Not much heat from front core - FJ62 (1 Viewer)

[Spook50]

So this winter my FJ62's front heater hasn't been putting out very warm air. The rear's been great, but obviously that's not much to make for a warm vehicle on a long commute to work. Given that it's 32 years old with 300K+ miles on it, I'm wondering if it's worth it to try to flush it (heard CLR is fairly effective and much safer to use than muratic acid) while still in the truck, or if I should get an OEM core, have it refurbished by a local shop (there are a couple near me that have good reputations) and just swap out my original one in a weekend. Upside if I swap I already have to change the speedo cable so I could knock out two birds with one stone while the dash is apart. I'm fairly certain there's some buildup in it, but as old as it is, I'd hate to go to the effort of flushing it only to have it leak within a year or two afterwards.

Thoughts/advice?

 

[Spike Strip]

I *think* they had these made for them. Made in Mex. Good quality or seem to be. I bought one as a back up since they're NLA worldwide, OE or Aftermarket. Difficult to find good used.

Heater Core - Front - FJ60

FJ60 Heater Core Front

cruisercorps.com

 

[Spook50]

Mine's an FJ62. Not sure if they use the same core as the 60 series.

Dig the avatar BTW

 

[Spike Strip]

I thought they did but ive never verified. Will look up in epc

 

[60 toy ota]

You don't really lose anything by trying to flush it first, it's really easy and cheap and usually pretty effective too. If you've got a leaking core trying of flush it won't make that any better or worse as long as you don't use too much pressure

 

[Spook50]

You don't really lose anything by trying to flush it first, it's really easy and cheap and usually pretty effective too. If you've got a leaking core trying of flush it won't make that any better or worse as long as you don't use too much pressure

Worth a shot I suppose. I'm a little leery of using muriatic, but CLR would be worth trying.

 

[3_puppies]

do you have good airflow out the vents?
I'd check and see if the outside of the core is plugged up with debris, leaves etc.
are both hoses going to the core the same temp?

 

[OSS]

This ⇧
my first plan of attack would be to ensure the outside of the core isn't clogged with hair/lint/crap.

 

[Randy88FJ62]

I got warmer air by replacing t-stat and making the the O-RING was in place. This was the number factor from no heat to warm air.

 

[Spook50]

do you have good airflow out the vents?
I'd check and see if the outside of the core is plugged up with debris, leaves etc.
are both hoses going to the core the same temp?

Air flow is good, considering the POS aftermarket blower I have (that's a different project), but that was something I was wondering too is if after 32 years of mostly being parked outside, if I should just swap it out with a known good, and clean, unit just to curb any schmutz that's likely building up in the fins and give the box a good clean out too.

@Randy88FJ62 got a brand new thermostat in there as of last April. Made sure I replaced the O ring too.

 

[bentonrover]

Just did this 2 weeks ago. I literally took the 2 hoses that connect at the firewall off. Ran the garden hose with a good nozzle in one and flushed out the other. Then use compressed air . Then did the water hose again. It worked out great for me. I too was thinking I needed a core but nope. Dont hurt to try. Good luck

 

[Spike Strip]

Heater Core FJ60 and FJ62 super'd to 87107-90A07 81-90

I *think* the pipes that attach are different ?

 

[Randy88FJ62]

There are many culprits and it sounds like you're on the right track. I also noticed that the hard lines on the passenger side of the motor (the small Y pipe and the dual pipe on the rail) have a lot of corrosion inside like clogs pipes. That is one of the main things I need to address.

I plan on revamping the A/C system this year and going after old pipes at the same time.

 

[YooperCruiser]

Last year I flushed the heater core on an Audi A4 that was completely plugged, didn't flow anything, no heat at all. After flushing with straight water I filled it with CLR and let it sit for an hour then flushed it through. It started to flow so did it again and let the CLR sit a little longer and end result was it had full flow and we avoided a major pita job of replace the core. It is def worth a shot.

 

[Saucerman]

FLUSH! FLUSH! FLUSH!
Won't hurt anyway, and it just might help.

 

[Seth S]

If you end up pulling the old core out and it needs some sort of repair you might reach out to Mylers and see if they can work some magic on it.

Myler's Radiators

Myler's Radiators provides the best radiators, parts, and accessories for Dirt Bikes, Street Bikes, A.T.V., UTV, Snowmobiles, you name it.

www.motorcycleradiators.com

 

[ENDO]

I CLR'd my fj62 core today. I did two ten minute soaks and flushes. I noticed a huge difference in heat after. I m going to soak it longer the next time .

 

[Spook50]

I CLR'd my fj62 core today. I did two ten minute soaks and flushes. I noticed a huge difference in heat after. I m going to soak it longer the next time .

Got any pics of how you did it? I'm thinking just some barb fittings to clear vinyl hoses with one up high to feed the CLR and then distilled through.

 

[ENDO]

Got any pics of how you did it? I'm thinking just some barb fittings to clear vinyl hoses with one up high to feed the CLR and then distilled through.

I do not have any pics. I just took the hoses off that were going into the firewall on the passenger side, plugged the bottom one. Put a funnel into the top one and poured CLR into it . Left it there for 10 minutes and then used a water hose with a nozzle to spray water into the funnel. While the lower hose was unplugged. Plugged it back up after rinsing and did it again. Make sure you let the hoses drain so there is room for the CLR. Also you have to keep the top hose elevated or the CLR will drain out of that hose. Hope that helps
I would take pictures for you but my daughter is coming to get the cruiser in the morning.

 

[DirtRoads]

Flush it. I did muratic acid cut down a bit with water and it was fine. Just be careful with it, I think I did about a 5 minute soak then flushed it extremely well. Have some baking soda handy for when you spill.