heater box/core

[72wag]

ok, so i let the wag sit too long and the battery died on me, and after charging it overnight i got it started and into the driveway to work on the brakes. never got to them. i thought it needed a little fine tuning on the timing, so i fixed that and while doing so noticed that there was antifreeze dripping (at a pretty fast rate) out of one side and the lower front corner of the heater box or core. i'm assuming this is not good.

question: if i really don't need the heater, at least during the summer, is there some way to just cut it out of the system, or is it really an important part of the cooling process? besides, it would make working on the engine a little easier in that corner.

thanks in advance for any advice or tips you guys can give me!!!


ps -- has anyone seen a black mid-to-late 70's wagoneer that has a big 4x4 sticker across the windshield and a mild lift in or around the overlake area of bellevue washington? i work at the safeway across the street from the gas station/shop its parked at and have always wondered if it belongs to one of you guys??? just wondering.

--cameron

[ibnfe]

How about just putting an elbow to attach the two hoses going into the heater box as a temp fix for the time being? Mind you I've never done it, but I can't see where it would hurt anything, other than take the antifreeze out of the leaking heater box.

[joe]

You can jury rig/connect the in/out heater hoses together and bypass the heater but keep in mind they're different size ID's on the hoses so you'll need to do some creative adaptation so far as what you use to connect the two.

[tucsonrick]

all you need to do is hook 'em,(the hoses), together. or just use one hose looped back to the other fitting. anything to complete the curcuit.

[jeepguzzi]

I get new heater cores from the local radiator shop. The fix is fairly easy to do, so if you are going to fix it, why wait? I think I paid less than $35 for a core and it took about 2.5 hours for me to install it. (your time may vary,,,,it may be quicker)

[Bob Barry]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by -joe:
You can jury rig/connect the in/out heater hoses together and bypass the heater but keep in mind they're different size ID's on the hoses so you'll need to do some creative adaptation so far as what you use to connect the two.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

There are adapters specially-designed to connect the 5/8" and 1/2" hoses together; I believe they are sold in the "HELP!" line of products.

I was considering buying one for my get-ya-back box in the GW, but forgot to before I took my trip. While cruising the interstates considering what I would do if the heater core really sprung a leak (it only weeps a bit right now), it occurred to me that a deep 1/2"-drive socket, probably a 7/16" size one, would probably work in a pinch