Heater core keeps stopping up......

[sweetwaterbroncoII]

Any idea on how to keep my heater core from stopping up? I've flushed my cooling system, but every 1-2 weeks, the heater core keep stopping up leaving me with no heat....after I remover the heater hoses and flush them with a water hose it works fine for 1-2 weeks.....any suggestions?

 

[Ranger44]

I would just replace the heater core and the hoses leading to it.

Sounds to me like there is quite a bit of build up/corrosion in your cooling system.

Have you put new coolant in it recently?

 

[MAKG]

Reverse-flush the cooling system while you're in there. Pull the heater outlet hose off the intake manifold (NOT the water pump!), cap the nipple, shove a garden hose into the heater hose, remove the rad cap, and blast away until the water runs clear.

You can try one of those chemical flushes if you want.

If you've ever put stop-leak in this thing, that could very easily be what the problem is.

 

[sweetwaterbroncoII]

I just had an engine put in it and the mechanic put new coolant in then, then I flushed it out and put new coolant in again....I think the engine I bought was rusty inside, the coolant keeps turning a rust color....

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

flush the heck out of it. reverse flush, then forward flush, then reverse again.

then once you get as much out that way as you can, run a chemical flush through it. the stuff i swear by is made by Mac's sold by napa. it comes in a blue bottle and is a POWDER, not a liquid. the results are nothing short of a miracle.

 

[sweetwaterbroncoII]

I'll try that....no heat sucks in cold weather...

 

[Mutant Pony]

It sounds to me like someone put Bars leak in the motor before you got it. I had the same problem. I put in a new heater core, after flushing several times, and the new core plugged in about a week. Your best bet would be to pull the core plugs while you are doing a back flush. Just a flush will not remove the stuff in the bottom of the block.

 

[MAKG]

Oooh, THAT'S a lot of work.

It's hard (perhaps impossible) to yank and replace a core plug on an installed engine. Not too hard if it's on a stand, though.

Some folks REALLY overuse the Barr's. I won't touch the stuff. Not after having seen a 2.9L head gasket....