I'm COLD. NEED HEAT. GOING MAD

[Figuarus]

Sorry for lagging guys.

I got my thermostat this weekend, but was too cold to go out and do it.

I did test it on my stove, and did see it open and close.

I'll (hopefully) be installing it tonight when I go to my dad's house.

[KJSR]

Too cold?? It was like spring this weekend!

[Figuarus]

Originally Posted by KJSR

Too cold?? It was like spring this weekend!

Yeah, but after 4 o clock, I get lazy and tired.

[Figuarus]

Ok. An update.

I got the 195 thermostat in, and fixed a crack at the drain plug I didn't know I had. I ran the engine up to operating temperature, and noticed that the heater hoses eere definitely hotter, but even with the blower motor at medium speed I'm getting about 40 degrees difference between the inlet side hose temperature and what I'm getting from the vents.

I went and measured the temperature with the laser thermometer and took a reading of 140 to 160 on the inlet side. The return line is measuring about 120 to 140. The heater outlet air temp is at 85 after a hard drive, and drops down to about 70 when idling for any period of time.

I'm going to open up the air box today and make sure any air flow is being directed through the heater core.

I noticed also that my temperature gauge is writing just over half. With the 180 thermoset, it was writing closer to one quarter. I've attached

[awbrown]

almost seems it is pointing towards a heater core...

[Old Truck Man]

My opinion from Experience is. The heater on a 63 thru 66 truck was marginal when new. The cold air enters the cowl vent at the windshield and is drawn through the heater core before entering the cab. You cant warm up that much cold air at speed when its below freezing. My dad bought a new 64 truck and the cold weather (Indiana) we froze. My temporary remedy is to cover the cowl vents with duct tape. Then open the fresh air vent inside the cab so it will recirculate warm air. The permanent fix is to use a 60 thru 62 heater. and to boot you can remove all that heater box from under the hood. My wifes dad bought a new 66 3/4 ton. He lived in Rockford Ill at the time. The poor preforming heater saved that truck (we still have it). Because he would not drive it in the winter thus it didn't rust out from the road salt.

[awbrown]

All you need to do is find an economy heater , the one with 2 controls if you want a recirculating heater .. mine is the deluxe and it draws air at the cowl and it has plenty of heat ...

[awbrown]

Did you ever get rid of that temp sender in the "T" fitting ?? that wont help if it is a restriction...

[PGSigns]

My 66 with the deluxe heater and the ability to close off the outside air. With it half open the heater will run you out the truck with it 20 outside. I have a heater control valve in it hooked to a choke cable turn the heat down. The biggest thing I did that made my truck toasty was to seal all the leaks letting in cold air. Sealed three holes in the fire wall the made a huge improvement and putting new seals on the doors (the honda seals) and the windows.
Jimmy

[kelsfine69]

Its the core.

[Figuarus]

Awbrown,

I placed my finger inside the T fitting, and the temp sensor doesn't protrude enough into the fitting to cause a restriction. Besides, it's on the return line.

I DO have the economy heater. The only controls I have are fan speed (by twisting the knob) and the heat on/off (by means of the flap in the plenum)

PGsigns, I have blocked off pretty much all the holes in the firewall by whatever means I had. I don't have enough money to seal the cab as well as i'd like. I can't find any of the deluxe heaters near me, but I'm thinking I will have to build a box sometime soon. This will probably happen once I drop in the LT1 i'm re-sealing.

I had already cleared the core as being faulty due to the fact that I KNOW that coolant is flowing just fine through it.

I have yet to add that gasket, but I will be doing that during my lunch. I'll know more this afternoon/evening.

thanks for putting up with me guys...

[kelsfine69]

The core can still flow coolant but not be efficient. It will flow thru the very edge without going thru all the fins thus the outlet line is much cooler than the inlet. I would swap it for a cheap new one as suggested to confirm.

[Figuarus]

that's true. I guess I didn't think of that...I'll get the core tonight, and swap in in on thursday.

[chevy_mike]

If the economy heater is the same that I had in my '65, the twist knob on the dash also pulls out to allow which allows hot air through. I had the lever underneath that would route the air to the floor or the defrost vents in the dash.

Are you sure your knob isn't connected via a cable to the heater and it needs to be pulled out? That is what allows the hot air into the cab.

