Need Help Heater Does Not Work

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

I connected the heater for the Sims cap today. Good news NO LEAKS. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Bad news I have no water going to the heater core. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif What is the best way to get the air out of the system?

I put a T in the top radiator hose for one hose line and the other I drilled and taped a connection above the thermostat for the second line. The line from the T connection is warm to the base of the heater, but that is far as it goes.

I put a shut off like this in the line. Not sure if the threads are exposed if open or closed, any suggestions? I am thinking it is open if all threads are exposured.


Thanks for your help.

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

NYY_Fan:

I'd love to help, it's cold out there. Please give as much info as possible, pics would be great. Especially wondering about the connection that you drilled and tapped near the t'stat. Can it carry enough volume? If all the connections are designed and installed correctly, maybe the air just has to find its way out on its own, sometimes it just takes some running time.

BTW, although I am a big Red Sox fan, I want to congratulate you and your Yankees on a GREAT season. (As soon as the Red Sox are out of the post-season, I root for the Yankees. That gives me MANY opportunities to root for the Yankees /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif) Way to hunker down, recover from a slump or two, and make it a GREAT race. That's what baseball's all about. Hey, the AL East Pennant ain't too shabby. That's why they're building a new stadium I guess - they ran out of room for all the pennants. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Congrats to A-Rod on the MVP, too, GREAT player. It would have been a crime to give it to Ortiz. Too bad so much attention is focused on his last at-bat, I wanted him to hit one out of the park SOOOOO bad.

Good luck (on the heater, and NEXT YEAR!)

John D.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Do you think the air will work it's way out of the system?? It can not be that simple /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif gee I hope so. Anyone have any other suggestions??

 

[redharley]

Sometimes air lock can be a problem.Most of the time if you do not install the rad cap completly only till the first indent when turning on and run it till it warms enough to open thermostate will move the air out.Did you have instuctions?I'm wandering about your hose location.Most of the time water to a heater comes from waterpump and is return to intake or side of block.Sound's like you might have both hose's hooked up to about the same place top hose which is most likely connected to thermostat housing both of these places would push water ie no circulation. check with your dealer or heater manufacture.You do not want to cause yourself and overheating problem. Hope you get it working it's getting cold. Red

 

[Deerlope]

Pull the return hose or loosen the clamp until you get the air purged.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Red,

The mfg. Sims has both hoses coming off the top of the unit. Here are the instructions. see page 6web page

The only thing I did different is I did not tap the engine as they indicate. I went in above the thermostat where it says TAP 3/8 on the picture on pg 6 and went with a 5/16" opening. I did not like taping something that was so close to the engine and if I made a mistake, the part is $55 to fix it. The top hose part was $10.

Based on this set up which line is the return line, or does it matter??

 

[moweraxle]

Tom
The Sims directions do not circulate the water through the heater. You go out at the thermosate and back in at the bottom of the radiator or block. That forces the water through the heater and back into the cooling system.
That is how I plumb mine and it works great.
Good luck

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Larry,

Is is possible Sims does not know what they are doing??? /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Has anyone installed the heater to the Sims directions??? did it work? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I have a block heater so running the lines as you did is not an option. The bottom radiator hose is not very easy to get to either. I guess I will try bleeding the line and see what happens.

 

[redharley]

Glad to see you went by instuctions.By the way the picture show's it should not matter which is the return line, hot water flows into the top of rad cool's then goes back into engine thru lower hose.only difference I would see by you putting it after the thermostat is that water will take longer to heat up,as the thermostat is holding hot water back untill it reaches it's temp to open.That could also mean you will need to get that thermostat to open to get all your air pushed out.I think once you get the air out you will have heat! hope this helps I'll still be plowing with no cab and no heat just goggles,woolrich,coffee every 45 min. keep the shinny side up Red

 

[638]

You will need to drill and tap below the thermostat in order for the heater to work. The thermostat will create enough restriction to the antifreeze to force it through the heater

Ron

 

[LRH]

638 is correct; you must tap below the t/stat. The current way will not work well as with t/stat closed there is a slight vacuum at both ends of heater hose. Even when t/stat opens coolant will take the path of least resistance which is through the radiator. During light use the t/stat may only slightly crack open for a second or two. It is possible to get good heat with coolant temps well below thermostat seting, but water must be able to circulate.

 

[LarryG]

I have a Curtis cab on my BX2200 and I installed a heater in mine by tapping into the upper radiator hose and the lower radiator hose with tee fittings. I also did not have any leaks when I got done but I did not have any heat either. I pulled the hose off of the tee fitting in the upper hose and hooked up a hand vacuum pump and bled the system with the vacuum pump. After I got done and hooked everything up again I had no problem getting heat. Heater works great. Cab is nice and comfy toasty now. I hope this helps you out.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Larry,

Thanks for the info. Anyone have a source for a cheap hand vacuum pump?

What about filling the heater core and lines with antifreeze? I have a drill pump I used to fill the tires with WS fluid. I could take both ends off and use the pump to fill the lines. Do you think that will work?? It would get ride of most of the air I would think.

I plan on cutting the flow of air to the radiator by putting plastic on the screen so the engine will run hotter to get the thermostat to open and stay open. Snowblowing puts a good load on the engine.

 

[bird1968]

Hi Tom,

Hope that these pics may help you.

This one shows where the hose goes to Heater & a in-line hand valve to kill it in the summer.

Bird

 

[bird1968]

This one is not pretty, but good old duct tape does it again.

This is the area I had to block, to get it to heat up, but not to much /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bird

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Anyone have a source for a cheap hand vacuum pump? )</font>

Austin Powers is selling his old one, if you don't mind high miles /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[LarryG]

You can pick up a vacuum pump bleeder kit at most auto parts stores fairly cheep. I just went to Advance Auto Parts web page and they have a kit for under $7.

Part No.
T71658
Ampro Brake Bleeder Kit
Brake Bleeder Kit
Warranty: Lifetime Replacement Warranty

* Buy online,
pickup today!
* Ships in 1 day

$6.96

This is from their web page. Hope that this helps you out.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I do not have a brake pump but I have a SIPHON PUMP like this
web page

Think this will work??

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Bird,

Thanks for the pictures, it does help. Can you take a picture of the bottom radiator hose connection ? I know its a pain to get under the tractor, sorry, but it will help if the top connection does not work.

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

OK, after my last frivolous comment I feel I owe this thread something.

I starting looking at brake bleeder pumps after Larry posted about them. There is a big brother to that one, also made by Ampro I believe, that I am definitely going to buy. I have had it with manual brake bleeding - up, down, up, down ....

This one has a nice big reservoir with a pump on top, and a gauge, so you could probably use it as a vacuum gauge too. Probably costs about $40.

Here's a link to a good picture of it - it's "badged" as Motive Products, but I pretty sure it's made by Ampro:

Ampro/Motive products brake bleeder

And here's a link to Motive Products, probably the main distributor. They're obviously proud of their brake bleeder, it's prominently displayed on their home page - and be sure to ask about their "newest products, the Power Extractor and our new Bleeder Bottles" - woohoo, sounds exciting!

Motive Products


It looks as if it might connect up nicely to a port somewhere on your plumbing, NYYF. I don't think you're going to end up needing a pump though, I think the problem is elsewhere - probably the hose routing.

You had to wait until it's freezing out to install your heater, didn't ya /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif You should be more like me, I NEVER put things off /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif