nosoob Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 its cold in portland...the heat in our 88 gl-10 wagon isnt very hot the thermo is new and the cooling system checks out fine. Could it be the heater control valve not opening fully or should I stick a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator??? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffast Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 cold even with card board infront of the radiator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 My 88 wagon never gets the heat as hot as I'd like it to either. I wouldn't put a piece of cardboard over the radiator unless it has significant trouble warming up. However, my 84 Turbowagon, that sucker has good heat. Maybe your heater core is partially clogged? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffast Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 it does, i think my thermostat's bad as soon as i turn on the heat the temp gauge starts to drop untill it's blowing cold air. i kept a careful eye on the temp gauge after putting card board infront of the radiator any way back to his problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 its cold in portland...the heat in our 88 gl-10 wagon isnt very hotthe thermo is new and the cooling system checks out fine. Could it be the heater control valve not opening fully or should I stick a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator??? Thanks. There is no control valve on EA82's. Your core is probably partially clogged. Sadly there's really no good way to fix them as the inlet and outlet pipe of the core are on the same side and close together. Forcing high pressure water into the core will just shove stuff further into it. Replacement is the best option - cores aren't expesive, and installation takes about 6 hours total. Thermostat's almost always fail closed and cause too much heat. If your guage reads about 1/3 up it's plenty hot if your core is working properly. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobGoob Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 mines nice in toasty in portland. even drove to the store at 1 in the morning tonight to get some brew. better than my last soob with the clogged heater core Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobGoob Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 if it blows air but it is cold then you have a clogged heatercore. if it doesnt blow on any 1,2,3 or 4 one or any then you have a bad resistor pack. i would have one for you but GD broke it heh i might be able to unclog a clogged heater core for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank B Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 If your temp guage readings are affected by the heater, then you either don't have a thermostat, or it's faulty. For under $10, and less then 30 minutes of your time, it's worth it to replace it. That cheap little part could fail and destroy your engine. Stay with the OEM temp, 195, since it's computor controlled. Also try flushing your heater core. Go to the hardware store and buy a garden hose repair end, the female kind that will screw onto your garden hose, a short pice of heater hose, like 12 inches, then you clamp the heater hose onto the repair end. or you could cut the end of a garden hose off and use that. Remove both hoses from the heater core and clamp the hose you just made onto the outlet pipe, to back flush, the one that goes to your intake manifold IIRC. I like to turn the water hose on, crimp the hose in my hand to stop the flow, then hook it all up. It's tricky but you don't want all that pressure going into the heater core. If you have a helper, just hook it up, crimp the hose, have them turn the water on, then slowly release the crimp to slowly increase the water pressure. You will see all kinds of crap come out of it! After the water runs clear, hook the hose to the other pipe and do it again. Reinstall everything and enjoy. If water doesn't flow though it, flushing won't help and you need to replace it. If it's in real poor condition, corroded, you may burst a hole in it and soak the carpet, but I have never had that happen, yet. You MAY gat lucky and get the same results simply by reversing the hoses on your heater core. It doesn't matter which way coolant flows through it, bt reversing the flow can break up the deposits. If it works, flush your coolant out after you've run it that way for a while to get that crap out of the system. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbarber Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I'm sure that you've done this already, but I haven't seen it mentioned explicitly... How is your coolant level? It's starting to get colder up here and I had the experienced the same thing. I needed to top up a litre or so and it's fine now. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbarber Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Also try flushing your heater core. Go to the hardware store and buy a garden hose repair end... That is such a cool tip. I never would have thought of that. I love this place. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmiller Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Thermostat is a cheap fix, but definatly try flushing first (cheaper fix). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 My EA81 heater Rocks! I get heat within 2 blocks even in the coldest of winter days. The defroster has an electric element in it to jump start the windshield defrosting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncoolperson Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 my brother swears by drain-o through the heater core... never tried it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 my 1988 GL never had great heat in the winter. It took the chill off the car, but never got it toasty warm. Engines under 2.0L from the 1980's were never really known for heat unless they came from car mfgs in in really cold climates (and thats why even then they had heated seats). nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiffy Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 assuming the thermostat is good (not stuck open) and the car warms up normally and fairly quick... ... is it consistently not very warm? or does it start off warm and then get cold? if it stays constantly not very warm then you probably need to adjust the little white plastic clip that holds the cable slider to the core flapper door open... they can be really tricky to work with because of the limited space by the gas pedal and heater boxes... get your head down there and move the controls from hot to cold and you should see where it connects... the plastic connector is tricky, the top opens and the threaded rod clips (not screws) into it... then that is clipped into the flapper lever... if you break it get 2 when you go the junkyard... The part that holds the cable end at the heater controls rarely fails, and it takes longer to remove the gauge trim to get the heater controls out (unless you've done it a lot)... if it starts off warm and then gets cold then you have a mostly clogged heater core... I took my heater hoses off from the engine and put low water pressure from the garden hose through it, each direction, until it ran clear... carefull not to put too much water pressure through the core in case it's rusty and you burst a hole in it and end up tearing your entire dash out to replace it... ofter a few flushes in both directions the water should be flowing better and you can hook it back up... I've done both of the above to fix EA81/EA82 heater issues... --Spiffy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgd73 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I am going through the same things in my second 87. The first one went air cooled at over half gallon antifreeze low all summer. The one I just purchased worked its way to a low level on fluid due to a sae 13 pound cap that leaked when no one was looking .I have a metric original- but I keep getting the idea to change it when engine is full warm- come morning, when car is cold I am in a half awake daze with a cup of coffee in my hand to think of that wrong cap again at the wrong time, after the car is down the road several warmed up miles. The heat being a bit cool hasn't changed for me, going on my 9th year with an 87 model.Even with a clean system and proper fluid level (that made it even cooler). A half covered radiator, like a diesel rig in the winter seems to be good. 2 fans I cover the lower half, one fan, the side that has no fan. I even forgot to take cardboard out that survived a winter well into the 60's F outside and hardly noticed. I spotted it spring cleaning one day.I wonder if it is the 9:1 compression doing this, as the spfi I ran was a roaster in comparison. Whatever it is- It is no doubt part of the ingredients that make it's durability incredible. It is the carbed years ea82 that I have seen go over 200k and still running with no doubts about it continuing to do so (another reason why I just bought a 20 year old savable soob ). The cardboard idea isn't a bad one. I have learned the top part of rad, especially passenger side absolutely must be open. My carb went psycho for mysterious reasons when I did that- it may have even been getting zapped statically with lack of air. The carbs have to have it externally as well as internally. The temp diff between the intake inches or less away and the barrell of the carb is amazing. I have found ice on the carb on a 195 full warm intake-- a storm maker of physics, as it sat there perfect idle and whistling like a tea pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobs Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 My carbureted EA82 will throw out a lot of heat IF I use a 195E thermostat. I’ve switched to 160E or 180E thermostats for the last 15 years since I discovered they eliminate the hot soak carburetor problems they have in the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Mine isn't great. I assume that it's a bit plugged, but I've never got around to flushing it. I also know that the evaporator is a bit caked with mouse nest stuff, so the airflow isn't great either. I'm getting used to wearing a coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobs Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 A heater core is like your radiator. They both get deposits built up inside restricting the coolant flow. If you or anyone else has replaced your radiator due to mineral deposits, your heater core will probably also need to be replaced. Backflushing may help, but just like a radiator, those deposits are very difficult to remove. Minerals in tap water is the biggest enemy of cooling systems. Always use distilled water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 A heater core is like your radiator. They both get deposits built up inside restricting the coolant flow. If you or anyone else has replaced your radiator due to mineral deposits, your heater core will probably also need to be replaced. Backflushing may help, but just like a radiator, those deposits are very difficult to remove. Minerals in tap water is the biggest enemy of cooling systems. Always use distilled water. Yes and no. Heater cores are like radiators in operation, but not in design. Hetaer cores have really big tubes in comparison ot the very small radiator channels.. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobs Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Yes and no. Heater cores are like radiators in operation, but not in design. Hetaer cores have really big tubes in comparison ot the very small radiator channels.. nipper I can't speak for Subarus but the older Chevy heater cores I've cut open had smaller passages than a radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toadleyb Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 I agree with bgd73. I bought my 87 wagon last winter and the heat sucked. After a lot of playing around it turned out to simply be the connection under the dash. Fixed that and the heater will now roast you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 I can't speak for Subarus but the older Chevy heater cores I've cut open had smaller passages than a radiator. oops my mistake, was thinking the wrong thing, you are correct. Basically it wouldnt be a bad idea to remove the blower motor and see how much dirt is in the air box. Every little thing helps. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 I can't speak for Subarus but the older Chevy heater cores I've cut open had smaller passages than a radiator. The subaru cores are about the same as their radiators. It's a two-row unit, about 8" by 6", with metal tanks. The problem is that back flushing them really does no good at all because the inlet and outlet tubes are about 4" apart on the same tank. The pressure just runs right out the other side, or forces the gunk farther into the core.... I guess I'll have to take a picture cause clearly none of you people have seen one. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 The subaru cores are about the same as their radiators. It's a two-row unit, about 8" by 6", with metal tanks. The problem is that back flushing them really does no good at all because the inlet and outlet tubes are about 4" apart on the same tank. The pressure just runs right out the other side, or forces the gunk farther into the core.... I guess I'll have to take a picture cause clearly none of you people have seen one. GD http://www.racepages.com/parts/heater_core/subaru.html like that one nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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