[Figuarus]

Originally Posted by chevy_mike

Are you sure your knob isn't connected via a cable to the heater and it needs to be pulled out? That is what allows the hot air into the cab.

Im not sure what you're asking here. The only knobs are exactly as you described. The lower knob on the plenum diverts airflow to the defroster or to the floor. The knob at the dashboard controls fan speed and you push/pull it to close and open the airbox for airflow.

The plenum and the vents at the dash have plenty of airflow. The problem is that it's blowing cool/ mildly warm air. If I let the truck sit and idle for a long while, it'll get warm, but if I put the fan on high, the temp drops rapidly. I might be getting about 80 degree air for about 5 minutes, but as soon as i turn the fan on high, it's down almost 20 degrees.

I have the core, I'm gonna try and swap it in on my lunch.

I still don't think it's the core, but I'll give it a shot at this point.

[ACK]

Originally Posted by Figuarus

that's true. I guess I didn't think of that...I'll get the core tonight, and swap in in on thursday.

Changing my core made a huge difference, hope the same is true for you. I typically run the heater on the medium setting and on a cold day the truck is usually plenty warm after 10 miles of driving. At that point, the air is hot, but not scorching. BTW, the replacement core I purchased wasn't an exact fit, I had to fabricate a new support for the 2 pipes that enter the box ... here's a pic.

[Figuarus]

Originally Posted by ACK

Changing my core made a huge difference, hope the same is true for you. I typically run the heater on the medium setting and on a cold day the truck is usually plenty warm after 10 miles of driving. At that point, the air is hot, but not scorching. BTW, the replacement core I purchased wasn't an exact fit, I had to fabricate a new support for the 2 pipes that enter the box

Thanks ACK, I was hoping to change it out today during my lunch, but looks like I wasn't able to. I'll have to try again wednesday night or thursday like I originally planned.

[chevy_mike]

Originally Posted by Figuarus

Im not sure what you're asking here. The only knobs are exactly as you described. The lower knob on the plenum diverts airflow to the defroster or to the floor. The knob at the dashboard controls fan speed and you push/pull it to close and open the airbox for airflow.

The plenum and the vents at the dash have plenty of airflow. The problem is that it's blowing cool/ mildly warm air. If I let the truck sit and idle for a long while, it'll get warm, but if I put the fan on high, the temp drops rapidly. I might be getting about 80 degree air for about 5 minutes, but as soon as i turn the fan on high, it's down almost 20 degrees.

I have the core, I'm gonna try and swap it in on my lunch.

I still don't think it's the core, but I'll give it a shot at this point.

What I was trying to get to was, if the knob was pushed in and the fan was turned on, all I get is in cab air temp flow. When I pulled the knob out, it allowed hot air to flow into the cab from the core. I was just making sure you had pulled the knob out when you are trying to get heat into the cab.

[Figuarus]

Ok, another update.

I got the core swapped out.

I re-sealed the airbox and the plenum with foil tape, and made sure to include a cardboard seal between the core and the upper airbox lid. Even the cowl got some tape.



The end result?



With the engine slightly warm, ive got almost 110 degrees out of the outlets!

I was REALLY hoping the core wasnt at fault, but it did end up being a core issue. Im sorry I didnt listen to you guys sooner.

[Andice]

ACK: Nice job on the heater pipe bracket fab!

[scottofksu]

Now that's cooking with oil! Congrats on having your perseverance pay off - it doesn't always work out that way...

[kelsfine69]

With that core being that old, there is no amount of cleaning that will clear it out... I have tried...

Glad you got heat.

[awbrown]

ask me how i knew ... sometimes others (myself) have had the same assumptions and had to come to the same conclusion..

[Figuarus]

Yeah, i should have just started with the core, but it didnt make sense that the core was flowing well.

Thanks for putting up with me guys.

Btw, ive got a new problem.

The truck is running very, VERY warm. The gauge is reading almost 3/4 of the way to all the way hot.

This is the original issue i had running a 195 thermostat.
I'm gonna get a different gauge that indicates in degrees, but until then, i need to figure this out.

[kelsfine69]

Start with the gauge and verify it is hot. How old is the rad? Direct drive fan or clutch?