Swing out radiator, antifreeze color, compressor belt, and . . .

[Curt Sprenger]

Brent,

Do you plan to make the chassis heaters work? Or do you plan to go
without them?

To make them work...all the chassis hose should be replaced. A tough
job. The little radiators can be rebuild if needed.

If you plan to go without the chassis heaters...plug off the lines at
the block and the radiator using new short sections of hose, inside
diameter plug and a hose clamp.

To make the radiator swing out without draining the coolant...the
radiator tanks need to be modified (the location of the inlet and
outlet), and longer hoses are needed. The wanderlodge sites have good
information on all this.

Good luck.

Curt Sprenger
1987 PT38 8V92 "MacAttack Racing"
Anaheim Hills, Calif.


Brent Swartzentruber wrote:

>This question just occured to me after reading one of Tom's old
>posts about draining the coolant - do I have to open some valves
>somewhere (heaters?) in order to get all the coolant out.
>
>The previous owner said the engine heaters don't work, but that
>could mean anything coming from him. Are there valves for these
>heaters that could be trapping coolant?
>
>Brent
>77FC31
>Ventura, CA
>
>
>--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Swartzentruber"
><swartzentruber1@...> wrote:
>
>
>>I'm in the process of pulling apart the front of my 77FC31 for the
>>first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a
>>
>>
>swing-
>
>
>>out radiator (the previous owner didn't know what that was when I
>>asked, but the original owner must have been on top of things).
>>None of the hoses are long enough to allow it to swing out, so I'm
>>guessing I will have to drain the coolant and remove the hoses to
>>properly inspect the front of the engine and the belts. Any
>>recommendations on hose and/or hose length for this setup.
>>
>>I drained a small amount of coolant from the radiator. It was
>>
>>
>very
>
>
>>clean and a yellow color. Any ideas on the brand of coolant?
>>
>>The dash AC is out of commission, so I'm tempted to remove the
>>compressor. How big of a job is this? Is there a drain for the
>>freon or whatever?
>>
>>Oh, and I figured out too late that the bumper swings down. What
>>
>>
>a
>
>
>>great idea.
>>
>>thanks in adance for the help . .
>>Brent
>>77FC31
>>Ventura, CA
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>

[davidkerryedwards]

Maybe the hoses don't need to replaced. I had a 71 Travco before I got my Bird.
The
heater hoses were original so last year I decided to replace them. I was
shocked that there
was absolutely nothing wrong with them. No cracks and still flexible after 35
yrs.

Kerry
82 FC 35
Denver

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Curt Sprenger wrote:
>
> Brent,
>
> Do you plan to make the chassis heaters work? Or do you plan to go
> without them?
>
> To make them work...all the chassis hose should be replaced. A tough
> job. The little radiators can be rebuild if needed.
>
> If you plan to go without the chassis heaters...plug off the lines at
> the block and the radiator using new short sections of hose, inside
> diameter plug and a hose clamp.
>
> To make the radiator swing out without draining the coolant...the
> radiator tanks need to be modified (the location of the inlet and
> outlet), and longer hoses are needed. The wanderlodge sites have good
> information on all this.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Curt Sprenger
> 1987 PT38 8V92 "MacAttack Racing"
> Anaheim Hills, Calif.
>
>
> Brent Swartzentruber wrote:
>
> >This question just occured to me after reading one of Tom's old
> >posts about draining the coolant - do I have to open some valves
> >somewhere (heaters?) in order to get all the coolant out.
> >
> >The previous owner said the engine heaters don't work, but that
> >could mean anything coming from him. Are there valves for these
> >heaters that could be trapping coolant?
> >
> >Brent
> >77FC31
> >Ventura, CA
> >
> >
> >--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Swartzentruber"
> ><swartzentruber1@> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I'm in the process of pulling apart the front of my 77FC31 for the
> >>first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a
> >>
> >>
> >swing-
> >
> >
> >>out radiator (the previous owner didn't know what that was when I
> >>asked, but the original owner must have been on top of things).
> >>None of the hoses are long enough to allow it to swing out, so I'm
> >>guessing I will have to drain the coolant and remove the hoses to
> >>properly inspect the front of the engine and the belts. Any
> >>recommendations on hose and/or hose length for this setup.
> >>
> >>I drained a small amount of coolant from the radiator. It was
> >>
> >>
> >very
> >
> >
> >>clean and a yellow color. Any ideas on the brand of coolant?
> >>
> >>The dash AC is out of commission, so I'm tempted to remove the
> >>compressor. How big of a job is this? Is there a drain for the
> >>freon or whatever?
> >>
> >>Oh, and I figured out too late that the bumper swings down. What
> >>
> >>
> >a
> >
> >
> >>great idea.
> >>
> >>thanks in adance for the help . .
> >>Brent
> >>77FC31
> >>Ventura, CA
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

