Heater install on my Coleman 400

[Charles Hines]

A few pics and a short write up on my installation of the Ice Crusher heater kit for the Coleman / Hisun 400. Ice Crusher makes a kit for the Coleman 400 which includes a dash mounted heater core mounted in a compact housing that includes 2 heat outlets that can be aimed wherever you want or closed, a built in coolant shutoff valve for summer use and a 3 speed fan. The kit has all needed hoses,fittings,clamps and hardware so you don't need to hunt around for anything else in theory. The unit is well made and everything seems solid and sturdy enough to live in a UTV. Installation is pretty straight forward,raise the front about a foot and start planning where things need to go. Detailed instructions are included as well as a template on where to position the holes where the 2 hoses pass through the "firewall". There are instructions on exactly where to position the mounting screws etc for the heater unit etc. I did encounter a problem with the hose positioning template which positioned the holes about 1" too low and caused a problem with mounting the rear support bracket. I contacted the company and worked with their engineers to amend the template for future buyers. The coolant tap ins are basically cutting the original coolant hoses going to (passenger side) and from (driver side) and installing the supplied 3/4" to 1/2" tee fitting. One 1/2" hose connects to each of the two heater core pipes. The theory is that some of the coolant is directed through the heater,which should be adequate for cab heat. I found that the original radiator is quite large for the little 400 motor and didn't really allow the heater to provide heat for very long before getting too cool to help much. The solution was to add a 3/4" heater shut off valve in the passenger side radiator hose between the tee fitting and the radiator. This allows me the option of directing all of the hot coolant through the heater or a blend depending on conditions. This valve is a cable operated style with a simple push pull knob installed in the dash.Having the front end raised makes it easy to simply refill the radiator without the need to bleed the system. Very effective. After sealing up the soft enclosure, the heater is about as effective as a regular car of truck unit. The blend valve is available at any auto parts store as a kit with the cable and hardware for about $25. I have had zero issues with overheating even when running for a hour on the roads with all the coolant going through only the heater The heater kit sells for $399,which isn't cheap, but I figured with as fully equipped the Colman 400 is at the price I paid ($6999), why not make it as comfortable as possible?

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/L64ECvfTKDPjje4KA