In my van, I saw four hoses coming from the engine compartment bracketed together at the back of the engine - very obvious after removing the doghouse. Undo the latches and wiggle it free so you have a clear view of the engine. There are four latches on it, two on each side, holding it in place. The Doghouse is the big plastic center console inside the van between the driver and passenger seats. Don't use plastic to splice or cap the hoses, as it will break after a couple years and spill coolant all over the place. My hoses accepted a 5/8" brass hose splicer I got at Home Depot like this. You will need something to cap or splice the coolant lines with which fits their internal diameter. The hex is 5/16" on mine, though if the bolt has rust, you might have to dig a little to get it to fit. While a standard hex key might work, I found it much easier to use a hex bit on a long-handled ratchet with an extender. Also on my model, they are not standard bolts, but bolts that screw in flush with the engine block with a hex key. On my model, they are about 2 inches above the oil pan at the back of the engine, on either side (though accessing the one on the passenger side will require you to remove the starter). It's cheap, and flushing, cleaning, and refilling will take more than you expect.īefore you start, find your engine block drain plugs. Not only will they protect your eyes from coolant splashes, but they'll help in keeping dirt and rust flakes from falling in your eyes while you slither underneath the van.īuy a lot of distilled water. Make sure to have safety goggles on hand at all times. Make sure to have a bucket, preferably two, on hand at all times. But here are some notes I would have found helpful: I won't make an exhaustive list here, since most of the tools and materials are fairly common. You have a choice between capping the ends of both lines or splicing them together, but it doesn't really matter which you choose just as long as you don't end up leaking coolant. The coolant goes from the main system, down the length of the van, to the heater, and then back up the length of the van to reunite with the main system. There is a religious schism on the internet about whether you should/must use the manufacturer's recommended coolant or if third party coolants are fine, and further, when some third party coolants are fine and when they will destroy your engine. You will perform the Drain step, then remove the heater, then finish with Clean/Flush and Refill. The steps are, from a high level view: Drain, Clean/Flush, Refill. There are a lot of instructions on the internet on how to flush the coolant. Wear clothes you don't care about, make sure there is something around you can wash your hands with, and wear safety goggles - this stuff will get everywhere. Coolant is toxic, and draining the radiator, the engine, and the hoses will inevitably result in something of a coolant bath. Realize that this will be messy and mildly dangerous. If, like me, you are converting a used van into a camper, you can use this time to perform other tasks like gutting other parts of the van or removing rust. Realize that this will take a fair amount of time - mostly while waiting for coolant to drain or heat up during the flushing procedure. You want your van to break 1,000,000 mi, right? It will likely be impossible to remove the heater without losing most of your coolant anyway, so you might as well do it now. Likely, the previous owner did not keep meticulous records of vehicle maintenance, and you have no idea when the coolant was last changed. If, like me, you bought this van used specifically for converting it to a camper, realize that this is probably a good time to flush the cooling system anyway. Removing the actual heater is really just a side note. Realize that because the rear heater is integrated with the engine cooling system, the majority of the work here will be modifying the cooling system. Realize that the A/C refrigerant lines contain high pressure, toxic, environmentally destructive refrigerant and you do not want to cut them. Realize that the rear heater is an integrated part of the van's cooling system, and don't slice the coolant lines all willy-nilly! Realize that the same is true of the rear A/C, and that the A/C refrigerant lines run right next to the heater coolant lines. Here's what I would do if I were to do this again: I ended up cutting the hoses under the doghouse and connecting them.
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