New Jeep Owner with bad heater core :(

  • Welcome aboard! Can't help with a shop referral without knowing your location... Certified Automotive in Belvedere is a good honest shop, though and Brandywine Auto Repair outside Newark has been very nice to my coworkers 2011 Wrangler. If you're going to do it yourself and just need a parts source, I always use Quadratec although NAPA and similar shops should be able to get the heater core fairly easily... if your Jeep has A/C, you might want to have the evaporator core replaced at the same time since it'll likely start leaking soon.

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

  • Welcome! :wavey:


    Replacing the heater core in my YJ wasn't too bad of a job but I'm not sure about in a TJ. There's a few shops around that are local to northern Delaware here that do good work and most of these guys are well known here in DEJA.


    Aaron S. - @astape here on the board
    -North Wilmington


    Luke S. @ Lightning Fabrication - @shadyluke here on the board - shop also has a Facebook page
    -Out in the stix of Lincoln University PA


    Joe D. @ Midknight Fabrication - @Dugan here on the board - shop also has a Facebook page
    -New Castle


    Joe Marciano - LockedN'Loaded 4 x4 Fabrication - via Facebook and @ http://LockedNLoaded4x4.com
    -Collegeville PA

    Your life is made up of 2 dates and a dash... make the most of the dash!

  • Yeah, try getting it flushed out first.

    Member since 2000

    Jeeps Owned'79 CJ5:

    Specs-

    - 258 I6

    - '93 Cherokee fuel injection and HO head,

    - bored 30 over

    - with 4x4 cam

    T18 tranny with granny low / Dana 18 t-case

    Dana 44 front and back from late '70s Wagoneer, both locked and loaded with 4.88 gears

    SOA on modified YJ springs with shackle reversa

    Fiberglass tub with 6 point cage mounted to the frame


    2015 Grand Cherokee Limited
    Spec-

    Quadratec Floor mats

  • Could simply bypass the heater core and bundle up.. Its a free fix. Heat is over rated ayway

    Nobody belongs anywhere, nobody exists on purpose, everybody's going to die. Have a beer.


    Jeeps Owned... 89YJ, 81CJ-8, 99XJ, 93XJ, 00WJ, 05LJ, 22Bronco Badlands !

  • I smell the faint smell of anti-freeze particularly when the heat is on plus I am a little low on anti-freeze. It seems like it is leaking at the heater core.

    It could also be a leaky gasket after the thermostat housing. Leak would be dripping on something hot (engine, exhaust manifold, whatever) which would enable you to smell it.

    Member since 2000

    Jeeps Owned'79 CJ5:

    Specs-

    - 258 I6

    - '93 Cherokee fuel injection and HO head,

    - bored 30 over

    - with 4x4 cam

    T18 tranny with granny low / Dana 18 t-case

    Dana 44 front and back from late '70s Wagoneer, both locked and loaded with 4.88 gears

    SOA on modified YJ springs with shackle reversa

    Fiberglass tub with 6 point cage mounted to the frame


    2015 Grand Cherokee Limited
    Spec-

    Quadratec Floor mats

  • I remember I had a 90's Merc Sable, the core on that was a true nightmare. Took the better part of 20 hours to take the dash apart, change the core and re-assemble. Had quotes of over $1000. I remember thinking how easy it would have been if it was firewall accessible like some of the older cars.

    Nobody belongs anywhere, nobody exists on purpose, everybody's going to die. Have a beer.


    Jeeps Owned... 89YJ, 81CJ-8, 99XJ, 93XJ, 00WJ, 05LJ, 22Bronco Badlands !

  • It's in good hands with Astape. I did mine in my garage and would never do that myself again. The whole dash needed to be moved out of the way. The only reason I did it myself was that I was stripping the interior to bedline it anyway.

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