my 82 GL wagon has very little heat. Barely enough to defrost the window. I put in a new 195 thermostat and the engine comes up to temp very nicely. I think the heater core is plugged up. Anybody had any luck using a coolant flush?

 

Bill

I'd give it a shot. Just get some of that detergent stuff, put it in and drive around for a few days, then flush it out and see what happens. I got a car last year that was getting pretty hot and the heater didn't do much. After I flushed it without even using detergent it was like a new cooling system.

seems wierd, could your door not be opening all the way, letting some cold air in with the heat?

are both hoses going to your heater core getting hot? if one side is cold, or even cooler, when you heater isnt on, it could indicate a clogged heatercore. if one is cooler than the other when the blower is going, thats normal.

I learned a trick for cleaning out the heater core a few years ago when I had my evil Taurus wagon...If flushing it doesnt work and you know for sure its the heater core and your core doesnt leak...drain all the fluid and blow it out with compressed air, reversing the flow..in through the out...then reverse and go in through the in ..after doing that a few times usually all sorts of good stuff comes out. Worked for me more than once.

Arch's heater hose test will help you size this up in a hurry...

 

If it does turn out to be the heater core. I would try a "backflush" procedure after running some Prestone Super Flush. Often times this is enough to dislodge any foriegn matter in the core. Just take it easy on the water pressure at first, so you don't burst it.

But if you've ever ran stop-leak thru your cooling system - forget it. The heater core will have to be changed out. Every HC I've ever changed (and taken apart) has had evidence of stop leak usage. This extra layer of muck makes corrosion blockage worse - and eventually leads to the failure of the core.

Moral of this story: Don't ever use stop-leak products!!

 

good luck, John