Plugged heater core?

[Night Fury]

So... My mom has almost no heat. I drove with her today... Even when the car was fully warmed up, and the dials were all the way hot, all it did was blow out cold air.

 

I am guessing it has something to do with the heater core? I can hear 'sloshing' and 'running' and 'trickling' water or fluid of some sort when she gives it some throttle after a stop... Seems to be coming from in front of the passenger seat... This also points to heater core, no?

 

So... How do I get to it and clean it out?

 

2006 Chevy Monte Carlo 3500

[carkhz316]

x2, sorta. Same stats for car, except Impala (fiance's) Came out to it from going out to supper tonight, and was not warm after nearly 10 minutes of running. Later, on another drive tonight, it was fine. WTF?

[Addicted To Boost]

Does the gauge show that the engine is getting up to the correct operating temperature?

[Night Fury]

Does the gauge show that the engine is getting up to the correct operating temperature?

 

As I said, yes, it is.

[95 vert]

The "sloshing" sounds like the coolant is low-not low enough to overheat-but enough to not have hot air.

Possible air pocket in system? With the engine at operating temp feel both core hoses-are they both hot?

If not, you have low coolant or blockage. Hope this helps.

[1990lumina]

My Millenia would do that slushing sound from under the dash too the whole time I owned it. There was air trapped in the system, but after bleeding it like crazy it wouldn't come out. Still had great heat though.

 

I'd check coolant level first. I doubt an 2006 model would havea clogged up core already?

[Crazy K]

does it have the orange Dunce-cool?

[Night Fury]

Yes it has Dex-cool and yes it has over 100,000 miles on it.

[Night Fury]

And it seemed to be a *bit* low... Maybe if I just fill it up and try bleeding it?

 

She needs a flush. The overflow tank is the typical sludgy-vomit filled disaster.

[Night Fury]

And where are the bleeder screws on this monster?

[5speedz34]

Look around you might find them, but I don't think those cars got bleeders.

 

Get it flushed and go from there.

[ismellrealbad]

the sloshing could be water pooling up in the hvac box from the evaporator. is the carpet wet on the pass side?

[Night Fury]

over 100k on a 2006? yeeeesshh!

 

Yep...

 

70 miles one way... 140 miles a day... 5x a week... 300 miles one way... 600 total about twice a month...

 

= Lots of miles.

 

We figured it'd have well into 300K by the time she even gets it paid off...

 

 

the sloshing could be water pooling up in the hvac box from the evaporator. is the carpet wet on the pass side?

 

I don't think so... Doesn't ever seem stuffy or moist in her car either... It seems directly related to throttle.

[Night Fury]

She just left to get a coolant flush.

[Night Fury]

Ugh! The tech said it was low and had a leak somewhere... so he didn't flush it to avoid exacerbating the issue... he just topped it off.

 

Expect 6 months to pass before she gets anything done about it...

[Night Fury]

And it doesn't help that my dunce dad doesn't like anything to be done to the car... He almost didn't even let my mom leave the house to get the flush 'Cause it didn't need it'! She has to do all of this shit behind his back... even though it's her fucking car! I am 99% sure he doesn't know about the tranny flush.