[Brent Swartzentruber]

Well, I'd like the heaters to work because it would be nice to keep
my feet warm while driving. Also, they could add to the cooling
capacity of the radiator if need be (e.g. going up a long hill in
the middle of summer).
I currently use the engine coolant to heat the water heater, so I
definetly want that much of it to work.

Why do I need to replace the water lines. Aren't they copper? Just
too old?

I did notice one small valve that used a cable-rod for actuation.
It was toast. It looked like something that would control hot water
flow to a heater.





--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Curt Sprenger
wrote:
>
> Brent,
>
> Do you plan to make the chassis heaters work? Or do you plan to go
> without them?
>
> To make them work...all the chassis hose should be replaced. A
tough
> job. The little radiators can be rebuild if needed.
>
> If you plan to go without the chassis heaters...plug off the lines
at
> the block and the radiator using new short sections of hose,
inside
> diameter plug and a hose clamp.
>
> To make the radiator swing out without draining the coolant...the
> radiator tanks need to be modified (the location of the inlet and
> outlet), and longer hoses are needed. The wanderlodge sites have
good
> information on all this.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Curt Sprenger
> 1987 PT38 8V92 "MacAttack Racing"
> Anaheim Hills, Calif.
>
>
> Brent Swartzentruber wrote:
>
> >This question just occured to me after reading one of Tom's old
> >posts about draining the coolant - do I have to open some valves
> >somewhere (heaters?) in order to get all the coolant out.
> >
> >The previous owner said the engine heaters don't work, but that
> >could mean anything coming from him. Are there valves for these
> >heaters that could be trapping coolant?
> >
> >Brent
> >77FC31
> >Ventura, CA
> >
> >
> >--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Swartzentruber"
> ><swartzentruber1@> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I'm in the process of pulling apart the front of my 77FC31 for
the
> >>first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a
> >>
> >>
> >swing-
> >
> >
> >>out radiator (the previous owner didn't know what that was when
I
> >>asked, but the original owner must have been on top of things).
> >>None of the hoses are long enough to allow it to swing out, so
I'm
> >>guessing I will have to drain the coolant and remove the hoses
to
> >>properly inspect the front of the engine and the belts. Any
> >>recommendations on hose and/or hose length for this setup.
> >>
> >>I drained a small amount of coolant from the radiator. It was
> >>
> >>
> >very
> >
> >
> >>clean and a yellow color. Any ideas on the brand of coolant?
> >>
> >>The dash AC is out of commission, so I'm tempted to remove the
> >>compressor. How big of a job is this? Is there a drain for the
> >>freon or whatever?
> >>
> >>Oh, and I figured out too late that the bumper swings down.
What
> >>
> >>
> >a
> >
> >
> >>great idea.
> >>
> >>thanks in adance for the help . .
> >>Brent
> >>77FC31
> >>Ventura, CA
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

[davidkerryedwards]

A significant portion of the chassis heater runs are done in rubber hose. I'd
check their
condition before going through the work of replacing them.

