85-305 heater thread

[85_305]

Have you checked your T-stat?

How far is your drive?

If I plug my truck in I have warm air before I get to the main road (about a mile) and HOT air within 4 miles.

Even w/ my truck up to full operating temperature, I'd be hard-pressed to call my heat "very warm", let alone "hot".

 

[Demon]

Maybe you need to remove/ clean and flush your heater core. Or replace it.

That sounds more like lack of either coolant flow or air flow, or both.

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[85_305]

I couldn't tell you teh last time the coolant system was flushed... thats an interesting idea!

 

[Demon]

For the cost of a new one, I would just replace it. Be willing to bet that solves the problem.

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[85_305]

I'd bet its much easier just to flush it than to pull the old one out and swap it lol

 

[Demon]

If you flush the whole cooling system, do that first, then change the heater core after you finish flushing.

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[85_305]

Good deal, I appreciate it. I bet its been a good 8-10 years since the last flush...

 

[Arisley]

Moved to your own thread.

 

[Demon]

Flushing it may, or may not, clear an internal blockage. But will certainly not clean the air flow fins. Which are almost certainly dirty and at least partially blocked.

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[85_305]

is there an additive I can use to clear out the system better? Or just a lot of high pressure hose water?

 

[silverpsd_06]

My buddy swears by cascade... Dunno if that's all that healthy on these motors

 

[85_305]

Cascade? Seems cheap and easy to find LOL

I cant imagine cascade being bad as long as its really rinsed out... thanks for the advice on that one

 

[ghohouston]

Cascade powder work damn good for getting oil out of the coolant system

 

[Freightshaker]

You can isolate your heater core easily if you flush with something and you do not want to contaminate the whole loop. Get some hardware to hook it to a short piece of hose on each end, then use a cheap submersible pump in a bucket to circulate through core and back into bucket. Or just pull core lines and backflush with a hose.
I put a IH water pump on and flushed my block, core, and radiator. It all seemed real clean. Just changed my coolant filter on the IH pump and it was packed! My heat will roast you out.

 

[85_305]

^thats a damn good idea! Thanks a lot. Does it get cold there? Here in ski country we get -20*f all the time, and even @ 15*f and lower the heat teeters on the edge of "meh".

I like that idea of the pump and hitting JUST the heater core or the individual cooling systems.... thanks dude.

And if the cascade is real, I'll give that a try too.

 

[Freightshaker]

^thats a damn good idea! Thanks a lot. Does it get cold there? Here in ski country we get -20*f all the time, and even @ 15*f and lower the heat teeters on the edge of "meh".

I like that idea of the pump and hitting JUST the heater core or the individual cooling systems.... thanks dude.

And if the cascade is real, I'll give that a try too.

Your welcome
I would use the pump method if you were circulating cleaner. Otherwise the flow is typically too low on cheap pumps for water only cleaning. Circulating gives cleaner some time to eat. I would flush hard with a hose, then circulate diluted cleaner, then flush with water. Easy on the water pressure a heater core is not necessarily a high pressure coil. Like others said half is airflow and half is waterflow. A problem with transferring heat from the water or gaining heat in the air will leave you in the same boat.

 

[85_305]

again more good information. thanks bud

 

[Freightshaker]

Oh yea... It gets what we call cold here, but not what you call cold. We were in single digits a few times. My heat does not seem to care. Food for thought also a IH pump would let you be more selective on t stat temps since you can use standard stats. If you can't tell I'm pleased with the swap so far.

 

[85_305]

whats the diff between the IH pump and ford pump??? I'm not keen on ripping out my heater core, but if theres good benefits I might invest in it.

 

[Freightshaker]

The ford pump is a Motocraft part on a international 7.3. It is aluminum, both necks are stamped bolt on steel, and uses a special thermostat.
The INternational water pump is on 7.3s in international trucks. It is steel, only uses the stamped steel t stat neck, Uses a standard automotive thermostat, and best of all it has a built in spot for a spin on filter, and a shut off valve.

Stock above new below

New installed(not a swap for dual alternator trucks)

As for your heater core I would just try to clean it on the water side and the air side. Check temperature differences on water in/out and air in/out before and after. Last resort would be to change it.