Puzzling Pickup Problem

Well first it was my wipers, fixed that with a new board & next day my heater wouldn't blow hot. It's a 95 GMC 4.3 V6 vortec. I replaced the thermostat about 2 years ago with a "Failsafe", but went ahead and replaced it today with a "Superstat" from NAPA, and still no heat. I checked the old one in a pan of boiling water today & it's opening. So,,,, these couldn't be related, surely. But that's my luck. I mean,, it's just like my heater was goin bad while I'm working on my wipers. I might try flushing it out tommorrow & letcha know how that goes. This heater thing is really puzzlin me. I'd appreciate any ideas Thanks Richard

Reply to
jet
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Does your vehicle have a vacuum operated heater control valve? Maybe you knocked off a vacuum line when changing out the wiper board.

James

Reply to
James1549

Nope,,, i just got thru checking everything vacuum related and there's nothing undone,, i even pulled the breather and checked everything at the throttle body.

I remember seeing a post somewhere about the red anti-freeze & how air is it's enemy, etc etc. Now,, for about the last year it'll leave a small puddle of antifreeze at startup, not from the weephole but just underneath it, maybe an ounce, or less, a 6" to 8" puddle, then it stops, (this is a weird problem by itself). I've always ran it low but never more than a quart or so. Is it possible that the "Red Stuff + air",,,, over a year's time has caused a blockage somewhere ?? like the heater core ?? I'm gonna flush it today & use the green antifreeze & see if it helps,, it can't hurt, Sorry for the long post but I'm getting desperate here, Thanks for the help Richard

Reply to
jet

"I'm gonna flush it today & use the green antifreeze & see if it helps,, it can't hurt" It can hurt and pretty badly, too. If you remove the red stuff, be sure to flush it really, really, really, good. The red and the green don't go well together.

Reply to
George

I really wish this info would die. The ONLY thing that will happen if you put the older formula green in with Dex or other antifreeze sold as "long life" is that you will lose the "long life" qualities of the newer antifreeze. It means you have to start servicing the cooling system every couple years (which even with Dex is a VERY good idea). The gelling and goo in most of the long life systems is caused by air entering the system and congealing the additive package in the Dex. Once that happens your pushing crap with the consistency of jello around the system. It doesn't cool very well.

My usual routine is to pull the heater core lines, flush the core in reverse with a GOOD cleaner. Hook a short length of hose across the heater connections on the engine and drop the coolant. Then fill with water/cleaner mix and run the engine to warm it up and break the crap free. Then pull the lower rad. hose and run water into the heater connection to finish flushing it out. Hook the heater back up and fill with 50/50 mix of whichever coolant you want. Once filled run the engine so it warms up all the way. Fill the overflow bottle all the way. Then let the engine cool off. Check the bottle to make SURE that it has enough to prevent any air from being drawn into the engine. Then drive it and make sure it stays full.

Reply to
Steve W.

Well I did it. I used a can of Flush & did just that,,, over & over & over & well you get the idea. I got all kinds of stuff out of it too,, brown snotty stuff, and now i don't even need to use the fan hardly at all. It gets so hot in there it'll make ya sweat, just like when it was new. I spent about 3 or 4 hours just flushing and now I've got HEAT out the wazoo. I sure do appreciate all the help guys. Maybe there'll be something that I can help you guys out with someday. Many many many thanks, Rich

Reply to
jet

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