Yes. Reinstall the pipes. They are a necessary part of the cooling system to prevent steam pockets, hot spots and detonation.

SStewart

 

Yes. Reinstall the pipes. They are a necessary part of the cooling system to prevent steam pockets, hot spots and detonation.

Are you absolutely sure? The previous owner said that he'd gotten the advice on removal of the pipe from this forum.

RS

 

Isn't the sole purpose of these pipes to provide a small source of coolant flow through the throttle body? The heads still have plenty of coolant flow-through I think?

RS

 

I'm pretty sure you need that crossover pipe for the heads to allow proper cooling like already mentioned. If he got it off this forum he must have not carefully read something because all the Throttle Body Bypass is removing the coolant from from the TB and that's it.

Double check with him from where he read/found that at and tell us what you find.

Matt

 

here's a little reading:

The LT1 has strategically placed steam vents at the back of both cylinder heads. Since the heads are the hottest part of the engine, pockets of steam can be more easily generated there. The steam vents are connected together by a crossover vent tube at the back of the heads, which directs any steam and a small flow of coolant to the front of the engine where it flows through the throttle body, warming it for improved cold weather performance. After passing through the throttle body, most of the steam is condensed back into liquid coolant and returned to the system.

In LT1 B/D-cars, coolant exiting the throttle body is passed directly into a pressurized coolant reservoir where any air remaining in the coolant is completely scavenged. In LT1 F-cars, coolant from the throttle body connects to the heater outlet via a vented "tee" connector, where any trapped air in the system can be bled off manually. Eliminating steam pockets and foam in the coolant allows for more uniform cooling system performance, preventing hot spots and potential overheating.

 

Originally posted by Alchemist:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Yes. Reinstall the pipes. They are a necessary part of the cooling system to prevent steam pockets, hot spots and detonation.

Are you absolutely sure? The previous owner said that he'd gotten the advice on removal of the pipe from this forum.

RS </font>[/QUOTE]Yeah I am sure. Someone probably just told him to "bypass the steam vent" and he took it literally and got rid of the whole thing. That tube shouldnt be removed entirely, but bypassing its run through the throttle body is safe to do.

 

Originally posted by Alchemist:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Yes. Reinstall the pipes. They are a necessary part of the cooling system to prevent steam pockets, hot spots and detonation.

Are you absolutely sure? The previous owner said that he'd gotten the advice on removal of the pipe from this forum.

RS </font>[/QUOTE]I'm sure. The advice the previous owner got was probably to remove the throttle body from the steam pipe return route, ie, TB Bypass Mod. The steam pipes are necessary to keep the engine running properly.

SStewart

 

I hear you on the reconnection - will get around to doing it next week. I just hope the guy who plugged the heads didn't use NPT plugs and screw up the heads.

 

This really ticks me off - the fact that a so called GM tech/expert that sold me the car plugged the holes in the back of each head. To be honest, I should have caught the problem before I bought the car. I knew all you guys that replied were right even before I asked - I just coudn't believe someone would do something that stupid (plugging the coolant return holes in the back of new LT4 heads).

Thanks,
RS

 

Yes definately put that BACK ON!!!!

Sorry about that, good thing you caught it before your heads got warped!

 

Yes definately put that BACK ON!!!!

As fast as I can - that is, if the prev. owner didn't put NPT plugs in the heads and completely f*&^ the world up.

RS

 

FYI the steam pipe banjo bolts ARE NPT THREADS, so putting a NPT pulg in would not screw anything up. If you look in the front of each head you will notice the plugs there, the heads are tapped in the front and back so you can put them on either side. I think it is 1/4 NPT.

 

FYI the steam pipe banjo bolts ARE NPT THREADS, so putting a NPT pulg in would not screw anything up. If you look in the front of each head you will notice the plugs there, the heads are tapped in the front and back so you can put them on either side. I think it is 1/4 NPT.

I just bought the entire coolant steam pipe setup with banjo bolts (2) and seals (4). I can definitively say that the bolts are NOT NPT (or in the vernacular, NOT TAPERED). However, I can see that the previous owner installed brass NPT plugs using some sort of white putty like sealant that is most probably anti-seize compound. Also, you can tell that the banjo bolts are not NPT because they thread in all the way, whereas the brass NPT plugs gave resistance at the taper. I'm going to cross my fingers and install the coolant steam pipe and coat the threads of the banjo bolts with RTV red.

RS

 

I think you have found out about
American Standard Straight Pipe Thread Banjo bolts in 1/4 18 pitch.
The 1/4 -18 NPT plugs will thread in and seal and the heads will accept 18 pitch straight thread banjos with sealing washers.
You will also find ASSPT and NPT used together with flare seats in hydraulic.
Possibly the Edelbrocks are deeper threaded than the factory making them larger at the face and easier to cross thread as you start.
Gerry

 

Sorry I should have been more specific, They are the same thread, but the banjo's are not tapered.
Thanks Gerry.

That white stuff is thread sealer, ARP and others sell it. I would not reccomend using red, I would use blue because if you need to take the heads off you will need to remove those bolts, and banjo's are easy to break.

 

That white stuff is thread sealer, ARP and others sell it. I would not reccomend using red, I would use blue because if you need to take the heads off you will need to remove those bolts, and banjo's are easy to break.

RTV red does not lock threads - I don't think.