What's Your Favorite Coolant Heater?

[Bill-W]

You pull cold water from the block drain plug or the bottom radiator hose.

You want to go in at a high point on the motor= head. Mine goes in on the driver side head rear.

So did you use both drain pugs to run the tank heater? I think I like the idea but I am a little confused on the plumbing.

Could you put up a picture of it? Heater and connections?

 

[4x7.3NE]

How do I know if I have a vacuum controlled heater valve?

BigLug, Im pretty sure the yrs that have the IDI motors do have a vacuum valve. Mine has one it has a vacuum line going into the side of the heater box. Some of the older ones had a valve in the line that was manual or vacuum. But let me start over on that part, I was half asleep last night when I posted!

It will work to go into the heater hose, even if you have a heater valve.
You just have to make sure and but the Y as close to the engine as possible, and point the y so that coolant goes in to the engine not the heater core.
If you put it backwards and you have a valve at the heater core you ll have no flow. If there is no valve it will flow either way. That being said I would recommend if possible , go into a head at the back of the engine that way you know you have good flow through the motor. The heater hose method is not as efficient.

 

[4x7.3NE]

So did you use both drain pugs to run the tank heater? I think I like the idea but I am a little confused on the plumbing.

Could you put up a picture of it? Heater and connections?

Ok Bill, I will explain myself better I dont know how to post a pic of it!

On the intake side of the heater you need to pull water from one of two places, the bottom of the block, or bottom radiator hose. The kit does not come with the t fitting so If you intend to use the radiator hose you have to order the t fitting sep.

Keep this in mind, you really want as little rubber hose as possible.

On mine there was a block drain plug on the passenger side above the starter
I would have liked to pull my water there but there was no place to go into the head on that side, and I did not want a hose running all the way around the motor.

Now on the drivers side head near the firewall there was a plug, which is a perfect place to hook in your out put from the heater. Why ? it is at the top of the engine and at the rear, so you get good flow through the engine.

Now I could not find a drain plug on that side of the block that I could pull water from, there might be one but because of the oil cooler being there I could not get to it.

So my best option was to pull from the lower radiator hose, you need pull cold water from a low point and put hot back in at a hi point. So I put a t in the lower radiator hose ran the hose for the heater input back along the engine oil pan to the back of the motor, then I put my heater right there .
So now all I had to do is run my heater out put straight up and into the head.


The main things to keep in mind,

Less hose is better. !!!!!!!!!!!!

Pull cold water from a low point on the block, or lower radiator hose.

Put hot water back in at a high point on the engine, a head.

Make sure you have good flow. If you do not , for instance if you were pulling water from your block and you were going in on the other side of the engine,
you would have to much hose first, to far to push the hot water, the heater is a peculator it does not actually pump water. Also you would have a chance of a kink in the line. If your heater cannot easily peculator hot water out and into the engine , the heater will just over heat and burn up the element.

 

[Bill-W]

Now I get it thanks.

It does not get extremely cold down here it Atlanta but when it get under 40 or so I run a timer for about 1 or 2 on the OE block heater and it fires up real nice and quick every time. I also run the truck north sometimes and just want a better system. I don't like running the glows except when I need to. I usually keep them turned off (I wired in a cut off switch) unless it does not fire right away.