Advice on removing Explorer hard heater lines?

[EBGeek]

It appears my hard heater lines are rusting and causing chunks to get hung in my heater core intake. However, that issue is causing me less concern than the fact that my lines might possibly spring a leak from the weakened thinned lines.

What have others that have gone the Explorer EFI route done to replace the stock hard lines on the intake? Find a decent replacement set at the pull yard? Replace with soft lines? I initially thought it would be and easy swap to put in soft lines, but the hard lines have a small bypass that I understand is necessary for the ECT sensor on the intake.

 

[garberz]

The small bypass is for the EGR/EVAP system. My lines are still in good shape, I just looped the bypass together. The ECT sensor has its own port in the manifold.

Mark

 

[904Bronco]

The small bypass is for the EGR/EVAP system. My lines are still in good shape, I just looped the bypass together. The ECT sensor has its own port in the manifold.

Mark

Mark is right if the preheat in the manifold is leaking, just loop the 1/4" hoses.

The cooling lines appears to obsolete from Ford... But I found a few on EBay in various condition. Honestly, I would hit up my locale PnPull for them.

There is another application where there is an elbow that screws into the existing port on the intake manifold without an adapter that has a 3/8" port for the ECT and a 5/8" hose connection..... But I have never been able to find what it is?

 

[74lumenaire]

So can I just delete the hardliners and run regular old school rubber hoses to the OG heater core? Has anyone done this and do they have pics!?

 

[EBGeek]

74Lumenaire - I do believe you can convert the hard lines to rubber, given that you allow for the ECT port to remain, as well as the bypass line that goes between the two hard lines to keep ECT temp stable. I'm unsure how you would go about orchestrating the bypass with rubber lines, but I'm sure its been done before I've just never seen it here.

Hopefully others will have their experience to share as I left my hard lines in place for the reasons above.

 

[PaveBronco]

I just went to the one of the Pick-n-Pulls in our area and pulled a good one, lots of Explorers in Junk yards.

 

[904Bronco]

Here is another route...

Use a 87-93 Mustang heater tubes. Late model Mustang sells new ones and I was just told yesterday that Dennis Carpenter is re-poping them.

One of the rear outlets is 3/4" but you can use a SB bypass hose to convert it to 5/8" and the heater control valve goes into that.

There is one 1/4" bypass that would have to be capped. The return on a Mustang is in the back of the lower manifold, so the manifold would have to be tapped for that fitting. (3/8" > 1/4" hose) If you need or want that.

There is a fitting for the ECT.

Just a thought...