Hey all - I am installing a Derale heatsink cooler as part of my hydro steer setup. I got the kit, and it comes with barb fittings for the cooler, but my question is where / how to tap into the return lines? Ideally, I would like to cut into the hard line running under the bracket for the radiator, however that would leave me with a bare metal tube to stick into to the hose (leading to the input of the cooler) and secured with a hose clamp or two, and I am not sure it will hold.

For those who have done this, is it normal to do that, or should I find a piece of rubber hose on the return section & put a double-ended barb fitting to join that to the new hose leading to the cooler? I can certainly do that, but don't want to restrict flow more than necessary.

Thanks for the help!


-randy

 

Because you are tapping into the return line, it is low pressure and you should be able to connect directly to the tube if you want. Just make sure that you have a good fit between the hose and the tube and a hose clamp or two should do the trick. However, make it easy on yourself and tap into the return as it goes into the reservoir. put your cooler inline with the tube that is connected to the side of the reservoir, in the picture below it is the one with the silver hose clamp.

What I did, was disconnected the factory hose that connected to the reservoir and rerouted it to the cooler input. Then I installed a new hose from the cooler output to the reservoir where the old hose was removed. If you are mounting your cooler just behind the grill, then there should be enough hose to do it without any splicing or hose barbs.

Also, make sure you mount your cooler in the correct orientation. The fluid that is flowing into the cooler should flow from the bottom up, or side to side. If you put the fluid input oriented up, and the output down, the cooler could trap air and could cause the cooler to be less effective.

And just an FYI, it is easier for people to help you if you have photos of what you are talking about or your profile is filled out.