Kerry
82
FC 35
Denver

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Swartzentruber"
<swartzentruber1@...> wrote:
>
> Well, I'd like the heaters to work because it would be nice to keep
> my feet warm while driving. Also, they could add to the cooling
> capacity of the radiator if need be (e.g. going up a long hill in
> the middle of summer).
> I currently use the engine coolant to heat the water heater, so I
> definetly want that much of it to work.
>
> Why do I need to replace the water lines. Aren't they copper? Just
> too old?
>
> I did notice one small valve that used a cable-rod for actuation.
> It was toast. It looked like something that would control hot water
> flow to a heater.
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Curt Sprenger
> wrote:
> >
> > Brent,
> >
> > Do you plan to make the chassis heaters work? Or do you plan to go
> > without them?
> >
> > To make them work...all the chassis hose should be replaced. A
> tough
> > job. The little radiators can be rebuild if needed.
> >
> > If you plan to go without the chassis heaters...plug off the lines
> at
> > the block and the radiator using new short sections of hose,
> inside
> > diameter plug and a hose clamp.
> >
> > To make the radiator swing out without draining the coolant...the
> > radiator tanks need to be modified (the location of the inlet and
> > outlet), and longer hoses are needed. The wanderlodge sites have
> good
> > information on all this.
> >
> > Good luck.
> >
> > Curt Sprenger
> > 1987 PT38 8V92 "MacAttack Racing"
> > Anaheim Hills, Calif.
> >
> >
> > Brent Swartzentruber wrote:
> >
> > >This question just occured to me after reading one of Tom's old
> > >posts about draining the coolant - do I have to open some valves
> > >somewhere (heaters?) in order to get all the coolant out.
> > >
> > >The previous owner said the engine heaters don't work, but that
> > >could mean anything coming from him. Are there valves for these
> > >heaters that could be trapping coolant?
> > >
> > >Brent
> > >77FC31
> > >Ventura, CA
> > >
> > >
> > >--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Swartzentruber"
> > ><swartzentruber1@> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >>I'm in the process of pulling apart the front of my 77FC31 for
> the
> > >>first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a
> > >>
> > >>
> > >swing-
> > >
> > >
> > >>out radiator (the previous owner didn't know what that was when
> I
> > >>asked, but the original owner must have been on top of things).
> > >>None of the hoses are long enough to allow it to swing out, so
> I'm
> > >>guessing I will have to drain the coolant and remove the hoses
> to
> > >>properly inspect the front of the engine and the belts. Any
> > >>recommendations on hose and/or hose length for this setup.
> > >>
> > >>I drained a small amount of coolant from the radiator. It was
> > >>
> > >>
> > >very
> > >
> > >
> > >>clean and a yellow color. Any ideas on the brand of coolant?
> > >>
> > >>The dash AC is out of commission, so I'm tempted to remove the
> > >>compressor. How big of a job is this? Is there a drain for the
> > >>freon or whatever?
> > >>
> > >>Oh, and I figured out too late that the bumper swings down.
> What
> > >>
> > >>
> > >a
> > >
> > >
> > >>great idea.
> > >>
> > >>thanks in adance for the help . .
> > >>Brent
> > >>77FC31
> > >>Ventura, CA
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>

[Curt Sprenger]

Brent,

Chassis heater system is mostly 1" rubber hose. I agree that the added
coolant capacity is a good thing. Right, that small valve controls the
flow/no-flow for the chassis heaters. Your local parts store should have it.

The cat engine should keep your right foot warm.

Curt Sprenger
1987 PT38 8V92 "MacAttack Racing"
Anaheim Hills, Calif.

