Model A Bypass Hose

[Tom Wesenberg]

This will act as a bypass hose for now, but these inlet and outlet fittings are for my future hot water heater, which I'll probably mount under the floorboards and use a grate for the heat opening. Even then the heater will still act as a bypass to circulate the coolant in the block until the thermostat opens up. This will give the engine more even heating during the warm up period. I still have to find a couple of clamps for the hose.

[Art Newland]

I really like this idea, looking forward to seeing your progress. Have you decided what you will use for a heater core?

[Jim/GA]

Tom-
My S/W Town Sedan (originally from Chicago area) had a hot water heater in it when I got it, so it has a thermostat and these same water fittings. It had the "black cube" heater mounted on the inside of the firewall.

It also had a 12 volt water pump mounted under the hood to help circulate the hot water through the core, powered by the same switch that turned the heater blower fan on. I assume the previous owner experimented and determined that the car's water pump was not enough to move the water through the heater, so added the electric pump.

I took the heater and pump out (don't need it in Texas most of the year) to free up space under the gas tank on the passenger side. But I left a heater hose connected between the inlet and the outlet, plus I added a valve to close it off any time I want.

I have a temperature gauge on the engine and I have experimented with running the valve on the bypass hose open and closed, to see if it made any difference. When the valve is closed, the temperature swings up and down quite a bit as the engine is first warming up.

It appears that the coolant trapped in the block by the thermostat gets pretty hot before enough of it makes its way up to the thermostat to open it. Then there is a rush of cool water up into the block and you see the temperature gauge drop back down. The thermostat closes partially or fully. Then the coolant gets hot again. Eventually it settles down to a normal operating temperature.

With the valve open on the bypass hose, the temperature gauge shows the coolant temperature rising slowly and steadily. You don't see the wild temperature swings. I think it is a better way to warm up an engine. I drive with it that way except on the hottest days of the summer, when I don't want any hot water bypassing back into the engine inlet. Then I close the valve.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

... I still have to find a couple of clamps for the hose.

Just for kicks, on my new engine, I decided to try some of those Gates shrinkable clamps on the heater lines. Not only do they work, they look good as well.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

You guys are killing me with this "hot water heater" stuff!

#warmwaterreheater

[Tom Wesenberg]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

You guys are killing me with this "hot water heater" stuff!

#warmwaterreheater

Well, it couldn't be a heater if it was cold water.

[Mitch//pa]

Install an inline electric water pump in the heater hose to the core inlet

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

Install an inline electric water pump in the heater hose to the core inlet

The restriction of a thermostat in the top radiator hose should give good flow to the heater. I'll find out when I install the heater. At the last swap meet was an NOS heater core for an older Chevy pickup that I should have bought for $15.

[tbirdtbird]

Tom, it would be easier to just move to Texas, and shun those harsh winters up there. I can make space for u in my shop. dave

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Talk about HEATERS! It's 109 here today, tomorrow will be 111! Once, I did 39 miles, in town, in BLACK Minerva, on a 112 degree day & she didn't dribble, when I got back.
Bill Hot

[DougVieyra]

Average High temperature in Eureka - 63 degrees
Average Low temperature in Eureka - 61 degrees

[eagle]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

Talk about HEATERS! It's 109 here today, tomorrow will be 111! Once, I did 39 miles, in town, in BLACK Minerva, on a 112 degree day & she didn't dribble, when I got back.
Bill Hot

Yeah. But its a DRY HEAT, right?

Actually, my A cools so well I'm thinking about bypassing some water out the bottom of my radiator and running it to a heater core....Air conditioning for the summer!

Last winter we had such cold weather... On my way from the house to the shop my coffee froze solid. It froze so fast the ice was hot!

[Ed Saniewski]

Brent, was #warmwaterreheater suppose to be a link to something? If so it did not work.

[Bob Bidonde]

Tom,
I suspect that the bypass flow is back into the engine because the tap is on the high pressure side of the water pump. If so, hot coolant is flowing back through the engine and displacing lower temperature coolant from the radiator.

I do not know if the volume of bypass flow is enough to cause a deleterious engine temperature rise.

[Cool Hand Lurker]

Originally Posted by CarlG

Just for kicks, on my new engine, I decided to try some of those Gates shrinkable clamps on the heater lines. Not only do they work, they look good as well.

I just looked up those Gates clamps. Another fine use for heat-shrink plastic !

Thanks, Carl

[ddweave]

I guess the downside is you can only use them once. Better keep some regular clamps with you for roadside repairs.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by ddweave

I guess the downside is you can only use them once. Better keep some regular clamps with you for roadside repairs.

That's the very reason I didn't try to use them on the radiator hoses, just the heater hoses.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Ed Saniewski

Brent, was #warmwaterreheater suppose to be a link to something? If so it did not work.

Google 'Twitter'

[marc hildebrant]

Tom,

Would a valve in the bypass make sense ? You could close it in the summer.

Marc

[Jim/GA]

Originally Posted by marc hildebrant

Tom,

Would a valve in the bypass make sense ? You could close it in the summer.

Marc

Marc-
I have a valve in mine. I close it in the summer. I want all the cooling I can get out of the radiator in the summer.

I do see the temperatures swing around a bit if I start out with the valve closed, until the thermostat settles down.

Sometimes I start out for the day with the valve open, and then go in and close it on my first rest stop. That's always a good time to look under the hood anyway, for signs of anything being amiss after running for a while.