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LT1 engine, JTR radiator and heater hook up.


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I need some advise on plumming my water pump. I have been reading an the cooling system for about a week and still cant find any answers on my situation. Here is what i got a 97 LT1 with the F body water pump. I have pluged of my #3 pipe. took out the TB hoses and cap off. the steam vent tube that comes from the back of the head is T'ed into the lower radiator hose. I have no heater core at this time . does the other 2 outlets from the water pump get blocked off or should I rought them together to each other . Let me know if I am doing it right.

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Frst of all I am doing the same as you. Trying to figure it all out. I think that I have. First the vent pipes return to the UPPER radiator hose along with the oil cooler line, As far as the water pump heater hoses, they should be at least connected together not left open beacuse water would just pump out. Blocking them off would probably work too but I haven't tried it. Maybe someone else here can add to this thread.

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I can't answer from experience as I have my heater hoses hooked up.

On the heater hoses I removed from the Firebird I noticed an inline check valve with a flow direction arrow. I used this section of hose to keep things flowing the same direction. I guess this is a water version of a diode allowing fluid to flow in one direction only. I am guessing that you may at least keep this flow direction check valve inline when connecting the heater output to the pump return.

Just my thoughts, it may not be necessary, I'll let someone that is not running the heater chime in. Although a defroster does come in handy if you get caught in a summer rain storm........

Greg

 

Frst of all I am doing the same as you. Trying to figure it all out. I think that I have. First the vent pipes return to the UPPER radiator hose along with the oil cooler line, As far as the water pump heater hoses, they should be at least connected together not left open beacuse water would just pump out. Blocking them off would probably work too but I haven't tried it. Maybe someone else here can add to this thread.
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I was just wondering about my steam vent tube that goes to the back of the head. Right now it is hooked up to one of the TB pipe an OE design. I was thinking about hooking the other pipe from the TB to the lower radiator Tee. that will still able me to use the coolant cooled TB. some one let me know if it is ok to do that.

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There is a lot of talk about this. In reality all the plumbing does is allow the steam from the heads to condense back to water which happens rather quickly. This is how I did mine, http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=120554&highlight=steam. Its very close to what the Z28 did if you look at the shop manual. I have been running this for over a year and have never had a hint of over heating.

 

 

 

I was just wondering about my steam vent tube that goes to the back of the head. Right now it is hooked up to one of the TB pipe an OE design. I was thinking about hooking the other pipe from the TB to the lower radiator Tee. that will still able me to use the coolant cooled TB. some one let me know if it is ok to do that.
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I don't have an oil cooler but it seems like I read somewhere that the F-body radiator has a section for oil cooling much like the tranny cooler, seperate from the engine coolent. Are you sure you can plumb this straight into the engine coolent?

 

I would be afraid to attemt tapping into the plastic trad tank, but then thats just me. Maybe a rad shop would be an option. Look at my post above to see how I plumbed my vent line, it is more like what the F-body setup is.

 

Greg I undestand about capping off the TB lines but I have a third line coming out of the base of the TB about 3/8". Don't have a clue about thus one yet.

 

DEJA. The oil cooler line is on the drivers side. It looks like it is suppose to go into the radiator tank but JTR's tanks don't have a available fitting. So I guess it will have to tee into the upper radiator hose but unfortunately JTR says to connect the head vent tube to the same hose so that means another tee unless I can make one with two connections. I was thinking about venting the heads into the lower hose Would that work? I was also thinking that maybe I could have a fitting installed into the passenger tank for the vent but JTR's tanks arre plastic, Can this be done?

Larry

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I believe that the check valve you mention is a pressure regulator so as to not over pressurize the heater core and the vent tubes I believe run into the TB and out to the upper radiator hose. If you look at a stock upper hose it has the tee built in to it with a hose that goes to the TB

 

Close, but it's actually a flow regulator not a pressure regulator.

At high RPMs the the pump puts a lot of stress on the heater core if you don't have that restrictor. I've been running my car without one for a couple years without a problem but if you have it you might as well install it.

 

As for the heater hose outputs from the pump, just loop them if you aren't going to run a heater, I ran my car that way for a few months before plumbing the heater.

 

Deja's idea for plumbing the steam vents into the upper heater hose is actually a very good idea and I believe the way the stock f-body is plumbed. His system has the stock upper bleeder vent which allows him to bleed the air from the system easier than using just the vent on the top of the pump. My radiator ended up quite a bit higher than the motor so I haven't a problem with bleeding air from the system but the extra vent would be nice to have.

 

Wheelman

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