I went to NAPA

[rusty_tlc]

Got a new thermostat, gasket, and seal.

After I install that stuff I'm hoping the 60 will get into the normal range without 75% of the radiator blocked with card board.

Even with the engine temp in the normal range the heat is still tepid at best. The supply and return hoses get hot so there must be some flow. The fan is moving lots of air so I don't think the core is clogged.

While I have the radiator drained I plan to remove the valve and make sure it is opening.

I also plan to flush the heater core out.

Anything else I should check while the system is drained?

 

[DesertLake]

Lots of air, hot heater hoses. Is the AC compressor on, like some defrosters do? Otherwise the only thing I can think of to check are all of the various air flaps open or closed like they are supposed to for the heater to work. That or so much rust/calcification in the core that it isn't conducting the heat away from the water...

 

[rusty_tlc]

Lots of air, hot heater hoses. Is the AC compressor on, like some defrosters do? Otherwise the only thing I can think of to check are all of the various air flaps open or closed like they are supposed to for the heater to work. That or so much rust/calcification in the core that it isn't conducting the heat away from the water...

Not a lot of that fancy stuff of the FJ60. I know the AC compressor doesn't work, at least it didn't all last summer .

 

[rusty_tlc]

I got into this today.
The first thing I noticed when I removed the thermostat housing was that the thermostat was in upside down

(Actually the first thin I discovered was that the Heater supply hose was rubbing the alternator tension adjuster, it hadn't quite made a hole but it was close.)

The next thing I noticed was the seal was missing, probably because there is nothing to retain it if the thermostat is upside down.

The last thing I notices was that it was the wrong thermostat.

I had the correct thermostat on hand, actually two. One I bought yesterday and another that came out of the FJ40. I tested it this morning and since it still worked I used it.

Once I had all that back together, sans the heater supply hose I'll pick a new one up tomorrow, I got into the heater issue.

I always go for the low fruit first so I pulled the valve and checked it out. No joy, it works fine. Then I disconnected the return hose and tried to blow some water through the heater core with the garden hose. barely a trickle made it through.

By this time I was tired and cold so I packed it in for the day. I picked up a female hose end repair kit at Home Depot later. Tomorrow I'll try to attache it to the supply side of the heater core so I can get a good seal then try to blow out whatever I can. If that fails I'll have to pull the heater core and get it fixed or replaced.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Dan-My guess is that your heat will be fine once the thermostat is right and the upper seal on the t-stat is in place.

Also, look into the job of removing the FJ60's heater core. You basically have to disassemble the whole truck. It's a very bad job.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Dan-My guess is that your heat will be fine once the thermostat is right and the upper seal on the t-stat is in place.

Also, look into the job of removing the FJ60's heater core. You basically have to disassemble the whole truck. It's a very bad job.

I'd agree with you if I hadn't driven the truck with the engine temp in the normal range.
Last week I blocked most of the radiator with cardboard and got the engine temp well into the normal range, the heater still didn't blow hot.
Of course the dash gauge could be way off, but I think that's grasping at straws.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I'd agree with you if I hadn't driven the truck with the engine temp in the normal range.
Last week I blocked most of the radiator with cardboard and got the engine temp well into the normal range, the heater still didn't blow hot.
Of course the dash gauge could be way off, but I think that's grasping at straws.

But if that upper o-ring isn't in place you have no heat. I hope that's your problem. If you have to get at the heater core, contact Ducks(Chad) who had to get his out twice.

Anyway, I would run it before you tear out your heater core.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Also put a Gano filter on the upper rad. hose.to start cleaning out crud in the system. Mike

 

[WILLD420]

Flush it with radiator flush, the long term stuff. As long as the cores are plugged with rust or stop leak, it might get them working. If they are corroded from running hard water, then you better start planning your heater core swap soon.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I got everything back together today in spite of the cold and wind. Still purging air out of they system but the engine got to temp in a normal amount of time. When I back flushed the heater core it took a while but eventually I got a good flow of water through it. What I did was install a female hose mender end on the return side of the heater core then hooked it to the garden hose with an in line valve. At first the water flow was pretty slow but after a while it shot out pretty good.

The heat works a lot better but still not as hot as I'd like. Tomorrow I'll let everything get warmed up good and try it again. Maybe when the system is purged and I get the system fully up to temp it will work better.

Did I mention how forking cold it was toady? There is a sheet of ice where I was working from all the water.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I topped up the system again and drove the truck over to PetSmart. You can watch the temp gauge and tell when the thermostat opens.
The front heat is still kind of weak, but the rear heat cooks. Between them we should make it through the winter.