Bypass the heater core

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Who has done it?

 

[bluesrt]

may not be a good idea. do it and see if it runs a little hotter.some need the core-some dont for proper cooling---

 

[Martin]

Why are you looking to bypass the core? It shouldn't hurt anything. I've bypassed plugged up heater cores before just so that I could pour a bottle of CLR in them to break up all the junk that accumulated over the years. Never noticed anything working any different during the process, other than the heater worked a lot better after all the gunk was cleaned out.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

I'm wondering if I might have a plugged heater core.

 

[bluesrt]

feel both hoses closest to the core,if plugged they will be considerably differant temps

 

[Martin]

Another thing to try is to run a garden hose through it in the reverse direction of the normal flow and see if water flows easily. A bunch of gunk will also probably come out... On my Gen II, the valve broke in the closed position a few years ago and that made me think I had a plugged core because the heat wouldn't work. Those valves are pretty wimpy.