horrible heat output

[garyd75]

ive got a 2003 pt 4 door. the heater output is lukewarm at best. i feel hot heater hoses are hot coming in and out. car came from new york. could the heater core have a bunch of leaves twigs ect blocking airflow or should i try reverse flushing it as it maybe plugged. im kinda stumped on this one. i do hear flapper door opening

[JonN]

My Dad had this problem with his old '99 Silverado at one point. We took the heater hoses off and reverse flushed by rushing water from the garden hose through it. So much crud came out it wasn't even funny.

After that, we flushed all the coolant out and swapped it for fresh stuff. Heat was fine after that.

[JoeX]

After you flush the heater core, careful the lines on the core are fragile, check to make sure the radiator is getting hot, could be thermostat or and cap.

[Macgyverman1123]

I would also recommend a reverse and forward flush, followed by a fresh round of HOAT. As others have said, be *extremely* careful with the lines and don't use high pressure water. These cars are known for having delicate heater cores.

After that, I'd recommend making sure you don't have any stuff on the core itself, check for leaves and debris like that. Make sure your engine is actually getting to the proper temperature.

Also, stupid as it sounds, make sure your coolant is full in the radiator and to the proper level in the puke tank. The heater core is one of the highest points in the cooling system, so if you're low on coolant, the heat might not work, but the car may not overheat either.

Good luck!

[chuzz]

First things first, check the coolant level and make sure it's full.

[garyd75]

coolant level is good.
im gonna do the reverse flush soon. which is inlet and which is outlet on the heater core

thank you

[chuzz]

Inlet hose should be the one on top of the engine. Outlet runs to water pump.

[garyd75]

looks like im doing an heater core hose replacement as the hose has a rub mark from rubbing on the fuse box. ill flush it then. its been one problem after another. i just found out the gas tank straps are rotted to nothing and the charcoal canister bracket is non existant. ill add that to the broken sunroof and non working ac andbrake problems. thank goodness i can fix stuff

[rckstein]

Originally Posted by garyd75

looks like im doing an heater core hose replacement as the hose has a rub mark from rubbing on the fuse box. ill flush it then. its been one problem after another. i just found out the gas tank straps are rotted to nothing and the charcoal canister bracket is non existant. ill add that to the broken sunroof and non working ac andbrake problems. thank goodness i can fix stuff

You know the old saying

[chuzz]

You'll need to set aside an entire day for a heater core replacement. It's not a job for the feint of heart. Takes about 8 hours. Dash has to come out.