Brent Swartzentruber wrote:

>Well, I'd like the heaters to work because it would be nice to keep
>my feet warm while driving. Also, they could add to the cooling
>capacity of the radiator if need be (e.g. going up a long hill in
>the middle of summer).
>I currently use the engine coolant to heat the water heater, so I
>definetly want that much of it to work.
>
>Why do I need to replace the water lines. Aren't they copper? Just
>too old?
>
>I did notice one small valve that used a cable-rod for actuation.
>It was toast. It looked like something that would control hot water
>flow to a heater.
>
>
>
>

[Mike Hohnstein]

I see an amazing journey of discovery and awareness in your immediate future.
Flushing lines, changing hoses and clamps, learning about the mysteries of
Sporlan valves and the interesting problem solving of the South Georgia work
force, since retired. The AC can be brought back to life with a larger
condenser and replacement pump. I didn't flush the system adequately on the
first go round and got to change the expansion valve on vacation last year. You
want to change over to 134A of course.
MH
----- Original Message -----
From: Brent Swartzentruber
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 4:16 PM
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Swing out radiator, antifreeze color,
compressor belt, and . . .


This question just occured to me after reading one of Tom's old
posts about draining the coolant - do I have to open some valves
somewhere (heaters?) in order to get all the coolant out.

The previous owner said the engine heaters don't work, but that
could mean anything coming from him. Are there valves for these
heaters that could be trapping coolant?

Brent
77FC31
Ventura, CA

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Swartzentruber"
<swartzentruber1@...> wrote:
>
> I'm in the process of pulling apart the front of my 77FC31 for the
> first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a
swing-
> out radiator (the previous owner didn't know what that was when I
> asked, but the original owner must have been on top of things).
> None of the hoses are long enough to allow it to swing out, so I'm
> guessing I will have to drain the coolant and remove the hoses to
> properly inspect the front of the engine and the belts. Any
> recommendations on hose and/or hose length for this setup.
>
> I drained a small amount of coolant from the radiator. It was
very
> clean and a yellow color. Any ideas on the brand of coolant?
>
> The dash AC is out of commission, so I'm tempted to remove the
> compressor. How big of a job is this? Is there a drain for the
> freon or whatever?
>
> Oh, and I figured out too late that the bumper swings down. What
a
> great idea.
>
> thanks in adance for the help . .
> Brent
> 77FC31
> Ventura, CA
>





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jeff Miller]

spin it by hand, free? Any pressure? Pump a vacuum, see if it holds
(after tightening the clamps at the pump). If it holds a vacuum, I'd
add some oil and recharge with R-12. R-134a will work, but it will
leak faster and cool less, and I'm not sure it is that much cheaper
than R-134a anymore after changing the oil and flushing. Oh, also
change the filter/dryer (in overhead).

- Jeff Miller
in Holland, MI


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Swartzentruber"
<swartzentruber1@...> wrote:
>
> Tom,
> That's not a bad idea, but I'm not sure if the working fluid is
the
> only problem. As far as I know, the A/C hasn't been used in 10
> years (the heaters too). I'm guessing that means it would need at
> least a compressor rebuild.
> thanks for the pics.

[Jeff Miller]

The coolant in your front heater (ahead of co-pilot) has one gate-
valve (regular handwheel/faucet type) behind the curbside front
bumper step. That, and a cable-operated valve from the steering-
column right side, like a lawnmower throttle cable.

The rear heater loop is a little more complicated:
There are two more gate valves beneath the pilot's seat floor, slide
under to see them. Open them and there should be flow to the loop.
If the two rear push-pull cables (in bed base (side-double bed) or
nightstand base (twin-beds) are set to winter, the flow will be
through all three heater cores: RR corner under vanity or bed as
equipped; Under forwardmost dinette seat next to safe (safe
optional); under streetside sofa; and also through the motoraid /
heat-exchanger in the domestic water heater.
With the two valves in summer mode the water is diverted through the
domestic water heater only, then through the return line to the
engine.

In both cases the supply side goes through a brass-body "auxiliary
pump" behind the rear bumper on the street side which is intended to
boost coolant flow at idle RPM on school buses, should come on with
the switch on the dash.

The water flow and thus temperature to the front heater (the one in
front of the co-pilot) including defrost can be varied by the
position of the "front heat" cable on the steering column, the water
flow and temperature of the rear chassis heaters can be varied also
with the "rear heat" knob/cable which operates a valve under the
driver's floor. The Right Vent can also be varied with the knob at
the pilot's right knee, allows fresh air into the front heat system
instead of recycled air. Believe it or not, this is (in my opinion)
the best heat system that Wanderlodges ever had, it was eventually
replaced with an open/close vent and open/close valves (two state
only) which tended to make everyone too hot or too cold all of the
time.

