98 XJ Heater blowing cold

[Teephphah]

The CLR trick brought back my heat, and if I can get it to work, anybody can.

 

[bimmerjeeper]

Which do you think really did it, the CLR or the air compressor blowing the crap out? How many times did you blast it with air?

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

I didn't use air. so the CLR did it.

 

[cdrake261]

I did it earlier to my heater core... while it's not perfect, but it's much warmer then it was. Hopefully it should last me till next spring when it's warm enough to take a weekend in to install a new one.

 

[2001JeepXJNS]

Several cycles of water than compressed air,maybe ten times. Probably overkill but I have never had such great heat. Beats spending a whole weekend ripping the dash apart to get to the oddly placed core.

Although I would recommend flushing the entire system after you finish cleaning out the core.

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

This repair didn't last for me. About 4 weeks later and a temp drop to around freezing and my heater wasn't keeping up again.

Gave it a second shot today with non-diluted CLR. We'll see what happens.

 

[2001JeepXJNS]

Or maybe try the compressed air technique?

I had the same problem as you, I blew all the crud out of the core by cycling compressed air and water / CLR soak.

Then go buy one of those cheap coolant flush kits, hook it up, turn heat all the way up and let it run for at least 15-30 mins. You got a bunch of stuff clogging the system, someone probably used some stop leak in the past.

Here is the problem, once you get your core cleaned out it might get stuck in your rad if you don't completely flush the entire system. Flush it out completely and you will be good.

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

I suppose I could buy a separate hose and reg for the co2 tank on my kegerator and use it...

I really should do a chemical flush, but I hate trying to dispose of coolant! No one ever wants to take it, and I feel like I'm doing something illegal dumping it down the toilet

 

[Teephphah]

At least you're not leaving it out in nice little trays for the neighborhood cats. Right? It could be much worse.

 

[2001JeepXJNS]

Same thing happened to me when I just soaked with CLR and flushed the core, it only lasted a few weeks. When I blew it out flushed and repeated several times and then flushed the entire system for a long time it worked great.

Just do it at a self serve car wash place and no cleanup is needed. Also a great place to do oil changes.:gag:

 

[joe_peters]

Look, the real answer is MAINTENANCE of the cooling system.

Every two years use a RADIATOR CLEANER--not a radiator "flush"--to clean the system. NEVER USE "EXTENDED LIFE" coolant such as the Dexcool RUBBISH. Stick with standard 'green' coolant. That is all you need to do.

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

Look, the real answer is MAINTENANCE of the cooling system.

Every two years use a RADIATOR CLEANER--not a radiator "flush"--to clean the system. NEVER USE "EXTENDED LIFE" coolant such as the Dexcool RUBBISH. Stick with standard 'green' coolant. That is all you need to do.

Agreed.

However not all of us have owned these rigs since new, so maintenance was not always done by the PO.

 

[joe_peters]

Agreed.

However not all of us have owned these rigs since new, so maintenance was not always done by the PO.

Agree completely.

I am a little OCD (or anal), and whenever I buy a used vehicle I ASSUME the worst, so new belts, new hoses, new filters, new fluids, and a cooling system cleaning.

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

Ill be doing a full cooling system cleaning in the near future. Is there a product you'd recommend for it?

 

[Ecomike]

Ill be doing a full cooling system cleaning in the near future. Is there a product you'd recommend for it?

DI water and a quart of vinegar. Or get some powdered sulfamic acid, mix with DI water.

 

[garr]

Look, the real answer is MAINTENANCE of the cooling system.

Every two years use a RADIATOR CLEANER--not a radiator "flush"--to clean the system. NEVER USE "EXTENDED LIFE" coolant such as the Dexcool RUBBISH. Stick with standard 'green' coolant. That is all you need to do.

This is what I do & I am still on the same radiator & Water pump @ 150K, I do backflush with clean water though, Then I blow out as much water from the engine (using Lo-Pressure air 15-20psi) as I can Before I put fresh coolant & distilled water in. I also change the hoses/thermostat/Cap every few years depending on condition.