Would there be any negative implications to 'capping' the passenger side heat duct?
90% of the time I drive alone and it has gotten to that time of year when getting a little extra heat helps. Does a higher temp thermostat make a 'big' difference? I currently have a 185.tia paul
I removed that floor heat redirector from mine (one screw, I think) because it's an airflow restriction. Makes for a warmer cab.
The first thing you should do is check the level of the coolant in the radiator. If it is low you won't get much heater output.
No it will cause no damage to divert more of the heater output to the driver's side.
Check the heat control valve , if you have one, to be sure that it is fully operational both opening and closing. Some are cable operated, some vacuum.
Check the heater hose routing, if the hoses have to go up too far that will slow the coolant flow and trap a large air bubble.
With the engine warmed up is the radiator hot? If it remains cool then the thermostat may be stuck open. A open thermostat will not allow the coolant to warm up and therefore you will have poor heater output.
Why do you have a 185 degree thermostat? Was the engine overheating in the past? Hotter running engines run more efficiently and produce less pollution.
Have you used radiator/cooling system stop leak? If yes you may have clogged up the heater core.
What did your coolant look like when you checked it in step 1? If it was nasty looking the heater core may be clogged. Back flush the cooling system and heater core.
Remove the thermostat and check it for proper operation by putting it in a pan of water on the stove and heating it. It should open shortly before it begins to boil. If not replace it with the proper temperature thermostat. You will need to have a replacement thermostat gasket available ahead of time. Be careful not to stress any plastic parts.
Back flush the heater core by removing the hoses and forcing water backwards of the normal flow. Save the first couple gallons in a bucket, what does it look like, how much comes out, is there good water flow?
The hotter t-stat does make a difference. Flushing it also can make a radical difference.
I find filling the cab with my heater on mix makes it the warmest. I run about 1/3 to the glass and 2/3 to the floor. My CJ7 is already almost too hot on the driver's feet, hot enough to make them sweat at
-25F which isn't always a good thing. Gotta have spare socks and boots to change into if going out into it after driving any distance. I almost got frostbite while setting up a camp at -25 last winter because my feet were wet and I forgot to change.
If I heat it up before I hit the highway for a trip or something like that, I have the best heat. It has a hard time heating up a cold cab at
65 mph in -20 or -30 or so.Others have mentioned using a wind jammer that isolates the front from the back. When we go on trips, we always load behind the front seat to the roof first, then fill back after for this reason. It does heat up a lot faster with the back blocked off. The fold and tilt back seat blocks half of it if I leave it in.
Just for the heck of it, you might want to run a booster cable from the battery negative to the heater motor's case to see if it speeds up. The one on our Cherokee radically sped up so I added a second body ground cable.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: N>65 MPH ???????? Are you sure that's a CJ you're talking about ???? ;>)
YJ
Nope Billy Ray, Mike's is a CJ7.
Umm mine is a CJ7, it cruises nice at 70-75 mph, but the OP's ia a YJ and I have had YJ's keep up at 65 mph....
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Aug./05
Coolant is clean, recently flushed system. The 185 heats ok.... thinking that a 195 would keep me warmer? Not sure about the heater control valve (93 YJ) but I know what they look like, I had to replace the wife's XJ hcv
I figure I will try redirecting (or capping) the passenger side heat duct for while I'm driving alone.
thanks paul
Mine does. No problems there,
Flat road, noboidy but me in the cab, tailwind. No problem. . . . .
LOL, I've been in Mike's CJ at 65 mph downhill and airborne most of the time.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.