Heater Hose to Aqua Hot - STUCK ON I40

[GW4607]

On the road with friends that have a 2018 Anthem. Lost engine coolant. Leaking out of Aqua Hot bay. Entegra says we can shut off valves to isolate Aqua Hot. Anyone know where these valves are. We can not find them

[Bobby Dowdle]

Look under the coach on the drivers side rear where the motor and transmission connect. The valves will be in that area possibly in the frame rails. Should be ball valves.

[brobox]

Here is one photo to give you and idea. There will be tow shut off valves.

[GW4607]

Thanks I have found 1 can’t locate the second.

[GW4607]

Ok we found the second. It was up behind alternator. Now when the DW’s get back from Wal Mart with the Final Charge we should be good to go.

Thanks to all who responded. You guys are the best.

[777 Driver]

Originally Posted by GW4607

Ok we found the second. It was up behind alternator. Now when the DW’s get back from Wal Mart with the Final Charge we should be good to go.

Thanks to all who responded. You guys are the best.

Great to hear that you stopped the leak and good that your DW's are retrieving some Final Charge. It's absolutely preferable to refill with te Final Charge...however...always remember that if circumstances demand (unsafe to be stopped wherever you are), you have up to 100 gallons of a substitute coolant. Although there are some consequences of using fresh water to refill your lost coolant, that will enable you to get moving in very short order. Of course, you'll need to flush your system at your earliest convenience and refill with proper coolant.

I do recall a thread describing someone being stuck somewhere on the side of a very busy interstate highway for hours (way after dark) waiting for a tow. Simply filling the coolant system with water from their fresh water tank would likely have been preferable to a long wait and tow.

Take care,
Stu

[RVFunlovers]

Good info. Thanks for the picture Chuck. And the good advice Stu. I travel with a gallon of final charge but it is wise to not forget that we have water if the situation warrants it.

[757driver]

Originally Posted by GW4607

Ok we found the second. It was up behind alternator. Now when the DW’s get back from Wal Mart with the Final Charge we should be good to go.

Thanks to all who responded. You guys are the best.

When you get around to fixing the leak at the back of the Aquahot the problem is most likely the plastic couplers (2 of them) on the lines coming from the engine. I would replace the plastic couplers with brass or steel. Need to measure the inside diameter of what you have to get the right size.

In the picture the couplers are behind numbers 2 and 3.

[LWBAZ]

Gary, there may be more than two shut-off valves. I say that because there are two coolant loops - one that runs to the Aqua-Hot & back to the engine, and a second loop that runs to the dash heater core & back to the engine. And I believe each loop has a shut off valve near where it originates and near where it ends.

Just mentioning this in case you're still seeing a leak when you refill the cooling system.

[777 Driver]

Originally Posted by 757driver

When you get around to fixing the leak at the back of the Aquahot the problem is most likely the plastic couplers (2 of them) on the lines coming from the engine. I would replace the plastic couplers with brass or steel. Need to measure the inside diameter of what you have to get the right size.

Don, that's a great suggestion. I can't even begin to imagine the contortion necessary to reach those fittings. That's certainly a job that you'd only want to do once.

Take care,
Stu

[philnail]

Mine broke last summer. It was easy to fix as the plastic fitting in the back of the aquahot broke. After the cleanup in the bay was done and valves shut off there has been no more issues.

[vsayler]

Originally Posted by 777 Driver

Don, that's a great suggestion. I can't even begin to imagine the contortion necessary to reach those fittings. That's certainly a job that you'd only want to do once.

Take care,
Stu

Try coming in from the back side. Clear out the storage bay from the passenger side and climb in. I had a water leak from back of Aquahot and that is how I fixed it

[777 Driver]

Originally Posted by vsayler

Try coming in from the back side. Clear out the storage bay from the passenger side and climb in. I had a water leak from back of Aquahot and that is how I fixed it

Thanks for the suggestion, Van. I was thinking (I know, a dangerous proposition) that there was a partition behind the AquaHot. We're about to depart for three months in the coach, I'll have an opportunity to refresh my memory of accessibility to the back side of the AquaHot.

Take care,
Stu

[jestal]

Originally Posted by 777 Driver

Thanks for the suggestion, Van. I was thinking (I know, a dangerous proposition) that there was a partition behind the AquaHot. We're about to depart for three months in the coach, I'll have an opportunity to refresh my memory of accessibility to the back side of the AquaHot.

Take care,
Stu

There is a bit of a partition but it easily detaches with a few screws for easy access to the back side.

When replacing the plastic couplings with copper or brass it is obviously a good idea to use the spring loaded screw clamps to maintain constant pressure on the hose. Some coaches had those from the factory but it seems they ran out when ours was built. I've replaced the plain OEM screw clamps with the spring loaded ones.

Back when the 650 ISX came on the market there was a number of cases of those heater hose lines blowing off at those very couplings. I think Entegra did not account for the increased water pump flow for the ISX. I think the fix was extra clamps??

In any case any time a coupler like that is used it is a good idea to safety wire the two clamps nearest the joint together with a loop of safety wire either around the screws or trap the wire under the clamp band then twist the center together to prevent the clamps from pushing off the coupler. The safety wire prevents the clamps from moving apart so no way can the hoses blow off. You can also do this with a thin strip of steel or aluminum trapped under the clamp bands and then bent over towards the center to keep the clamps from moving apart.

The plastic connectors have been a problem so I hope the plastic of the aquahot parts and pump fittings is better material.....????