Okay to Plug Water Pump and Tstat Housing Ports?

[Ol'Blue]

Instead of running the bypass like most do, is it okay to plug the supply/return on the water pump, the port on the intake manifold and the one in the thermostat housing?

Not running a heater and thought this would be a clean way to delete all the hoses by installing these caps.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083QJNNBY/?tag=cbama-20

Will this change the cooling of the intake manifold or engine?

 

[904Bronco]

It is my understanding that the thermostat bypass assists with engine warm up... I suppose you could bypass the heater return and supply.

 

[Broncobowsher]

No, don't do that.

The ports for the heater, those can be capped. But you need the bypass. Heat is built up in the heads. The bypass allows some water flow through the heads and recirculates it through the block during warm up. Evens up temperatures during warm up. More important is it gets hot water from the heads to the thermostat, so the thermostat can sense the water temp and open as needed. If you delete the bypass you can be boiling the water in the heads before the heat ever reaches the thermostat.

I've played with some cooling tricks over the years. Trying to keep a Bronco cool in Arizona teaches you a lot. And I kept trying to reinvent the cooling system into something better. The factory engineering is actually really good. At one time I plugged the bypass but drilled a new on toward the radiator. Drilled hole in the thermostat does the same thing but I wanted all the water going through the radiator. Amazing what that little hole did to warm up times in cool weather. It took forever to get warmed up. 15 miles of highway driving to get full heat when there was frost outside. Didn't improve summer cooling either.

 

[jamesroney]

Instead of running the bypass like most do, is it okay to plug the supply/return on the water pump, the port on the intake manifold and the one in the thermostat housing?

Not running a heater and thought this would be a clean way to delete all the hoses by installing these caps.

http://[URL][URL][URL]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083QJNNBY/?tag=cbama-20

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Will this change the cooling of the intake manifold or engine?

I don't think he means to cap the water pump bypass hose. I think he is using the word "bypass" to refer to the typical splice connection used to "bypass" the heater core.

100% agree with @Broncobowsher on the need for the water pump bypass.

But I'm not supporting the deletion of the plumbing. Every Bronco on the highway with a windshield needs a properly functioning defroster. So my answer is "no, you can't delete the hoses. Install your heater."

(It's really easy with the dash out...)

But if you REALLY want to delete the heater, don't use those caps. Go ahead and suck out the tin tubes, thread the housing for a pipe plug, and plug it.

 

[Ol'Blue]

Got it, I will keep the bypass shown with red line and delete the one to the left coming from the WP to the intake manifold (pic is of my current 302). I have no heater or defrost, that space is filled with electrical stuff.

The WP for my new 351w build is a Flow Kooler and doesn't have the tin inserts, its all cast, so I may have to try that cap as apposed to tap and plug. I guess I could try and tap it, but concerned with getting metal into the WP since its already installed.

One of the reasons I want to delete the hose going into the top of the intake manifold is I haven't been able to find a 90* fitting that will clear the #1 port/channel casting. The 90* fitting 5/8" nipple hits the #1 casting on the Edelbrock 2181 manifold and I don't want go with 45* or straight. The hose will stick up too high. I found this option that might work, but looks awful tall.

INTAKE MANIFOLD HEATER HOSE FITTING - 67-69 ALL 390/428 GOLD

cgfordparts.com