winters coming
10-12-2011, 02:20 PM
#1
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Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
winters coming
Last winter my heat was warm to say it best. I've heard that I need to back flush my heater core. I need to have my coolant flushed. Will that flush my heater core. Also my heater worked best @ 2k or under a load. Someone told me that it could head gasket problem however I have no other symptoms. Thanks for any help.
10-12-2011, 02:26 PM
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Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Kind of hard to know exactly what you mean without question marks or a lot of details. By a coolant flush, do you mean completely flush out all coolant from your system, or just the radiator/heater core, etc?
You can easily back flush the heater core with even a garden hose, use the search function on here to find several write ups on how to do that. The lack of heat is most likely from that. I doubt you have any head gasket issues, start simple with the core flush. By doing the core flush only, you will keep most of your coolant in your system, but if you plan on flushing the whole system you will obviously lose it all and can do the core flush in addition to anything else you decide to do with everything pulled apart.
Hope that helps!
You can easily back flush the heater core with even a garden hose, use the search function on here to find several write ups on how to do that. The lack of heat is most likely from that. I doubt you have any head gasket issues, start simple with the core flush. By doing the core flush only, you will keep most of your coolant in your system, but if you plan on flushing the whole system you will obviously lose it all and can do the core flush in addition to anything else you decide to do with everything pulled apart.
Hope that helps!
10-12-2011, 02:30 PM
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Year: 1998
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Engine: 4.0L HO
The heater, motor and radiator should all 3 be flushed and flushed separate of each other.....especially if the coolant is nasty. A good heater requires a clean (free-flowing) system, a good t-stat and a good water pump. Not sure I understand how a bad head gasket can cause poor heater performance without causing other issues as well.
Last edited by djb383; 10-12-2011 at 02:34 PM.
10-12-2011, 09:00 PM
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Year: 1998
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I guess a lube center is better than nothing......I wouldn't use 'em.....I think a garden hose will do a better job. IMHO, both heater hoses need to be removed at the motor, top rad hose should be removed at t-stat cover and bottom rad hose removed at the water pump. Stick the garden hose in one heater hose, then in the nipple on the t-stat cover, then in the top rad hose. Flush, flush, flush 'til all runs clear.
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