Bad heater core?

[bax08]

I Purchased a 2003 base vibe with 53,000 miles on it this past October. The problem I have is that there is little or no heat coming out of the vents. This has been more noticeable with the extremely cold temps this past week.In the mornings I will warm the car up for about 20 minutes to defrost the windshiled. After those 20 minutes are up, about half the windshield is defrosted. There is somewhat warm air coming out of the dash but with the car having run for 20 minutes, the fan on as high as it will go and the heat setting at max I would expect it to be extremely warm.I replaced the thermostat and flushed the cooling system out twice to make sure we got everything. When flushing the system out there was some white solid gunk that came out of the bottom of the radiator. We ran some water through the heater core and not much came out of that.After my 20 minute commute to work, I grabbed the hoses leading into and out of the heater core to see how hot they were. The hose going into the heater core was considerably warmer than the one coming out. I was told that these 2 hoses should be about the same temp. Also, the tmep of the air coming out of the dash gets cooler the longer I drive it. The temp gauge stays about 1/2 way where it normally does and does not fluctuate.I'm thinking I have a clogged heater core. I was hoping it was not this because I know it's an expensive fix since I will not be doing this myself.What do you all think? Anything else I should check out? Someone mentioned a flow problem with the water pump, but I imagine this would lead to overheating issues.

[sdavis]

does this help? have you checked this?http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=35781

[bax08]

Just saw that thread shortly after I posted mine.Anyone know where in the dash the heater door is located? How is it adjusted?

[djb383]

Are you positive the cooling system is full? With the engine COLD, remove the radiator cap. The coolant level should be at the very top of the radiator filler neck. I have found burping the system of air, after a flush, to be somewhat difficult.

[bax08]

I just checked it and it needed a little coolant. The coolant level in the overflow tank is half way between the Hot and Cold lines.

[bax08]

Just a quick update. Turns out it was the heater core being clogged. My mechanic took it to a radiator shop that specializes in heating and cooling systems and they were able to hook a special tool up to the heater core and blow all the junk out. Heat works great now! They said if the heater core needed to be replaced it would cost around $600!My only concern now is the type of coolant my mechanic put in after he flushed the system out. He used Motorcraft orange coolant. The bottle says it is specifically designed for use in the '99-'02 Mercury Couger and Ranger Electric Vechicle. He says he uses it in all vechicles as it seems to work the best. I just don't want anything to be damaged or wear out quicker than it should b/c of the wrong coolant being in there. Are all orange coolants the same or should I be using something from GM?

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by bax08 » The bottle says it is specifically designed for use in the '99-'02 Mercury Couger and Ranger Electric Vechicle. He says he uses it in all vechicles as it seems to work the best. I just don't want anything to be damaged or wear out quicker than it should b/c of the wrong coolant being in there. Are all orange coolants the same or should I be using something from GM?what the heck is a ranger electric car? if it's electric why would it need engine coolant??Seems to work?? Sounds like he don't even know what type of coolant is needed.Mercury... thats a ford... your driving a toyota.My 2cents on the matter would be to drive over to TOYOTA and get the correct coolant.This is a topic that has been discussed a lot. The toyota coolant has anti corrosion additives made for their system. For the few extra bucks it costs for the correct coolant I wouldn't chance ruining the head or cooling system. I find it hard to believe that a heater core is 600 bucks. when a brand new radiator for the car is only 70bucks. I guess they are charging you 500bucks for labor Glad you got your heating issue sorted out. But I would have the entire system flushed with the correct fluid

[djb383]

If the heater core was full of crud so is the radiator. Might need to pull it out and take it to a radiator shop and have it "rodded out". I've drained/flushed our '05 and filled it with Prestone green coolant which is good for all makes, all models and mixes with all colors of coolants.