New Pics of the Heater/Collant Filter Bypass
 

I finally got around to re-doing the coolant filter mount and took some pics:




http://stuff.is-a-geek.net/PhotoAlbu...ics/CRD_14.JPG
http://stuff.is-a-geek.net/PhotoAlbu...ics/CRD_15.JPG
http://stuff.is-a-geek.net/PhotoAlbu...ics/CRD_16.JPG

Never heard of a coolant filter, I heard of the heater core bypass to get the A/C cooler.

Best way to maintain the cooling system, along with regularly scheduled fluid changes. It's really the only way to keep the crud out of it over the long haul.

The extra port tapped out the back of the head also helps with cooling the rear of the engine and reducing water jacket pressure. Ever heard of the "opie" bypass?" This is what I call the "poor man's bypass." It costs alot less than the fancy stuff opie and wicked diesel sells, but along with the filter goes a lot farther towards helping out the engine.

Usually you see coolant filters on big engines, especially on engines with sleeved cylinders that are in direct contact with the coolant. Its definitely a nice addition, but nothing totally necessary. These engines have run over a million miles without a coolant filter, so don't be too worried about not having one.

Yep. And my grandpa lived to be 98, but the last 15 years were kinda scary. :w2:

I like the idea of things like better cooling efficiency and longer lasting water pump seals with clean coolant flowing in the block all the time instead of just the first five minutes after a drain and re-fill. :U:

Oh yeah, I'm with you, just saying its not a mandatory upgrade for most guys. A see a lot of guys get on here and go gung ho because they see mods guys have done to their trucks and think they gotta have it on theres.

Pretty fancy!

You don't need to get as fancy as I did with the heater bypass to install a filter and open up that rear port on the head. The valve and all the fittings for that cost more than the rest of it. You can do just the filter for like $40-50 total and get most of the benefit. All you need is some thin plate metal for the mounting bracket, filter/head, a couple feet of heater hose, a 5/8" tee, a 1/2" barb fitting, a few little bolts and some clamps.

That heater core bypass idea is overblown. I measured the A/C output temp on mine over the same long trip on two different hot days last summer and it never made more than a 3 degree difference.

I hate to bust your bubble but this does not reduce coolant pressure in the head the way you have it. If you want it to reduce coolant presssure you will need to get it out of the back like you did or between number 5 and 6 cylinders and route it thru a relief valve or just straight to the return line like Opie did it. Probally a good way to filter some coolant though.

No bubble problems here. It's coming out the head port between 5&6 and going to the heater return just like the similar setup Cummins sells. I don't know what you're looking at, but you might try having a clue before you think about going around "busting bubbles." :w2:

Ok on the bubbles. I see how much you do know now. Oh you may want to tape or heat shrink your connections for your egt probe. Enjoy your less than adequate bypass/ coolant reroute filter kit.

less than adequate? :humm: looks pretty good to me... guys like nadir share their set-ups to help other guys out and show them there are ways of doing it other than buying all the pre-fabed "connect and go over priced stuff." he doesnt do it for you to insult his set-up... constructive criticism and suggestions are appreciated; all other BS doesnt belong on the site. just my opinion

Aight, then. Let's see how much YOU know: Care to explain exactly what that $500 regulator Opie sold you does? I asked him directly and some of the lamers like you on DTR about that last spring, but nobody seems to have an answer on exactly why the coolant flow needs to be regulated. All it does is limit cooling capacity and of course make a nice little bell/whistle to justify an exorbitant price tag..

Look, I could care less if you like being a forking jerk. Whenever you feel like it you might want to ask a question or two first. Better yet, just mind your own dumb-arsed business.

looks good man thanks for sharing the info:U:

I know 5&6 are the ones needing the cooling the most

I thought the thermostat regulates the coolant flow......:humm:

Exactly.

It does. But one of the problems with this engine, in line engines in general and even some V8s depending on design, is inadequate coolant flow at the rear of the block. This is normally not an issue, but under heavy work or high-performance mods, may cause problems. This is why the Cummins 5.9 is notorious for scoring cylinders 5&6 under certain conditions. They have sold one or another after market kits to address this shortcoming for many years. The coolant flow issue is also why they tend to develop excessive pressure in the water jacket in that area under high-rpm conditions as well.

It's a relatively simple fix. Some after market vendors would lead you to believe otherwise, selling ridiculously over priced bling fittings and tubing kits complete with regulators to naive customers like RamNu2.

Good post I didn't know about the 5&6 problem and your way of doing it look great and cheap

heh; in my dead engines class in college they had some failed internal parts from an over heated cylinder on number 5&6... sure wasn't pretty. i'm pretty sure i'll go with a coolant filter when ever i do the rebuild on the truck... when i got it they couldnt figure out why the damn thing overheated so often... the radiator is so plugged only half of it even gets hot. open up the cap and you can see the build up on the cores. i flushed the cooling system and even let the radiator sit with some vinegar in it and sloshed it all around... got big old chunks of god knows what out of it; but it was soft kinda like lead. so; its getting rebuilt and hot tanked someday with that; the proper coolant maintenance.

This way looks much cleaner than the opie version imo. Plus this one has a filter...its a no brainer! good job:U:

Ha Ha I guess I should stick to CompD then. No I can't explain one of those cool Opie bypass's. I am sorry I guess my little pressure relief valvethat I bought for $21 tha actually does bypass coolant from th REAR to the FRONT doesn't work. Again I will speak my piece and bYe.

Oh mine is set at 35 to open and it does work.

whats a comp D..................some kinna bomb???

Great avatar for that Whit!

Or he got a D in comprehension?? :humm:

I like it!! Can we have a parts / shopping list?
Only thing I noticed was that with your design (Mainly with the filter being that 'high' in the system) is that valves might not be necessary (At least for filter changes as long as any coolant pressure is released first!).

I thought your 'research' on the summer time heater core bypass was interesting. I had seen others state it was more like a 20F drop or something. If it is only 3F then it wouldn't be worth the price of the valves!! Only thing I noticed on my truck is that there is a big difference between the left vents and the right vents when running the A/C. I think I have something going on in there. There are times that it won't change between the vent position and the floor. Most of the time it does change just fine. A couple of times on her it wouldn't change at all and a couple on me it would wait until I let off the throttle (Kind of like a vehicle that uses vacuum to operate the doors inside the HVAC box).
There have been a few issues with the blend door on these (Dodge) trucks. I wonder if the guys who had bigger temp changes by shutting off the heater core had issues with theirs? That might make a bigger difference in A/C performance then . . . .

Filter head: Coolant Filter Head There's many others out there, but you need one like this with the vertical mounting holes for this application. The only unusual thing is a piece of plate steel to make the bracket. I welded some scraps together, but whatever works. the rest is pretty obvious, bolts clamps, hose, a 1/2" NPT fitting for the head port, and a 5/8" tee for the heater return line.
That's the best part about this design/location - no fuss, no mess filter changes, and no shutoff valves required to achieve that. Plus, it's easy to reach and a very clean install that doesn't block anything else under the hood at all.
That is probably a very good explanation for the A/C-heater issues, dunno. Even Dodge would not have designed it so poorly that simply shutting off the heater core flow was going to result in a dramatic difference in A/C performance.