Hi Everyone Get very little heat in the cab. I disconnected the hoses on the firewall to the heater. Put the garden hose to it; full stream of water coming out the other side. There is currently is a 160 thermostat in it. Should it be a 180? or leave it alone? Radiator cap. Is it a pressure system? If so, how many pounds for the correct radiator cap? Now for the dumb question; which hose really goes where? Currently the hosed connected below the thermostat is going to the bottom connection the heater The hose going from the connection on the water pump is going to the top connection on the heater. Thanks for any help. Jim
Heating Please check for air in the heater. I've found if i refill the water in the cooling system i got air in the heater and it doesn't work. The water floating the heater but with air inside it doesn't work. ...and i have a new heater in the truck.
Go get a 185° F thermostat , then refill with a 60/40 % coolant mix , the 60 % being silica and phosphate free coolant like Honda , Mercedes or ZEREX brands.. not cheap but better for your beloved truck . NON pressure system . Make sure the nipples on the water pump are not the too narrow incorrect ones...
heres some diagrams on heater hose piping set up. was a big help to me. I rebuilt my heater and shipped my temperature control valve off and had it rebuilt.. put it all together and now it works great.. the heat control valve makes a big difference now i can actually turn the water off to the heater.. well worth the $ http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/accessories/1951am/51aim40.htm
Thanks for the all info and the diagram. I am going to try the 185 thermostat first. Did you send the temperature control valve to heatervalves.net or someplace else? Is the heater control valve a addon to the waterhose between thermostat and the heater itself or it is just a temperature control valve that will actually shut off and on? Thanks Jim
AD Heater Valve It's actually a Scottish RANCO valve , a very well engineered part , used by AMC as the center of thier world famous " Weather Eye " heating system from the 1940's into the 1960's... GM's been using RANCO valves since 1947 IIRC . NAPA still makes the rebuild kits for when the rubber diaphragm leaks but they're tricky to replace , best to send 'em off I think . yes , it shuts off the wter 100 % if you turn the knob to ' off ' . Look in the shop manual for how the hoses should be connected .
Maybe a little less heat , the primary problem would be heat in summer even though the valve is ' OFF ' . -Nate
I sent my heater control valve to classic parts of america, it came back like brand new.. about 50 bucks to have it rebuilt http://www.classicparts.com/1947-54-Heater-Control-Valve-Rebuilt/productinfo/68-105/ money well spent.. if you don't have a core you will need to find one off another truck. it mounts on inside of fire wall with hose connections protruding thru fire wall. My truck did not come with deluxe heater and heater valve either, I took them out of a donner truck..
' Donner Truck ' Is that one of those where you eat the others?...... (sorry a little history joke there) Anyways , ALWAYS look inside junker ' donor ' trucks ! I found my Ranco valve in a rusted out totally stripped old truck , the boob who found it before i did , had taken the heater and all other gard to find bits but for $20.00 I got not only the valve and control rod with the correct unobtanium hardware , but also the fan switch and the *perfect* throttle rod leading from the bellcrank on the engine to the accellerator pedal... Wow ! only $20.00 American and I was allowed to strip these parts just before they crushed it .
I need that ... the *perfect* throttle rod leading from the bellcrank on the engine to the accellerator pedal... Anyone out there have one of these? It's about all I'm lacking to get her on the road...thanks,
Nate's range of knowledge amazes me; how many are familiar with the superb Nash "Weather Eye" system AND the cannibalism committed by the members of the Donner party. A quick check I like to do is to remove one end of the hose going from the heater to the water pump, drop it in a catch can, and then start the engine and actually watch how much coolant is being circulated. If you run for very long it will need a garden hose running in the radiator to keep the level up. If the steam is weak then the heater valve, mineral build up in the nipples, heater core restriction, or even the water pump could be the culprit.
more info Hi everyone, I did replace the thermostat and that made a big difference. As said previously I put the garden hose to inlet and I had a full stream of water coming out. I do have a "off" position knob. The only thing it does is regulate the heater to either defrost or to the floor(just a flap). In order to get any heat movement at all the fan must be on "high". Jim
Heaters Jim ; You're talking about the airflow knob , the hot water valve is a seperate part about 4" to the driver's side of the heater and the firewall has an oblong knockout part you can see , for the valve's nipples to pass through . this water valve has it's own rod and knob . I knoiw someone in the past posted up a link to good pix but if you buy the $5.00 Chevrolet Acessories installation booklet it'll show you *perfectly* how every single part looks and installs including proper hose routing so as to keep the judges happy and better yet , so you'll instantly recognize the correct DeLuxe acessories in that old junker or at the swap meet , this is how I get the good stuff cheap... The Donner Party's sad story is history and having a good history teacher or simple interest , makes it come alive As far as old Ramblers well , what can I say ? I like 'em as long as fitted with OHV InLine 6 bangers although the 50's versions often had screaming flathead 6 Bangers and dual side draught carbies.... SWMBO once asked me to find her a station wagon to drag our Foster Kids 'round on long trips in , for some reason she didn't like the 1959 Rambler Cross Country two tome wagon I found cheaply , it had pretty much every acessory including (of course) AC and Three On The Tree plus Overdrive..... It was red and white and has all the available stainless steel trims in 1959.... Roof rack , full size wheel covers and on and on... Stylish (hey , I like AD's too) yet pratical .
