Heater core bypass....

[wjurls]

Hey guys, need some ideas here. My heater core has sprung a leak after just being in the car a few months!!! Damn you Carquest! Anyway, I don't feel like replacing it again untill later in the fall. I want to bypass it for now, but as you know our cars use those pushlock type fittings. Is there anything available out there to facilitate an easy bypass? How have other members done it? I don't want to render the hoses unuseable by cutting off the ends. I thought about cutting the tubes off my core and trying to rig something up.... Any suggestions?

 

[Jimmysidecarr]

Cut quick connect ends off with enough hose left near the fittings that you will be able to re-install them later with straight tubing connectors and clamps.(PVC, copper, iron, whatever).

Use one of those tubes and put the inlet and outlet hoses together and clamp them tight.

Now get a digital voltmeter and test the voltage of your coolant with the engine idling.
One lead in the coolant, and one lead to ground. Ground does not equal paint.

Report back your findings.

 

[wjurls]

Thanks Jimmy. I was hoping to not have to butcher the existing hoses but it appears there is no alternative I will check for electrolysis later this afternoon. I'm sure it's a factor. Are you still running that coolant alternantive? I don't recall the name...

 

[Jimmysidecarr]

Thanks Jimmy. I was hoping to not have to butcher the existing hoses but it appears there is no alternative I will check for electrolysis later this afternoon. I'm sure it's a factor. Are you still running that coolant alternantive? I don't recall the name...

Evans NPG waterless coolant? No, it's pretty expensive and it's heat transfer characteristics are not as good as water and antifreeze. It doesn't corrode or boil though so it is viable for some.

 

[wjurls]

Thanks for the feedback. We need all the heat transfer we can get with these cars. I bypassed my core and probed the coolant. I only get a voltage reading averaging .06V I think I just got a bum core.

 

[P49Y-CY]

if you are able to access them, you can just remove the hoses in their entirety. they each have a generic spring clamp that connects to the fitting on the head and the pipe that runs under the valley.

that way you can just cut to length 3/4 and 5/8 hose and run them both to an adapter. then you can re-use the factory hoses when you are ready. best of luck with it!

i had such bad luck with those quick connect fittings that i plan on just butchering them anyway and going with spring clamps and 90* elbows.