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

[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
>