Wilson111 Posted November 28, 2023 Report Share Posted November 28, 2023 Just finished a heater core replacement after no heat on the passenger side. It’s a 2012 r/t, I’ve had it for 3 years. I did four 4 litre jug flushes last week after seeing a bit of sediment at the bottom of the containers. I flushed the old heater core once it was out of the car and got this out if it. If that was in the heater core what’s left in the radiator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson111 Posted November 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2023 We nearly overheated on a road trip this summer going over a mountain pass, would it be possible the radiator to be partially clogged with this crud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted November 29, 2023 Report Share Posted November 29, 2023 yes it could be possible after all it's a 12 yr old car,,, do a complete flush of the system then add new coolant and I would change out the thermostat as well,,which eng do you have? 3.6 is real easy and make sure you bleed the air out of the system as well. good luck Locosiete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson111 Posted November 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2023 On 2023-11-28 at 8:16 PM, 2late4u said: yes it could be possible after all it's a 12 yr old car,,, do a complete flush of the system then add new coolant and I would change out the thermostat as well,,which eng do you have? 3.6 is real easy and make sure you bleed the air out of the system as well. good luck It’s the 3.6, new thermostat last year and bled the system with the bleeder screw, checked it this morning after getting up to temp to open the thermostat. No more bubbles coming out. Fingers crossed Locosiete and 2late4u 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locosiete Posted December 17, 2023 Report Share Posted December 17, 2023 On 11/28/2023 at 10:16 PM, 2late4u said: yes it could be possible after all it's a 12 yr old car,,, do a complete flush of the system then add new coolant and I would change out the thermostat as well,,which eng do you have? 3.6 is real easy and make sure you bleed the air out of the system as well. good luck I always try to replace thermostat anything I am messing with the coolant system, it's a inexpensive preventative maintenance at that point even if it's a year old. Rather spend the extra $20 and extra few minutes all at once then possibly regret it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rina5677 Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 @2late4u hello hello! I have a 2010 dodge journey with the 3.5L. I did have the no heat passenger side, long story short I did replace the thermostat, ruled out actuators and then one day I smelt coolant in the cab so made the call for heater core. Here's where I hope I didn't mess up too bad though - I saw a guy on YouTube cut his new heater core lines and use heater hose and hose clamps to connect old lines from firewall to new at heater core(save labor time and swearing amount). So that is how I did ours. Immediate improvement,blowing heat better than ever! No leaks. My problem comes a month later though, when driving yesterday I smeled coolant in the cab again ? had a peek at the heater core and noticed the aluminum fitting directly at the heater core must not be sealed correctly as there is definitely a small amount of coolant there. I'm pretty sure I should just be able to tap it in with a chisel and hammer lightly until it seals but what are your thoughts? Should I remove heater core and replace o-ring or gasket at the aluminum lines? It's-51 with the windchill here in sk so a coolant leak, even if small,is the last thing we need! TIA for any and all help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5rebel9 Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 10 hours ago, Rina5677 said: @2late4u hello hello! I have a 2010 dodge journey with the 3.5L. I did have the no heat passenger side, long story short I did replace the thermostat, ruled out actuators and then one day I smelt coolant in the cab so made the call for heater core. Here's where I hope I didn't mess up too bad though - I saw a guy on YouTube cut his new heater core lines and use heater hose and hose clamps to connect old lines from firewall to new at heater core(save labor time and swearing amount). So that is how I did ours. Immediate improvement,blowing heat better than ever! No leaks. My problem comes a month later though, when driving yesterday I smeled coolant in the cab again ? had a peek at the heater core and noticed the aluminum fitting directly at the heater core must not be sealed correctly as there is definitely a small amount of coolant there. I'm pretty sure I should just be able to tap it in with a chisel and hammer lightly until it seals but what are your thoughts? Should I remove heater core and replace o-ring or gasket at the aluminum lines? It's-51 with the windchill here in sk so a coolant leak, even if small,is the last thing we need! TIA for any and all help! Having done the heater core the same way as you posted. YES one needs to be VERY GENTLE with vibrations of cutting the lines on the new heater core, or damage will happen as you post. I also knew that when using heater hose and screw clamps that you also need to go back to them after a little while and RECHECK the clamps tightness. My son who drives the vehicle I post of did not give me a chance to do such UNTIL he complained of a wet drivers side floor and lack of heat. The time period involved was also right about a month. If you are sure it's from tube to core body, whatever you decide to do, make sure you recheck the rubber hoses and clamp tightness. Locosiete and Rina5677 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locosiete Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 I'd also recommend checking the clamps first. Sometimes just a half turn is all you need to do to seal it up. Not saying tighten that bad boy until a vain pops cause that can create leaks too. Otherwise worst case if the leak is not bad wait until a warmer day that is not in the negative temperatures. Just make sure to keep an eye on your coolant level and keeps some rags and plastic bags in case it worsen. Rina5677 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 I would def try to tighten the alum ridges that clamp around the tubes just be carefully,as mentioned above the tubes are sensitive to any movement, I wouldn't try to replace the o rings as they should still be ok Locosiete and Rina5677 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rina5677 Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 @Locosiete @2late4u awesome thanks for the tips! I will be bringing it into my shop later this week when the extreme cold warning is done. Will be sure to post how it goes! 2late4u and Locosiete 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rina5677 Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 @Locosiete @2late4u it was definitely (so far) just the hose clamps needing a little tightening! What a relief, thank you guys so much!! 2late4u and Locosiete 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locosiete Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 5 hours ago, Rina5677 said: @Locosiete @2late4u it was definitely (so far) just the hose clamps needing a little tightening! What a relief, thank you guys so much!! Most common mistake people do is start with the worst case scenario. Start small then work up frim there. Otherwise you'll end up replacing the engine each time the air filter gets clogged. The smallest things sometimes cause the biggest problems. Rina5677 and 2late4u 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rina5677 Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 @5rebel9 how did you get the smell of coolant out after it dripped down? On your sons journey. Mine dripped last night,I checked hose clamps and they did need a small tighten. I still smell coolant but thinking it's just from how much slowly leaked out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5rebel9 Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 28 minutes ago, Rina5677 said: @5rebel9 how did you get the smell of coolant out after it dripped down? On your sons journey. Mine dripped last night,I checked hose clamps and they did need a small tighten. I still smell coolant but thinking it's just from how much slowly leaked out... Not to sound funny but, there were fabric floor mats in his and we took them out and hosed them off, wet vac'ed the drivers carpeting as best as possible and during good weather left windows down to "air out" and fry up. We must be less sensitive to the smell you are concerned about, as it has not been an issue for us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rina5677 Posted March 11 Report Share Posted March 11 Hahah no worries. For whatever reason this one has never had floor mats...just the floor 😅 guess I better get some lol it has gotten a bit better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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