so if i was trying to get my heater to blow hotter would it be worth the effort to switch the heater cores

 

Switching the heater core alone wouldn't work. You would also have to switch Heater boxes the core goes into as well.

 

but if i did that would it blow hotter

 

If you switched everything that needed switching, and you had the factory thermostat, then yes it would blow hotter.

What it was for.

 

thnx i was just wondering im trying to get a lot of little details figured out im trying to go in a weird direction with my truck

 

Alright, here's a new question. What's a decent way to flush the system? Keep in mind, I don't have any fancy-pants pumps or whatnot lying around my garage. Where do I go about draining the old coolant at, what should I drain it into, and how do I do the actual flushing? Keep in mind that my heater is out of the loop, so I don't know if I'd need as much force since it's basically only my radiator and engine that hold any coolant. Also, hypothetically, if the reason for the original core failing wasn't a bad coolant, would the system even -need- to be flushed? I'm still in school, I have a part time job, and my truck is my daily driver. I'd like to take shortcuts, but I want to make sure that taking them won't damage my truck.

 

A heater core is like $30. Put a new one in along with some new hose and be done with it.

There are no "short cuts" when it comes to fixing things right.

What are you going to do in the winter without any heat? Where do you live, California?

 

Yeah, I have the core sitting in my house. The instructions that came with it, though, can't seem to get enough of "draining all the coolant and 'vigorously' flushing the system." I'm assuming that when I take the old heater core out, I'll find the reason that it busted (not even badly, at that) is that it was just old, so I'm not even sure flushing the system is necessary in my case and I'd like to avoid it. Up until a few minutes ago, when I read the warnings, I was going to do exactly that: Switch the old out and put the new in with fresh hoses.

Also, I live in Pennsylvania. I just unplug my heater over the summer to stop that white fog, and over the winter I had to deal with wiping my windshield until now (hopefully).

 

Back Flushing the system is really easy, and recomended.

All you really need is a garden hose.

If you buy one of the radiator flush kits it will have all you need, including fittings.

You basicly want to connect the garden hose up to the heater hose in some way, making sure your radiator cap is off the radiator, and let the water flow through the engine and back out the radiator, until the water is clear.

As for draining the coolant, (do this before backflushing obviously) use old antifreeze bottles, or milk jugs will work in a pinch.

Don't let it pool under your truck cause animals like drinking it and it is poison and it can kill them.

 

Why are the AC trucks so much easier?

 

Setup. The core comes out the cover behind the glove box. The non-air trucks require the air box under the hood to be removed.

 

Alright, so just to get everything straightened out:

1. Drain Coolant, replace the drain hole nut thing

2. Hook up garden hose to the heater hose
(So the water should be flowing into the engine, right?)

3. Put the water on until it comes out of the engine clear
(Where does it come out? The top of the radiator?)
(How do I get the excess water out of the engine? I use that pre-mixed coolant so I don't need to/really shouldn't go and add any water)

Thanks for all the help so far, by the way. Without these forums I don;t know where to start doing stuff like this with my truck!

 

Correct.

Yes, it will come out the Radiator. Why the cap needs to be removed.

There may be drain plugs in the engine block. May not be accesseble though. Some V8s have one behind the starter needing the starter to be removed to access.

If you are replacing the radiator hoses, removing the bottom hose after you flush it, will get some of it out of the block. But not all of it.

I would also buy full strength coolant and mix it yourself. Thus would eliminate the need of removing the drain plug on the engine, if it's even equipped. and it's really easy to measure it yourself.

I mix mine about 60% antifreeze with 40% water.

Coolant capacity for your engine to follow....

No Problem, glad to help.

 

Coolant Capacity for 300-I6.

Standard and Extra Cooling, Without A/C. 13 Quarts.
---------------
13 quarts divided by 2 is 6.5 quarts. Add 6.5 quarts of full strength antifreeze to the engine, and the rest with water for a 50% mix.

6.5 quarts = 1.62 Gallons.

--------------
Supercooling, and/Or A/C (Large Radiator) 14 Quarts.
---------------
14 quarts divided by 2 = 7 quarts.

7 quarts = 1.75 Gallons. Add 1.75 gallons of full strength antifreeze to radiator and the rest with water for 50%. Add 2 gallons full strength for aproximately 60% antifreeze to 40% water.

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It's really quite simple, and cheaper than buying the premix in the long run. Also it eliminates the guesswork of what was left in the engine block.

Hope this helps.

 

Get 2 1 gallon jugs of the full strength, flush the system, pour both gallons into the engine, and then top it off with distilled water.