replacing my heater core every two weeks?
 

i have an '03 with "about 200,000" miles on it and starting last winter my heater core went out and in the past 3 months i have replaced the heater core 3 more times.:argh: ive gone thru every checklist and troubleshooting list i can think of and still the heater core goes out? flushed cooling system, replaced radiator cap, replaced thermostat, and checked the coolant for an electrical charge and never shows more than .03 amps. any suggestions or comments would be greatly appriciated, i have got pulling the heater core out down to a science and have it out of the truck in under an hour

how is the core failing ?

Make sure there are no shirts in the wiring. And when you start the truck do you still have it plugged in?

it keeps failing in different places on the heater core, sometimes its on the end of one of teh cores and sometimes it leaks around either the inlet or exit pipe? and thats the next thing i need to check, i have some stereo stuff in the truck, would that be a good place to start checking the wiring and grounding?

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i spent a good couple hours tracing wires and checking connections and cleanliness on battery terminals and looking for frayed or exposed wires and have not found any problem areas? one thing is from the heater core leaking there is still alot of moisture around the carpet in the front seats, could that be a part of the problem? also I've been told of people putting a zinc diode somewhere on the cooling system to collect any electrical current that may be present? is that a myth or would that be a good solution?

Maybe somebodys sellin you junk:humm:

Blown headgasket ? building pressure in the Heater Core ?

i would hope the dealership wouldnt sell me crap parts!! jw if the headgasket was blown wouldnt i see fluid leaking out of the side of teh head? havent spotted any leaks anywhere?

Not always it could be a internal leak alongside a water jacket

and what would be the best way to go about checking for a leak thats internal?

Restrictors
 

I work on freightliners, and they have this same issue. We put restrictors on the outlet side of the heater core. We cut the rubber line outside the fire wall(outlet) and install a restrictive fitting. you can pick up the fitting at freightliner if you cant find one.

if your head gasket was blown you would have lots of psi in your cooling system, a cracked head will also somtimes cause lots of psi in cooling system. you can check it by installing a coolant pressure tester on the radiator and running the truck, 1500 rpm for about 10 mins, shouldnt build more than like 15-20 psi. (note this is how we test for a bad head or head gasket on big rigs, not sure if its accurate for your truck) I think the restrictive fitting will solve your issue.

awesome, thanks for the help:jump: and my 1 ton isnt quite a big rig but i will def pressure test it before anything else just for shits and giggles, but i will try the restrictor on the OUTLET side of the heater core and see if that solves the problem

Take the cap off and see if bubbles are coming up thru the coolant!

You'll need to make some boost for this to work, unless the leak is really, really bad. Then you'll know by the white smoke out the tail pipe.

It bubbled alittle bit out of the cap but only when I was burping the cooling system. And I've noticed the heater core tends to go out after hard driving or pulling a heavy load. But Workin 12 hour nights makes it's hard to find time to work on it until I get a day off. First thing is to pressure test the system and then go from there

for light duty engines you should be able to just hook up a coolant pressure tester and run at idle, i even do this on medium/heavy duty trucks because if you have internal leak it will almost always pressurize the system, one thing i would do is check your grounds on the truck, battery to frame, engine to frame etc.. i had an old ford 9000 that kept doin it to me. so pretty much everything everyone else said. :c:

It's not amps your looking for it's volts in the coolent and on the radiator it self. electrolisis, wicked.

would you restrict the out put side of the heater core or the inlet side just a??:c:

Hey SilverBullet1, hoping you may check this post/website. Would really luv to know how you pulled the heater core in an hour, I just did mine 3 months ago or so and the new factory one failed, and have to do it again

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Anyone else get there core out under an hour??

no problem always glad to help a fellow diesel enthusiast! nobody could give me a solid answer so i had to do the work and troubleshooting myself, i ended up concluding that i had electrolisis(im sure i butchered that spelling) you can google it but basically your cooling system can become electrically charged due to a bad ground or connection or short in a wire. mine was due to the fact that i had a stereo system in my truck and there was too much current going through the truck, i simply removed the sound system but my next alterative was getting a zinc(or similar) diode to place near the fill cap or somewhere easy to access to catch all the rust and electrically charged particles flowing through the system, well at least most them.

and as far as removing the heater core in one hour... the first two times i replaced it lets just say it would be better timed in days, lol. but once i figured out where all the fasteners where and the correct order to disassemble and reinstall the parts it was fairly simple! its been awhile since i changed my last one but if my memory serves me right you will need:
8, 10, 13, 14 and i believe 17 or 18mm sockets
phillps head screw driver(after the first one i used a cordless drill with 8" drill bit extention)
tool to break apart the a/c lines
a flat head screw driver to remove some very cleverly placed plastic clips
and some swivel sockets and combo wrenches helped for certain bolts(mainly the ones under the hood)
and if you go the enviromentally safe route, something to catch the coolant when you break the a/c lines. and the coolant lines, which shouldnt leak much other than whats leaked inside the housing or heater core.

now as for actually removing the heater core assembly once you have all the necessary trim removed, passenger air bag, drrop steering column, you have to remove the dash itself but not entirely(this prevents the unnecessary unplugging of wires and such) once all trim, steering wheel, shifter ect. are removed you can simply roll the dash back.
a buddy to help roll it in and out is definately helpfull! and with alittle fenaglling you can work the heater core assembly out through the passenger door and the heater core is removed very easily! and to replace simply do the same process in revers and check for leaks and add coolant!
with the assembly out you should inspect your blend doors(depending on your trucks options like dual climate control like mine) it might be worth your money to replace the ones you can get too easily without breaking the two halves of the housing apart.
be warned the little gears and plastic arms that wear out are not cheap! roughly 20-30 a pop depending on which dealership you go to.

im sure im leaving some steps out but please feel free to ask away with any questions!
i need a beer after typing all that!:c: