Ain't got much heat

[xirdneh]

What do I fear the most? Just say “heater coreâ€

[JOE]

I am experiencing the same problem. I tried back flushing as well, which didn't seem to make a difference. I then tried a chemical flush-it made a little differnece. Someone told me that sometimes the fins inside the heater core get scale on them and won't effect the flow, just the heat output.

[simon84]

could it be a faulty water pump or thermostat related? Or could it be that the heater core fins are clogged with dust or other crud? Maybe you can get in there somewhere with compressed air and see what flies out.
I'd be interested to hear what it is. My heater doesn't have much kick.

[takza]

I'd be looking at air flow...mouse nest in there? duct loose? Flap not adjusted right? fan speed?

[2wagons]

Joe, I know how you feel -cold! . My 84 never would heat up, I tried every thing except pulling the core and having it professionally flushed/rebuilt. In Colorado in winter I drove around with a wool hat, heavy gloves and a blanket on my lap . The only thing that worked was a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator-that helped some. The heat was just enough to keep the windshield clear, barely. The poor old blower fan would squeak something fierce when it was really cold!


My 87 is way different, the heater is toasty. Takza I had the mouse nest in the blower and I ran the fan for a while and ruined the motor! I eventually bought a new motor for cheap from carquest

[Typrus]

My 84 doesn't like to direct the heat... Anywhere. I have a good deal of heat, and my blower runs nicely, I just can't get the damn thing to NOT blow out the dash vents, which means my defogger vents have little pressure. If I have more than just mme in the car when it is cold, I have to roll the windows down otherwise it fogs something fierce.

If you can get into the core, do a writeup on it (lol) as I have no idea where it is, despite having spent 2 hours taking ducting, shrouds and so on out.
Once you are in there, makew sure there isn't 22 years of goo caked on the core. If there is, before you try to blow anything through, get a moistened cloth, maybe with some 50/50 Simple Green/Water on it and wipe both surfaces down, careful not to push any existing crap into the fins. After you get the surface stuff out, go for an air gun our whoever.
If there really is scale in there... Can we run something like Lime-Away or CLR through the water jacket? I can't see it hurting the metals, but I'd be concerned for the hoses? If that were safe, I'd do it twice.

[ARCHINSTL]

Check this thread from a while back concerning heater performance.
viewtopic.php?t=1457&highlight=heater
While I have not checked for mouse nests (apparently a really relished rodent residence), I think we have a system that is just not too sophisticated, and the volume of water pumped is also not too great.
I have the blasted POS FSM, and can find no reference to the heater, save some notes on electrical info and a brief and inadequate explanation about the cables.
My memories of HEAT in the '83 must be regarded in the light of having just come from 13 years of servitude in a FRIGID '69 VW Bus...
Tom M.

[takza]

My 84 doesn't like to direct the heat... Anywhere. I have a good deal of heat, and my blower runs nicely, I just can't get the damn thing to NOT blow out the dash vents, which means my defogger vents have little pressure.

You need to oil your cables and reset the ends so your doors work right. Pull the heater control panel to oil that end...oil the cables...adjust the door ends?

[hornett22]

i had a brand new one from motorad and it was junk.temp gauge barely got above C.put one in from napa and what a difference.also,mice like these cars for some reason so take the mouse nest out of the heater box.these cars are known for nests between the fan motor and heater core.