Espar heater hose loop

[Wire89]

Hi All,
I have both the airtronic and hydronic heaters in a RB50 build. I recently found a slow coolant leak in the passenger side (loosing about 1” in the reservoir over 50 miles) and it may be one of the heater hose loops getting pinched under the frame. I can’t see anything though in these hoses so I thought disconnecting them at the top of the engine to see if that stops the leak. Does anyone know if I can disconnect the lines independent of the engine cooling loop and run the vehicle safely? I’ve not traced all hoses yet so admittedly it’s not clear how they all interface.

[daveb]

Does it leak when you run the Hydronic with the engine off?

[Wire89]

Originally Posted by daveb

Does it leak when you run the Hydronic with the engine off?

Unfortunately, neither heater is working

[Jeffrey]

Same setup here. I posted here years ago about my coolant hose off the engine going to the rear flat plate that got gashed by rubbing against a sharp edge of the steering box. When I noticed it, I was traveling through a small town and was able to buy a short rubber heater hose elbow and disconnected both hoses from the engine and installed the elbow hose. I didn't have hot water for a while, but I finished my journey. Back home I replaced the entire long run of hose and covered it with a flexible metal sheath for the length of it that is near the engine. Maybe you can search for my post.

[daveb]

So you don't know if it's the Espar hoses or the Ford lines leaking? SMB typically just tee off the Ford heater core lines. If you can find those, disconnect/plug them (or use hose pinchers) and then drive to see if it's one system or the other that's leaking.