've better off plugging both rear heater lines with 2 bolts and clamps.

If you installed a jumper tube, that will rob coolant from the front heater, reducing its effectiveness.

Front heater is also out for the time being- but that’s good to know.

What is a jumper tube?

 

[45Dougal]

This has come up a few times on here and I'm always surprised.
The heater basically runs in parallel with the radiator which is used to cool the engine down.
Do you really want to bypass the radiator with a loop of pipe?
No. Plug both ends and stop hot coolant from bypassing your radiator!

 

[youngmanchego]

This has come up a few times on here and I'm always surprised.
The heater basically runs in parallel with the radiator which is used to cool the engine down.
Do you really want to bypass the radiator with a loop of pipe?
No. Plug both ends and stop hot coolant from bypassing your radiator!

So it will just go through the tube, stop and “go back the way it came”? This wouldn’t cause any pressure issues? I’ve always thought about the coolant system as a circulatory system

 

[45Dougal]

No, it shouldn't go anywhere if you remove the heaters.

The main coolant system loop is through the engine, through the water pump, then the radiator, and back to the engine.

The heater is effectively another radiator running in parallel with the main one.

If you turn off the heater, the coolant only flows through the main radiator loop.
Removing and capping off the heater pipes is the same as closing the heater valve.

If you replace the heater with a bypass pipe, the coolant goes straight back to the engine at full temperature.

 

[youngmanchego]

No, it shouldn't go anywhere if you remove the heaters.

The main coolant system loop is through the engine, through the water pump, then the radiator, and back to the engine.

The heater is effectively another radiator running in parallel with the main one.

If you turn off the heater, the coolant only flows through the main radiator loop.
Removing and capping off the heater pipes is the same as closing the heater valve.

If you replace the heater with a bypass pipe, the coolant goes straight back to the engine at full temperature.

Excellent. Thank you for the clear explanation. Cheers. Now, time to go clean all the coolant off skid plates and the floor