The rear heat switch on the dash/overhead controls power to the
three rear "chassis heaters", another way to vary heat. Typically I
ran with all three rear heater blowers set to low speed (chrome knob
at each heater location, out was high, in was off, middle is low
just like the front switches), and varied the temperature/water flow
to suit comfort. Never needed high blower or the aux. pump on my '77
FC, even in ice and snow storms.

Good luck,

- Jeff Miller
in Holland, MI


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Swartzentruber"
<swartzentruber1@...> wrote:
>
> This question just occured to me after reading one of Tom's old
> posts about draining the coolant - do I have to open some valves
> somewhere (heaters?) in order to get all the coolant out.
>
> The previous owner said the engine heaters don't work, but that
> could mean anything coming from him. Are there valves for these
> heaters that could be trapping coolant?
>
> Brent
> 77FC31
> Ventura, CA
>

[Brent Swartzentruber]

Yeah, it's like the lion, the witch, and Wanderlodge. There's a
whole mysterious adventure in this thing once you get past the
doors.
Thanks to all and to Jeff for the thorough layout. I'll have to
check on that. I really need a steam clean to start. Sounds like
the heating system is worth recovering.

I'm thinking of just leaving all the valves as is until after Baja,
as I don't want to open another can of Wander Worms just yet. I
have tonight and two days to spend on the bird, and my list is long
enough already. I bought CAT antifreeze and plan to recapture it
($100) next time I break into the lines. I wonder how many gallons
total is in the whole cooling system - I drained out 10 gal. I
guess I will have to water my neighbor lawn with it - the neighbor
that called the cops twice because I had it parked on the street in
front of MY house.

I wonder if I could put a big gate valve on the bottom radiator hose
to enable the radiator to swing? I would still have to disconnect
the top hoses, but maybe a good compromise.


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Hohnstein"
<MHOHNSTEIN@...> wrote:
>
> I see an amazing journey of discovery and awareness in your
immediate future. Flushing lines, changing hoses and clamps,
learning about the mysteries of Sporlan valves and the interesting
problem solving of the South Georgia work force, since retired. The
AC can be brought back to life with a larger condenser and
replacement pump. I didn't flush the system adequately on the first
go round and got to change the expansion valve on vacation last
year. You want to change over to 134A of course.
> MH
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Brent Swartzentruber
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 4:16 PM
> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Swing out radiator, antifreeze
color, compressor belt, and . . .
>
>
> This question just occured to me after reading one of Tom's old
> posts about draining the coolant - do I have to open some valves
> somewhere (heaters?) in order to get all the coolant out.
>
> The previous owner said the engine heaters don't work, but that
> could mean anything coming from him. Are there valves for these
> heaters that could be trapping coolant?
>
> Brent
> 77FC31
> Ventura, CA
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Swartzentruber"
> <swartzentruber1@> wrote:
> >
> > I'm in the process of pulling apart the front of my 77FC31 for
the
> > first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a
> swing-
> > out radiator (the previous owner didn't know what that was
when I
> > asked, but the original owner must have been on top of
things).
> > None of the hoses are long enough to allow it to swing out, so
I'm
> > guessing I will have to drain the coolant and remove the hoses
to
> > properly inspect the front of the engine and the belts. Any
> > recommendations on hose and/or hose length for this setup.
> >
> > I drained a small amount of coolant from the radiator. It was
> very
> > clean and a yellow color. Any ideas on the brand of coolant?
> >
> > The dash AC is out of commission, so I'm tempted to remove the
> > compressor. How big of a job is this? Is there a drain for the
> > freon or whatever?
> >
> > Oh, and I figured out too late that the bumper swings down.
What
> a
> > great idea.
> >
> > thanks in adance for the help . .
> > Brent
> > 77FC31
> > Ventura, CA
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>