Heatcore busted!!

[gchemist]

Weekend trip for my bday blew up the core. Lucky the leak is really small. No coolant got into the cab. You could smell it in the vents. I bypassed the core with a fitting. I'm surprised to see how much cooling is done with the core. It ran 210 at 65 MPH. I could not do 70 or it would go higher. 103+ degrees outside too! Well, it's getting the treatment. New core, new thermostat, new oil and filter (it was due at 200,000 miles), complete flush, and new hoses. I'll run the flush and water for a few days. All the coolant was ugly. All the left over Dexcool stuff has come off the block. Now, I have to find the instructions to have it replaced. A friend is going to do it for me. He is a trusted mechanic. I told him to take his time. I will probably get it back Wed morning.

[68C15]

by all means have him replace the recirculation door actuator since it is mounted on the top of heater case.
one other thing to watch out for is the screw that is accessed through the blower resistor hole is SHORTER than the others. if you put a long one in it's place the temp. door will not work.

[gchemist]

Yea, I found a reference to the resistor hole screw. Thanks for the info. I'll make sure my mechanics knows about the shorter screw. I'll have to look up the recirculation door actuator. Is it a common parts store item?

Are copper cores available? I didn't like the aluminum one from the store. The tubes are crimped onto the core!! Three crimps per hose!! WTH??