Not much heat coming from your heater? Try this!

[Unclewolverine]

Xj cherokees are notorious for turning their cooling system to mud and clogging everything up. Even after flushing mine several times, using vinegar, and even CLR, I still couldn't get anything approaching an acceptable amount of heat. So I used an old school trick and switched the heater hoses so it reversed the flow through the heater core. Worked great! Wonderful heat. I just noticed the heat was not quite good again this year so I switched them again, back to nice and toasty!

This trick should work on most vehicles, worth a try to avoid freezing from a clogged core.

 

[DB.Cooper]

Xj cherokees are notorious for turning their cooling system to mud and clogging everything up. Even after flushing mine several times, using vinegar, and even CLR, I still couldn't get anything approaching an acceptable amount of heat. So I used an old school trick and switched the heater hoses so it reversed the flow through the heater core. Worked great! Wonderful heat. I just noticed the heat was not quite good again this year so I switched them again, back to nice and toasty!

This trick should work on most vehicles, worth a try to avoid freezing from a clogged core.

When I do my flushes, I hook a hose directly to the heater core inlet and outlet and flush it both directions.... seems to work pretty well.... if it's really bad, you can put some sort of flush in the core and let it sit for a while....

 

[Rcflyn]

Xj cherokees are notorious for turning their cooling system to mud and clogging everything up. Even after flushing mine several times, using vinegar, and even CLR, I still couldn't get anything approaching an acceptable amount of heat. So I used an old school trick and switched the heater hoses so it reversed the flow through the heater core. Worked great! Wonderful heat. I just noticed the heat was not quite good again this year so I switched them again, back to nice and toasty!

This trick should work on most vehicles, worth a try to avoid freezing from a clogged core.

Nice advice, but, wouldnt you want to flush the system shortly afterwards, get that crap outta there…..???

 

[Unclewolverine]

Nice advice, but, wouldnt you want to flush the system shortly afterwards, get that crap outta there…..???

Wouldn't hurt!

When I do my flushes, I hook a hose directly to the heater core inlet and outlet and flush it both directions.... seems to work pretty well.... if it's really bad, you can put some sort of flush in the core and let it sit for a while....

I did do all that to just the core itself and nothing worked!

 

[DB.Cooper]

Wouldn't hurt!

I did do all that to just the core itself and nothing worked!

I've used stuff like liquid drano and such.... and let it set in the core for a while, then flushed it in both directions, sometimes a repeat performance might be needed.... it's always seemed to give me heat tho.... I think I'm about due for a new thermostat tho...

 

[MiddleOfNowhere]

one thing to remember is that over time, antifreeze becomes acidic, and corrosive. a guy that used to run a local garage, was a believer in ph testing the coolant. probably more important in older vehicles, where replacement parts are getting harder to find.

 

[Morty]

I've used CLR. Let it sit, then flush really good both ways.

I also switch out the coolant with the manufacturers most current coolant. Takes a long time to flush everything out, but that's what I prefer to do. I don't trust the cheap green stuff.