v-U42T 4X4 660cc 3g83 i am having problems getting the heater to work i have very little to no heat at all when i go to defrost in the morning. i tore the heater core out one day and blew it out with a bunch of air. also blew out inside the whole heating black box located on the floor . i have already made sure all the vent doors are opening and shutting as they should. when i turn the heat on i do have low, medium , and high blowing power. and the heater core hose itself gets warm once the vehicle engine has had time to warm up, but no matter how little or long i drive it i always get the same cool air flowing out of the vents. thanks in advance
i don't believe it ever had any leaks at all . and the fluid levels have always been where they should be. my problem was that i bought it from an old guy and got driven a couple times but other then that it sat in a shed for no less than 3 years. so i have been playing catch up trying to get evreything to run and work as it should. and the only things i have left are to get the heater to work and do some work on the carburetor . so i guess i am just lost as to what is wrong and why it will not warm up and get hot like i have been reading other people say about theirs
I'm currently learning about heater cores as well but it seems like coolant just needs to go in and out and that's all it takes for the heat to work. Not sure if there is a mechanism that stops coolant from traveling into the core. Maybe try flushing the system and adding fresh coolant to get all of the rusty crap out of the lines?
i just did a coolant flush but i am wondering now if i put the wrong antifreeze back into it and maybe that's part of my issue , or does it even really matter what you put in these engines. Because i put a CarQuest antifreeze that said compatible with any vehicle full strength . please let me know if i need something different.
I don't think the type of antifreeze would affect this issue. I'm not an expert on heater cores, maybe someone else has some advice?
You are certain the heater really is getting warm coolant? Just cause a hose feels warm doesn't mean the coolant is getting to the destination. Do you know when the thermostat was last replaced?
out of the 3 minicabs Ive removed heater cores to replace mine, all where full of residue or build up corrosion of some kind. My one was badly corroded, leaking and blocked in areas that had the same salty build up and unfortunately due to 31 years they are hard to find a good working unit. New ones are listed at 179usd but could go to an older radiator specialist that could make a new core out of copper/brass than alloy. The problem is the plastic fittings on it are brittle over time and making new ones looks finicky but not impossible for the base. The hose connectors have the same brittle connectors with 4 screws and O ring and would be best replaces as the top one has the lever mechanism that control an internal butterly valve to let hot water in and out. I drained the coolant and was full of nasties and debris which is always recommended. I bought a $40 usd ebay electric heater to use the ceramic core and slide that into the original water core cavity as the cheapest and most reliable option. I might need to get a more powerful efi alternator than use my low watt carb model, but the heater is not used that often where I am but always good to upgrade charging and storage. I never liked heater or radiator cores unless they are made of copper/brass which last for ever even if coolant dates expire often they can be cleaned out and reconditioned again easily.
