So I've been advised by my mechanic to try to unclog my heater core with an air compressor. He said to route the heater hoses together and let the heater core dry out for a day or two. Then use an air compressor to try to blow out some of the crud that is stuck in there....sounds reasonable enough and if it saves me $300 then I'm all for it. I've already tried the garden hose trick without success.

any suggestions? things NOT to do? And how much air pressure are we talking about here?? Like from a regular air compressor that you air up tires with? Or something with less pressure??

Thanks!

 

Forgot to mention that I have a '94 Z28....

 

heater cores are designed to handle pressures to about 25 lbs. heater core is 300 bucks? i assume your having someone do it for you. heater core is 40 to 80 bucks, put it in yourself.

 

To clear your heater core, just run a couple applications of Prestone SuperFlush through your system or similar -- worked for me when I had my '95!

 

I'm not sure I could change it myself....how difficult is it?? Perhaps I will try the super flush idea...someone at the local parts store said to try that too, the mechanic said not too thinking that it would be a waste of time because the super flush is not made with enough acids to eat away at the crud that is in the heater core.

The super flush idea sounds easier though...what's the worst that can happen??

 

The worst that could happen is you have to do it a few times before it completes the job. I did it 2-3 times on different days, as I recall... My stupidity back then was using stop leak instead of replacing my water pump first, which had unintended consequences! Apart from this issue, be sure to flush your coolant on a regular basis as per the owners manual, at the minimum -- preventative maintenance is ALWAYS less expensive!

 

Stop leak?? nice....sounds like something I would do...

I will give this super flush a shot, or a couple of shots. Water pump seems to be working fine, as well as everything else. I've only had this car since April 10, 2010, flushed the coolant a couple weeks ago when the thermostat was changed, so I'm good there.

Thanks for the info, flushing it is easier than getting those heater hoses off the firewall....that's a pain!

 

What do you think about running 2 bottles of Prestone Super flush through at once?? I did run one through, got some heat but the car had to sit running for like 30 minutes....so I'm going to flush again, but just wondering if 2 bottles would work twice as well....

 

How is your heat working now? Any problems with leaks developing after doing the prestone flush through?