Rear heater repair and paint

[jayro88]

So in the middle of last winter I came out to my van to see a large puddle of antifreeze on the ground under the rear heater core on my '88 E250. Upon closer inspection I found that one of the metal hard lines had rusted through:

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So instead of getting soaked with antifreeze working outside in 0*F weather I just pulled the doghouse, added shutoff valves to the rear circuit and ran off the front heat for the rest of the winter. Plan was to repair it when it warmed up.

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[jayro88]

So winter is fast approaching (about 30* in the morning now) so I figured it was time for the repair. I picked up bulk 5/8" heater hose and tore in to it. Pulled the rear HVAC covers.

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I cut the metal lines and pulled the old connections off the heater core.

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I ran new heater hose between the rear core and the shutoff valves and clamped it in place.

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Worked perfect with no leaks.

 

[jayro88]

I went ahead and took the opportunity to clean up and paint the vent covers. I have been painting all the trim black whenever I have a chance. The before. You can see the cover on the wall behind the captians chairs.

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Cleaned them up and painted them.

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Let them dry over night re-installed them.

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Now all I have left are the 2 vertical trim pieces on the side of the windshield and the 2 trim pieces covering where the front seat-belts attach to the wall.

 

[The Bus]

Do you have a coolant filter on your E250?

 

[jayro88]

Do you have a coolant filter on your E250?

No.

 

[The Bus]

I saw all that work and was wondering if you had installed one and where it was. I need to put one on my bus (E350 Cutaway). My hose routing is a little different than yours.

I like those shutoffs for the rear unit, not bulky at all. I need to install a set on my bus just in case.

 

[jayro88]

I saw all that work and was wondering if you had installed one and where it was. I need to put one on my bus (E350 Cutaway). My hose routing is a little different than yours.

I like those shutoffs for the rear unit, not bulky at all. I need to install a set on my bus just in case.

It is nice to be able to isolate the circuit when needed. In theory it should help yhe AC blow colder in the summer. I know another van owner who added similar shut offs for the front heater core to increase frony AC efficiency in the summer.

 

[homelessduck]

What paint did you use? Looks good.

 

[jayro88]

What paint did you use? Looks good.

It is Rustoleum Flat Black rattle can. I use flat black quite a bit on that type of stuff since it hides imperfections pretty well.

I like the Rustoleum Professional since it dries quicker and seems to be more durable than the regular.