Dieselsite Coolant filter installed - 6.0 Van

[ridintall]

I installed a coolant filter in my 2004 6.0 van today. I felt it a good idea after having the oil and egr coolers replaced and finding oil and black flakes in the reservoir bottle after every drive. I bought it from Dieselsite who recommended I get the 6.4 kit as it came with extra hose. I actually needed another 5 ft piece of 3/8 hose in order to make it work.

I ran all the hose and mounted the filter before making any cuts. Splicing into the hose that goes into the coolant res. was easy. Splicing into the heater hose was a PIA. With the intercooler hose and AC lines (I have rear AC so there's extra plumbing) there wasn't much room to work at all.

I was able to cut 3/4 of the front most heater hose with a small sharp knife, being carefull not to puncture the other hose behind it. A bungee helped keep the rear hose out of the way. Getting the last 1/4 of the hose cut was the most challenging part. I was not able to cut through the hose because of some kind of sleeve that was inserted inside the heater hose. I tried various knives, exacto blades and even a zip saw from my hunting kit but just didn't have enough room to get back there and cut the last 1/4 of the hose. In the end I made a scary medieval looking tool using a linoleum cutting blade, long needle nose pliers and some zip ties.

It got dark just as I tightened the last hose clamp so I bagged it for today and will top off the coolant and check for leaks tomorrow.

I did find something interesting where I made the hose cut. It appears to be an aluminum sleeve that was inside the heater hose. It looks like either some kind of flow restrictor or sleeve to keep the hose from collapsing between the two 90 degree bends. It had to come out in order to make room for the T fitting. I hope it's OK to pull that out, after all, once I committed to that cut, there was no turning back. If someone could please let me know if it's OK to have that sleeve removed, I would appreciate it.

I'll post some pics once I'm all done.

Oogs

[ridintall]

I've attached some pics of my install. I mounted the coolant filter in an empty space behind the front Aluminess bumper. I chose this space over the frame rail as it's more protected from road debris. Also, I did not include a picture of the line splice into the reservoir bottle hose as it's the same as the pickup trucks.

As I stated above, the hardest part of this project was cutting into the heater hose, only because of an aluminum sleeve inside the hose that prevented me from cutting straight through it and the lack of space to work in. At no time did I need to disconnect or unbolt anything to make the splice. I was able to reuse some of the coolant that leaked out during the install that I was able to catch in a pan underneath, but still needed to top it off with some. So far so good, no leaks. I plan on making an emergency field repair kit with barbed fittings and extra hose just in case.

Oogs

[DisabledExplorers]

I am having a new Sportsmobile put together and curious if I should install this setup right from the get go or wait a bit..
Having a warranty and having to use it while out in the middle of nowhere isn't the same

[ridintall]

You'll find alot of folks highly recommend it for the 6.0. I was lucky..only 1/2 mile from home when the oil/egr coolers failed. One more week and I would have been 40 miles up a dirt road in the desert and at least a hundred miles from any diesel mechanic.

Your gonna love the Sportsmobile. I'd like to sell mine and get another one with all the new stuff that's come out and what I've learned over the last 5 years about what I'd do different.

[bgarfield]

And what you'd do different is...?

Close to pulling the trigger on an '08 Ford Cargo to send out, would love to know what you regret?

Saw this thread as I'm looking ahead at the necessary precautions.

So, the Coolant filter and the Oil bypass are NOT the same...correct?

Brian

[MikeL46]

It looks like your heater hoses are more accessible than mine. On my van the hoses never come forward of the back of the alternator. I can barely see them, and can almost touch them. And it is worse from the backside.

But, I have purchased the Dieselsite kit and am pondering what to do.

Mike

[ridintall]

Originally Posted by bgarfield

And what you'd do different is...?

Close to pulling the trigger on an '08 Ford Cargo to send out, would love to know what you regret?

Saw this thread as I'm looking ahead at the necessary precautions.

So, the Coolant filter and the Oil bypass are NOT the same...correct?

Brian

First off, I'd have SMB West build my van...no need to get into the particulars, but I've had issues with my build from Indiana. Next, I'd have all diesel appliances put in from the get go...furnace, hot water and stove top. I'd consider a full height top as well or the electric pop top....larger under floor storage and the Sporstmobile 4x4 conversion so I can get the larger fuel tank. Don't get me wrong, if there's one thing I HAVEN'T had problems with is the Quigley 4X4 conversion. But you can't get the larger 46 gallon fuel tank with the Quigley and on long trips to Utah from MD it sucks to have to pull over every 250 miles to top off. Oh, and a different fridge then what SMB offers. The one they use is darn loud and makes the whole van reverberate when running....it wakes me up in the middle of the night. Check out the ones by Vitrifrigo, I hear they're alot quieter. More Solar too, but that's an easy upgrade now.

The oil and coolant bypass filters are different systems. I'd go ahead and have SMB do the coolant filter install from the get go.

Good Luck,

Oogs

[ridintall]

Originally Posted by MikeL46

It looks like your heater hoses are more accessible than mine. On my van the hoses never come forward of the back of the alternator. I can barely see them, and can almost touch them. And it is worse from the backside.

