FJ60 Heaters SUCK

[cps432]

The heater in my 60 is kickass. It’s blasting hot air within three minutes and ice is melted within 7-8 with no need to scrape. It gets unbearably hot after about 10 minutes on high.

Are you sure everything is flowing properly in the engine bay? This heater is better than the heater I had in my 05 mustang.

 

[Gretsch]

Not to pile on here, but I would have to agree with others on the 60 series heater. Mine gets plenty warm to the point I have to back it off some. Doesn't get very cold around these parts but I love my 60 series heater. HTH.

 

[cruiserpilot]

No, core must be in place. Open HEATER valve to Hot. I have a heater hose duct taped to a cheap
plastic reducer from the 2” shop vac hose. Then I attach the blowing part to the heater inlet hose. Disconnect the heater outlet hose so it can drain into a bucket /floor whatever you are comfortable with. Turn the vacuum on and it will blow the fluid from the heater core completely. If you pour a flushing agent, rad flush, an extreme option is diluted muriatic acid, but this is caustic and you want to make sure you don’t leave any of that in there. You can flush the rad flush agent using a garden hose, but then blow it out again with the vacuum air pressure to remove all the water so the system is cleaned right out.
To make it easy when you reinstall everything, pour anti freeze using a funnel directly down into the heater so it’s full with just new antifreeze.
I flushed my 12HT engine block the same way, just blew vacuum pressure air into the heater return line. It makes sure all the old fluid is out. Last time I did this, I was within 100 ml of full of what the manual said it would hold when I refilled with new. So I knew the system was completely flushed.

BTW, I just spent 90 min tearing the entire interior and dash out. Next step is to find a leak that has filled the floors with antifreeze. I have no idea yet. The bottom of the heater box is dry.
Tomorrow should tell me what the heck is going on. I’m suspecting copper heater line connection but so far that’s not found out.

@ntdb
couple of pics. Just finished flushing today. You can see the hose is all puffed up with my shop vac pushing air. I got about 4-5 more litres out of the system from gravity feed

 

[Seth S]

My heater just blows

 

[SteveH]

FJ62s have a hotter t-stat than FJ60s (as delivered) so that is one way to get a hotter heater - just run the engine hotter.

Related: I put a 200F thermostat in my '83 GMC snow plow truck, since I only really drive it in the winter. That heater (with a new core, which cost $9.99) rocks.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

My heater just blows

Well if that isn’t open ended...

 

[cps432]

Well if that isn’t open ended...

It has to be open to blow

 

[IDAHOLANDCRUSHER]

my heater core has been rodded out and re-soldiered i have a Chevy 5.3 and all new hoses and the heater valve bypassed, it still wont keep the windows de-fogged on a cold day I have never had a/c that worked on this thing, I'm thinking the universal heater and then I can 3d print some adapters to connect it to the factory ducts out of ABS and a heater valve in the factory location so I don't get cooked again when i go back to moab this summer

 

[elripster]

That sounds like a flow problem. For whatever reason the heater core is not a preferential flow path or something. Do you still have the floor/rear heater?

Frank

 

[3_puppies]

my heater core has been rodded out and re-soldiered i have a Chevy 5.3 and all new hoses and the heater valve bypassed, it still wont keep the windows de-fogged on a cold day I have never had a/c that worked on this thing, I'm thinking the universal heater and then I can 3d print some adapters to connect it to the factory ducts out of ABS and a heater valve in the factory location so I don't get cooked again when i go back to moab this summer

have you checked the temp on the 2 heater hoses to/from the heater core?
temp of engine?

 

[cruiserpilot]

my heater core has been rodded out and re-soldiered i have a Chevy 5.3 and all new hoses and the heater valve bypassed, it still wont keep the windows de-fogged on a cold day I have never had a/c that worked on this thing, I'm thinking the universal heater and then I can 3d print some adapters to connect it to the factory ducts out of ABS and a heater valve in the factory location so I don't get cooked again when i go back to moab this summer

You’re gonna have to proof read this. I don’t know what rodded out and re-soldiered means. A V8 should have enough heat to melt everything. Make sure the Land Cruiser heater valve is in fact opening, cause the adjustment rod sometimes doesn’t pull it open all the way. Make sure the clips holding the adjustment rods are all intact as well.

 

[elripster]

An IR heat thermometer would be very helpful here. If you have heat on the core inlet then you don't have flow for whatever reason.

Engines waste 75% or so of the chemical energy (gasoline here) as heat which gets rejected through the radiator and/or heater core. A 2f is likely 80% or more waste heat. If you don't have flow and the core isn't clogged then there is something in the plumbing where, for example, the coolant has a path of lower resistance than through the core.

Frank

 

[MANUCHAO]

Make sure the clips holding the adjustment rods are all intact as well.

clips do snap out of place and or break....
Visually inspect that shut off valve at the engine firewall to see that it actually works...

 

[ff347]

A thermal camera would probably solve this in a few minutes, do you know and firefighters, plumbers, electricians, etc. ? We used our engine company thermal camera for a situation almost like this and it answered hours of questions in about 30 seconds. ( take donuts for bait to a fire station)

 

[cruiserpilot]

clips do snap out of place and or break....
Visually inspect that shut off valve at the engine firewall to see that it actually works...

Just fixed mine after 3 yrs.

 

[ryanCA]

I was driving home and had to turn down the heater in both of my 60s today (87 an

thought they were toohot !

then again unlike most 60s - mine passes smog and AC works too (knock on wood)

 

[NMfjCruiser]

I was driving home and had to turn down the heater in both of my 60s today (87 an

thought they were toohot !

then again unlike most 60s - mine passes smog and AC works too (knock on wood)

Trifecta. Smogs probably the rarest.
Never been cold in the 60 and its often -10 at the cabin. Rear heat is not even hooked up. AC blows cold enough to hang meat even when it’s 100 out. I dread the day I have to convert to 134a

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Never had any problem with any cruiser heaters here - if it's a diesel it won't get any heat sitting idling.

In order of ease to check:
1) Check heater valve operation
2) Check heater core for clogs
3) Check thermostat operation
4) If no luck, get an IR thermometer and see what's not getting hot.

 

[lonelydriver]

Whenever i flush the coolant, i have to literally pump probably a 100 times min, the inlet hose to the heater core. What i mean by pump is grab that hose and squeeze it and let it go, squeeze let it go.. i can actually feel the coolant eventually push out the air bubble. I do have a v8 swap, but don't think that makes too much of a difference in this case, here's a video i made, hope this helps. skip forward to the 2:30 minute mark.

 

[cps432]

Trifecta. Smogs probably the rarest.
Never been cold in the 60 and its often -10 at the cabin. Rear heat is not even hooked up. AC blows cold enough to hang meat even when it’s 100 out. I dread the day I have to convert to 134a

I have my factory AC setup as well. It blew ice cold like that. Then I went and replaced the radiator and broke one of the AC connectors and released all my gas. It was a sad and kinda scary day. I now have 240 AC. 2 windows down at 40 MPH.