Rover V8 heater connections

ChrisJC · Post by **ChrisJC** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:14 pm

OK. If you have got room for that 'U', you can get flexible hose on there to wherever you want your heater. Just remove the U, and there are your two connections.

The small one with a bolt is the vacuum feed for an automatic transmission. Clearly not needed! You can hook up a vacuum gauge onto it if you want another clock on the dash that moves in an interesting way!!

Chris.

mickyf · Post by **mickyf** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:25 pm

Chris could I use just one of the rear connections and the one in front of the head?It would be easier to insert the heater valve in a pipe that was more or less in line with the heater cable rather than having to bend downwards if I routed the heater pipes direct.

mickyf · Post by **mickyf** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:38 pm

The pic is a bit deceiving making it appear there is plenty of space available but I wedged the camera well down in the engine bay to take it.Bear in mind the original Wolseley engine in here was a puny 1500cc 4 cyl.The bulkhead has been moved backwards to squeeze the v8 in but still is maybe 4" forwards of a vertical line down to the heater pipes.

Muscle-Manta · Post by **Muscle-Manta** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 10:57 pm

The upper connection of the two pipes in your photo is where you have a straight flange bolted to your intake manifold. The 90 degree fitting I have in my photo is fitted at this same point.

ChrisJC · Post by **ChrisJC** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 7:00 am

Muscle-Manta wrote:The upper connection of the two pipes in your photo is where you have a straight flange bolted to your intake manifold. The 90 degree fitting I have in my photo is fitted at this same point.

Yes, so use that one to feed the heater. Use Muscle-Manta's 90degree elbow if it helps.
Trace where the other pipe goes which should just be a straight run under the inlet manifold in steel to another flexible pipe to the water pump. Remove the flexible pipe, and reroute that connection wherever you like to give you the room for the valve.

Just bear in mind that if the thermostat bypass has been removed, that heater 'U' might be being used as a substitute, so if you put a valve in it, the cooling system won't work properly.

Maybe a pic or two of the rest of the cooling system would be in order.

Chris.

mickyf · Post by **mickyf** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 7:48 am

Thanks to both of you for your patience.You probably realised by now that I am incredibly thick!Heres a pic of the front area(got me worried now about the system not working right when I add the valve!

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag4 ... 092299.jpg

ChrisJC · Post by **ChrisJC** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 2:40 pm

Yes, that's stock. So you can just see the bottom hose from the rad on the left. Ignore that. Coming from under the inlet manifold into the water pump inlet is the heater return pipe (steel under the manifold, changing to rubber to the pump), which you could remove, and run your new heater return into that port on the pump. You would also have to 'tee' in that small other pipe, which presumably runs to the throttle body (it's an EFi manifold right?)
The other pipe which runs into the back of the water pump is the thermostat bypass, which you can just leave alone.

Chris.

mickyf · Post by **mickyf** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 2:48 pm

Thanks Chris.I'll PM muscle manta about the fitting but to be honest I'll struggle with enough access to fit it!Using the existing hoses(blocking the lower one off of course)will be easier to do.

mickyf · Post by **mickyf** » Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:09 pm

Sorry Chris had to go away.So are you saying that I can forget the join between the outlets at the rear of engine and merely tap into the pipe exiting at front of manifold? i.e remove pipe(the small one teed off is fitted to the metal outlet so will remain),come out of waterpump to heater then out of heater to pipe from inlet manifold?That would definitely be easier.
Mick

ChrisJC · Post by **ChrisJC** » Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:44 pm

Yes, that would work. So effectively extend the rubber pipe between the 'T' and the water pump to take in the heater. If you do that, you need to leave that 'U' at the back of the engine.

Chris.

mickyf · Post by **mickyf** » Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:59 pm

Thanks for all your help mate!

ChrisJC · Post by **ChrisJC** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 5:11 pm

Good luck. Send some pics when you've done!

Chris.

mickyf · Post by **mickyf** » Thu Aug 28, 2014 7:33 am

Hi Chris.Only just got around to starting this.Have removed the pipe in question.I bought some new defender heater pipes off Ebay very cheaply and they have come in very handy as they have a good length and bends of all sizes(even used an elbow for my pcv valve).I now have a nasty feeling I could be in for trouble!By placing the heater valve in one of the main feed/return water pipes to the head arent I effectively stopping the flow if I turn the heater valve off?Should I be thinking about fitting some sort of bypass?

ChrisJC · Post by **ChrisJC** » Thu Aug 28, 2014 10:22 am

No. The other pipe (that is just to the right in your picture) that runs from the inlet manifold (just below and to the right of the thermostat housing) to the stub on the back of the water pump is the thermostat bypass. That is always open. So you can block off the heater circuit if you want to (with a valve), with no problems.

Chris.

mickyf · Post by **mickyf** » Thu Aug 28, 2014 1:15 pm

Ta mate.Thats eased my mind.Just waiting for a couple of silicon hoses then I'll post a pic.