My cars tempature runs about 185 and my heater just barely gets luke warm. Is it safe to use the old carboard in front of the radiator trick like my dad used to do on his old cars? It's the reverse cooling that concerns me....

 

i think you better flush your heater core, running at 185 should be planty hot.

 

good idea...
thanks

 

Don't block your radiator.

 

Like you know what you're talking about!!

 

who lives in Montana? the guy who started this lives in Missouri, MT is Montana. besides his coolant temp is 185 when his heater is luke warm? mine blows hot air before 185 in Colorado mountain winter. his heater core may be clogged, or something in the HVAC controls isn't working right.

 

I was never good at geography.
However since the heater core and hoses are higher than the engine then the symptoms described from original poster may be from the coolant system not being completely full.
If it helps any I used to live in both Loveland and Littleton just off of Kipling and Belview. Red Rocks is the sh(t for concerts!

 

Your point about the radiator not being completly full has got me thinking, I just had some work done that required my radiator being drained. I had to keep taking it back to the shop to get the air out of the system. The car was running hot at the time. when I finally got it back I saw that it ran cooler that it ever did before. I have checked the radiator cap and over flow bottle several times and they are where they should be. Wouldn't the car run too hot if the heater core was't getting coolant?

 

Not necessarily. The coolant required for the core and hoses is very small compared to the cooling system's ~15qt. capacity and again, because the core and hoses are at a higher point than the engine coolant may not be reaching the hoses or core.
What I would suggest first is to start the car and let the cooling system pressurize. Open the bleeder screw on the T-stat housing first. You should immediately see coolant dribble out of the bleeder. Make sure to put a rag under the housing so coolant doesn't get onto the opti. If you don't see coolant then keep it open until you do. If the system looses pressure (you can check by squeezing on the topside radiator hose) then close the screw and let the system pressurize again. Repeat until coolant makes its way out of the bleeder.
Next step is to open the bleeder screw on the heater hose. Again you should immediately see coolant stream out. If you don't then repeat the same steps as above. Do one at a time. Have someone inside the car to keep an eye on the temp guage.
If you see coolant out of both bleeders upon first opening then as suggested you probably have an obstruction between the waterpump and heater core.
I've read all kinds of threads in here about those whose heater cores were clogged. They took a garden hose, cut off the end, put a hose clamp around it and fastened to the top pipe of the heater core and fastened the other end to a faucet and let 'er rip. I cringe at that because it may put more pressure in the core than it was designed for and could blow it out. I blew a heater core on my Suzuki Swift just by doing a flush. I'd do this as a last resort after bleeding the system and making sure the hoses are not clogged.
Was the thermostat changed recently? The reason I ask is a faulty T-stat that is stuck open can have the same symptoms. One way to know is if the temp guage stays fixed at one temperature no matter how the engine is driven (stop and go or just cruising down the highway). If the stat is stuck open then coolant is flowing constantly and your heater will feel luke warm. Also because of the reverse cooling the T-stat is different from a traditional SBC.

 

I have the same problem. But...where exactly is the heater core? Somewhere on the passenger side dash right?

 

Yea even with my 160 stat it starts blowing hot air within 5-10 min.

 

well mine does this too, and i have had and acid flush. No luck. I had a 160 in it now i have a 180. Gets a little warm but not hot. Everything checks out good.

chris

 

With a 160 stat I get PLENTY of heat during the winter. Once the car warms up I usually need to set the temperature control to the midway point or else it gets way too hot. Flush your heater core. I had the same thing happen last year and flushing it out made all the difference in the world.

 

If the heater core was not isolated and flushed by itself, it could still be clogged. A normal flush usually won't do it.

 

I found the problem, the shop that put my new cam in, added two 1/8 inch holes in the thermostate to shut me up after I was complaing that the car getting hot after I shut the engine off. I put a new thermostat back in it and even thought the car runs cool enough (180) when I shut if off the tempature will slowly climb to the first mark below red. They say this is normal and that they bled the air out of the system.
What do you guys think? is this mormal? I didn't notice it before but maybe it was?

I hate bleeding the system for fear of soaking the opti......