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I'm working on the brakes on the van and noticed that the coolant hard line to the rear heat is leaking. Does anyone have a part number and/or supplier that carries the hard lines or is it a dealer only item? Has anyone converted over to typical heater hose?
I had the same issue on my Chevy van years ago and couldn't find the part. I used copper under the chassis. My friend with a Ford van used heater hose protected with foam insulation. I have seen hose protected by PVC under the chassis too.
Regards
rikard
This is what I would like to do. Could you supply details? I can handle the mechanics of it, I'm just interested how you made the connections from the old to the new.
I had this same problem on my 95 4x4 converted van. In Fords infinite wisdom, they ran the heater lines exposed to the wheel well on the drivers rear. Rocks can hit them quite easily there. I ended up just running heater hose. In my case it was pretty simple. I got some goodyear high grade rubber, cut the line near the front of the van with a hacksaw (don't pinch the line) slipped the hose over, clamped it, and worked my way back. You need to support the hose well. use I also built a shield to protect the new lines, and old AC lines, from stuff thrown up by the tires. Use isolated supports like these (GRAINGER APPROVED VENDOR Clamp, OD 1 In, 1/2 In W, Cushion, PK 25 - Cable, Wire and Hose Clamps - 1BAC4|COL1609Z1 - Grainger Industrial Supply) to protect from rubbing.
So far I've added rear heat to two different E250's each time using the higher grade heater hose too. Good hose clamps everywhere---even the best ones are cheap compared to what a failed one can cost you.
(Also insulated the lines running underbody to retain the heat, a product called Armaflex, commonly used in the HVAC industry.)
Support along the length was handled with larger insulated single eye clamps, similar to conduit straps used in a lot of places. Placing them every 12" or so isn't a bad thing---the hose can move and droop when running at full temp so this is vital to keep in mind.
Not sure where the factory hoses run but mine were placed as close to the frame as possible which seems to be fairly dry and not too subject to flying rocks and other road debris.
Another thought is placing a shut off valve in each line just in case one bursts while on the road and no spare parts at the moment. This happened to me--ran hose too close to the drive shaft. Had it not been for the valves I'd have been screwed big time!