very basic heater question... (1 Viewer)

[ianfotheringham]

so ill be putting in the stock front heater in my 45 in a couple weeks - here in oman there is no such thing...but ill be shipping it to south africa where the entire heater works can be had second hand for under 100$...

anyway - im just needing to know where the engine coolant return goes...i know it gets the feed from the pipe connecting the two hoses between the lower radiator and the water pump [correct me if im wrong]...but where/how does it get returned?...if someone happened to have a pic it would be greatly helpful...

 

[Rocky_LC]

Pick up one of these to mount the heater control valve on.

I don't have a valve - my heater is always (mildly) hot.

Rocky

 

[Coolerman]

Here is the complete valve from an early 71. The later valves are cable operated and mount to the firewall...

 

[Living in the Past]

anyway - im just needing to know where the engine coolant return goes...i know it gets the feed from the pipe connecting the two hoses between the lower radiator and the water pump [correct me if im wrong]...but where/how does it get returned?...if someone happened to have a pic it would be greatly helpful...

I'm I confused here. Wouldn't that line going to the bottom radiator hose be the return. I thought the coolant was drawn off the bottom of the radiator and pump thru the block and head then out the thermostat back to the radiator. That way the block and head and stay full when collant is low. Plus it hold coolant in the block when the thermostat is closed instead of limiting the amount of coolant going in while trying to pump it out. That would also give you the warmest coolant in the heater core instead the coolest coolant off the radiator. I know the placement is right for the hoses just wondering have I had this wrong all these years

John

 

[Coolerman]

From the FSM... I agree heater flow is from the back of the head through the heater to the lower radiator hose.

 

[ianfotheringham]

my bad - typo...the one at the bottom is the return - the valve by the temp sender is the feed...


on rather separate note - i've put in a custom-ish 120 liter water tank in the rear where the spare used to be...and inside the tank ive coiled a few meters of copper tubing [5/8"] with an inlet and outlet facing front at the top of the tank ideally made to have hot coolant flowing through it in order to heat the water for showering etc...

initially i had ran hosing from the oil cooler outlet to the inlet on the tank, and the return from the tank to the pipe the oil cooler would have normally fed into, heading back to the water pump...but this set up caused a hose to burst due to overheating, as i think the tank acted like a heatsink, holding a lot of the hot water...plus its a bit of a length for the water pump to push and pull all that coolant to the back and down into the floor of the tank...im just wondering if you guys had any better ideas on how to get hot water flowing through the copper pipe in my water tank....i even thought of coiling a tube around the exhaust pipe with an inline pump to cycle water through the whole works - but im sure there is an easier way....perhaps just a few vlves somewhere that could be opened for only the last hour or so of driving...without causing too much damage....

let me know what you think...