But, I have purchased the Dieselsite kit and am pondering what to do.

Mike

I wouldn't say the heater hoses on my van were accessible. They were definitely under the cowl and to the side of the alternator. Basically there's stuff all around them and barely enough room to work. It was a PIA but I'm glad i did it. I've had to top off my coolant several times since the install. I can't find a leak anywhere. I'll start to worry once I've topped off more than a gallon of coolant..for now, I'm just keeping an eye on it.

Too bad your not closer, I'd be glad to give you a hand with the install.

BTW, I put together an emergency repair kit. It's a length of 3/4" heater hose, barbed fittings and hose clamps....just in case. I had to buy a whole pack of the 3/4 barbed fittings and only needed two so if you decide to do the same send me a PM.

[MikeL46]

Looked more closely at your pictures, you put the T in the lower heater hose. I might be able to do that. It is really hard to say 'might' and then start cutting the hose. I could never get to the upper hose without removing some AC lines and probably the alternator.

When the rain stops, I'm going to bite the bullet and start cutting.

Is it possible the coolant you have to add is to replace some that came out during the install?

Thanks for doing it and giving me the courage to try.

Mike

[ridintall]

Originally Posted by MikeL46

Is it possible the coolant you have to add is to replace some that came out during the install?

Mike

I hope it is. I was able to catch some of it, but a bunch did hit the ground. I haven't found any leaks anywhere but I've only just glanced at the obvious places. But I did drain a bunch from the heater hoses to make installing the T fitting easier. I mentioned this to the tech that did my oil/egr cooler install and he said to be very careful not to let air get into the heater core b/c the system would bypass the heater core if there was air trapped in there and you'd lose interior heat. He said the only way to bleed that air out would be to use a vacuum system on the res bottle. I guess I was lucky, but I do remember hearing some "gurgling" from the heater core on a few occasions after my install. Guess there was some air working it's way out. I find after a 3 hour road trip, I need to add about an inch of coolant to the res bottle. But I haven't gone through a whole gallon (50/50 mix) yet so I'm not worried.

If your heater hose is anything like mine, you'll find a metal ring around it about mid way between the 90 degree bends. This is to hold the aluminum sleeve in place I mentioned in my post. The hardest part was cutting the hose around this sleeve. If your's doesn't have it then it'll be a lot easier b/c you'll be able to cut right through the hose. Make sure you cut it exactly mid way through the 90 degree bends and you'll have just enough room to put in the T fitting. I was just a bit off and the bottom part of the hose has a little protrusion/bump/stretch from the bottom end of the T fitting. That's why I made an emergency repair kit...just in case over time I get a leak in that spot.

Take your time and scope it all out before you make that cut. I took a whole day to do this mod, but I work slow and deliberate and it took some courage on my part to make that cut. Most of the time was spent figuring out how to cut around that aluminum sleeve inside the hose and taking a trip to the hardware store to make a tool.

Hit me up if you have any question. Good Luck.

Oogs

[MikeL46]

I don't seem to have a metal ring or sleeve on/in the heater hose. I can compress it with my fingers. I'm going to see if I can compress the hose (wiht tools) to prevent coolant loss. This would be alot easier if the engine wasn't in there, or at least the alternator.

I haven't yet decided where to mount the filter. It could go behind the bumper, or as you did, mounted to the frame. That will be the first step. And I like your idea of routing the hosed before cutting into the heater hose.

I guess I have to fix my wife's VW Vanagon first, then onto the real van!

Mike

[MikeL46]

I finished the coolant filter installation today!. The hardest parts were deciding where to mount the filter and how to route the hoses. I have an aftermarket front bumper and mounted the coolant filter in the bumper. If I had a stock bumper I don't know how I could have mounted it.

I also needed about 6' extra 3/8" heater hose. It was hard to find a good parts house that carried it.

When I cut the heater connection, only about 1-2 teaspoons of coolant came out. Maybe because the engine was dead cold, not having been started for several days.

I was able to pull an AC line forward and far enough out of the way to be able to get at the heater line.

Now I need to drive it enough to see some results.

Thanks to ridintall for doing his installation and giving me the courage to try mine.

Mike

[ridintall]

Originally Posted by MikeL46

I finished the coolant filter installation today!.
Mike

Awesome!

Keep an eye on coolant level, I've had to top off after every trip since my install, but I can't see to find a leak. But, I purposely drained a bunch of coolant from the heater core during my install thinking the T-fitting would make a better seal with a dry hose. I found out later that wasn't such a good idea. I'm hoping that I'm just topping off what I drained out. Once I've added more than a gallon I'll do a more exhaustive search for leaks.

Oogs

[msnunes]

I mounted mine under my bumper as well. Worked well, but don't know where else it would have gone either... I may have a pic of it here... can't remember.

[MikeL46]

I added about a quart to get back up. But, I'm guessing that is about the capacity of the filter and the lines. 100 miles later it is still up.

But, I need to reroute the return line, I don't like how close it is to sharp sheetmetal edge. I'm hoping that between a cold engine and closing the valve at the filter that the coolant loss will be minimal.

Mike