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Tony Hwang

wrote:
On Sun, 27 Dec 2015 15:56:43 -0700, Tony Hwang
wrote:

bob haller wrote:
On Sunday, December 27, 2015 at 1:54:17 PM UTC-5, Snuffy "Hub Cap" McKinney wrote:
Back to the 97 Aerostar again.... It appears that the heater core is nearly plugged. Some heat gets through, but not much.

Heater valve & vacuum work fine. A friend said to pull the valve off and connect a garden hose to the outlet and hit it with some short blasts of from the garden hose. Then connect to the inlet and repeat until it flows free and clean.

But, and this is a big butt, I have done these kind of things before and been sorry later. So I thought I'd ask the online brain center for some (good) advice first. The last thing I want to do is open a leak in the core and hose down the front seat.

I havehad dodge caravans since 1990. picked up this procedure from a local radiator shop.

its best to notonly flush the heater core but change all the coolant.

flush the heater core with both water and air. pulse the air on and off while putting water thru the core.

it generally lasts a couple years, and while you at it replace the thermostat. it might be stuck open or running the engine cold, so the heater never really gets hot.

never ever!! never ever! use radator stop leak, unlessyou really want to replace the heater core and perhaps even the radiator

Flushing is rocket science? Add chemical flush agent, drive around until
engine reaches operating temp. Wait until cools down, reverse flush
until clear water comes out. If once is not enough, repeat.
Fill with 50-50 compatible coolant. While at it replace rad. cap and
thermostat as well. Check serpentine belt too.
Periodic routine maintenance is always good idea. Neglect and laziness
creates more difficult problems.
The most important thing is to check and maintain the pH level of the
coolant - when replacing the coolant and every year. Too low a pH will
corrode the system. Too high a pH will cause scale and plug the
system.

Having the coolant filtered and the pH adjusted annually, or every 2
years will prevent almost all cooling system problems except those
caused by exterior elements - like salt, rocks, etc.

I don't hesitate tasting it with my tongue, LOL!