While traveling down the interstate a few years back during a cold spell my Ford explorer decided to blow the heater core. If you don’t know what the heater core is in a car, its the part where the hot engine coolant is passed through the interior heater to warm the car’s passenger compartment.
Well when the core breaks hot engine coolant comes into the car. In my case on my lower legs where I got some minor scalding. Well the radiator will quickly pump out all the coolant into the passenger compartment if you don’t pull over and cut the engine (which I did).
I was on the interstate miles from any service station but low and behold I had a piece of 1/2" pvc pipe in the back of the car. Well I removed the hoses from the heater input and output ports built into the firewall of the car took the end of the input hose connected it with the pvc pipe using the existing hose clamp then took the free end of the pvc pipe and connected it to the return hose using the existing hose clamp. Voila, instant by-pass! Of course with my many years of experience of driving fords I had 2 gallons of water on hand to replace the lost coolant.
I was back on the road in about 20 minutes although I did not have any heat now. Thats what they make coats and gloves for right?