cooling system filters

[jimraelee]

Looking thru some web sites I found under search...
http://www.oilburners.net/articles/coolfilter4.html
http://andersonimprovements.com/hobbies/truck/addendum.htm
On my 91 I have a line off the heater core line that feeds into bottom of the radiator. Why cant I just use this line to tap into??? It would save a bunch of plumbing and budget looking tees and such. I also worry about reduced heater action from the filter bypass in both lines.

 

[Agnem]

You probably could. My understanding of the purpose of that is to warm the radiator before the thermostat opens for the trans sake (seems unnecessary to me).

 

[cleithau]

Looks like the only reason for the serious plumbing and valves was he wanted to have an alternate route incase the coolant system filter failed. Don't see how its that important. Seems like it would be better to filter inline with the heater core, otherwise in winter the filter wouldn't really do much, unless you wanted to shut off your heat. And I don't see that its that important to have a second path incase the filter goes, I mean we have spin on canister filters for oil and fuel, so if we trust them there why not with coolant too.

Wonder how IH ran the coolant filter? Kinda doubt they had all the valves and hat not.

 

[The Warden]

Looks like the only reason for the serious plumbing and valves was he wanted to have an alternate route incase the coolant system filter failed. Don't see how its that important.

To my understanding, nearly all coolant filters are intended to serve as bypass filters. If you simply plumb the coolant filter directly into the line to the heater core, it has been reported that coolant flow through the heater core is reduced so greatly that you effectively have no heat.

It's like an Amsoil bypass oil filter...if you use it as a primary filter, you won't have any pressure beyond it.

The valves are so that I can remove and replace the filter without losing any coolant in the system (except for the bit that's in the filter...which I use to fill the new filter). The valves do also cut off the filter in case it does somehow fail, but I can't imagine that happening...I would expect a hose to fail long before the filter. The cut-off valves are strictly for the purpose of replacing the filter without letting any more coolant out of the system.

 

[The Warden]

On my 91 I have a line off the heater core line that feeds into bottom of the radiator. Why cant I just use this line to tap into???

As Mel said, I see no reason why not. My truck didn't have this line going to the radiator (I think it was a cold-weather option, and my truck's a California native); if it had, I probably would have used it.

 

[Ironman03R]

If you use that hose, take the fitting out of the radiator and clean it out. When I replaced my radiator that fitting was filled with crud. It has a restriction in it, I dont remember the size, but I dont think it to be much smaller than the orifice in the colant filter.

 

[jimraelee]

excellent points guys... Yes we have spin on filters for everything else... @#$% if the oil filter pluged we would be in a real world of hurt.. Not the thought about coolant flow thru the core could be something, but I thought the flow was from the block to the core, then to the radiator.... if thats so, then I should have ample flow... I think I will plumb that filter in that line, install a little Tee in at some spot of that line. Drive the truck to get things hot crimp the heater line at the rad and open the tee up to check the flow. Did you understand my intentions???

 

[typ4]

ALmost all coolant filters are restricted so that the sca in them is dispersed slowly over 10k or so miles on large trucks. If you look in the end of one you will see what I mean.

 

[The Warden]

On an IDI without the cold weather package, the heater hoses run from the engine block to the heater core, and from the heater core to the water pump. I don't know where the T-fitting is for the line going to the radiator on the cold-weather engines, but it shouldn't matter. If you put the coolant filter in the line going to the radiator (not the line coming from the engine block, and not the line going to the water pump), the amount of flow-restriction isn't a factor, because, as Mel pointed out, this line isn't really necessary to the engine's cooling system. If it was, all IDI's would have it, right?

I could be missing something, but I think the line going to the radiator would be a perfect place to put the coolant filter. If my truck were equipped this way, I would likely have done this myself.

 

[Agnem]

Coolant filters need to be installed in a bypass mode. Even if you lived somewhere that you would never need your heater, you should put it in bypass so as not to try and force too much coolant through at one time. See the Baldwin engineering note here.