The heaters in the bus work very well, but they only work when the engine is running and warmed up. That’s great for staying warm on a school bus route, but not so great if you need heat while you’re living in a stationary bus with the engine off. They are tapped into the coolant system, so after doing some research and not getting very far, I decided to just hack it apart and hope for the best. This project was something that I felt really needed a video explanation. As far as I know, I’m providing the first video on the subject. Hopefully this demystifies the process for anybody out there that is considering doing this.

Something to consider: My bus is kind of old-school. On newer buses, there’s usually a locking hatch on the outside of the bus, just below the driver’s side window. That hatch is very important. From there, you can get better access to your wiring and plumbing just behind the console. My bus doesn’t have this feature, so I’m stuck with what I can see/reach. Therefore, when I reconnected my pipes and couldn’t get them into the hole behind the heater, I decided to leave it that way. If it fails, at least I can and see/reach what I’m doing. If I had the outside hatch access, I would have cut the lines and reconnected them inside the hatch for better stowage.