92 Shadow heater...redux...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deke
  • Start date Start date
D

Deke

One last time before I give up, and with one extra clue, I'm trying to find
out why the heater in my Shadow (2.5 auto, 65k miles) is cantankerous.
Heres whats been done so far over the last two winters.
Full flush, twice, air bled each time.
New hoses
Heater removed, internal valve replaced (thanks to Daniel Stern's help in
locating it)
Vacuum system checked, it will hold vacuum
Heater core has been power filled by mechanic, to make sure there arent air
bubbles causing airlock
Highest temp thermostat available has been installed, and replaced twice,
just to be sure.
Temp guage goes 1/3 of the way up, and remains steady, rises to the 2/3s
mark at stop signs, slightly increasing engine revs in neutral will bring it
back to normal immediately.
Vacuum system upgrades, cannister replaced, as per Chrysler tech bulletins,
by mechanic.

Heres my usual routine, start car, let idle while I scrape ice/frost off
windows. Drive to work, 32 miles each way, non-stop. Heater puts out tepid
air, defroster barely works, car will finally get warm about 4/5s of the way
to work.
Same thing coming home.
BUT!!!! heres the extra clue.....my coffee pot dies one morning. I drive
seven miles down the road, stop at a convenience store for coffee, turn car
off.
Car sits for 5 minutes. I get back in, start car, continue driving, and the
heater is blasting like a blast furnace! I've now added this 5 minute stop
to my driving schedule, both ways, and the heater always begins cranking out
much heat after each 5 minute stop.
I'm used to it now, and I'm toasty, and its a great little car, but why the
5 minute stop time for the heater to get with the program? When I mention
this to various mechanics, tell them the symptoms, and what I've had done,
all I get is a blank look.
Anybody want to take a stab at it?

Chrysler owner since my first new car,
74 Roadrunner

Deke
 
Deke said:
One last time before I give up, and with one extra clue, I'm trying to find
out why the heater in my Shadow (2.5 auto, 65k miles) is cantankerous.
Heres whats been done so far over the last two winters.
Full flush, twice, air bled each time.
New hoses
Heater removed, internal valve replaced (thanks to Daniel Stern's help in
locating it)
Vacuum system checked, it will hold vacuum
Heater core has been power filled by mechanic, to make sure there arent air
bubbles causing airlock
Highest temp thermostat available has been installed, and replaced twice,
just to be sure.
Temp guage goes 1/3 of the way up, and remains steady, rises to the 2/3s
mark at stop signs, slightly increasing engine revs in neutral will bring it
back to normal immediately.
Vacuum system upgrades, cannister replaced, as per Chrysler tech bulletins,
by mechanic.

Heres my usual routine, start car, let idle while I scrape ice/frost off
windows. Drive to work, 32 miles each way, non-stop. Heater puts out tepid
air, defroster barely works, car will finally get warm about 4/5s of the way
to work.
Same thing coming home.
BUT!!!! heres the extra clue.....my coffee pot dies one morning. I drive
seven miles down the road, stop at a convenience store for coffee, turn car
off.
Car sits for 5 minutes. I get back in, start car, continue driving, and the
heater is blasting like a blast furnace! I've now added this 5 minute stop
to my driving schedule, both ways, and the heater always begins cranking out
much heat after each 5 minute stop.
I'm used to it now, and I'm toasty, and its a great little car, but why the
5 minute stop time for the heater to get with the program? When I mention
this to various mechanics, tell them the symptoms, and what I've had done,
all I get is a blank look.
Anybody want to take a stab at it?

Chrysler owner since my first new car,
74 Roadrunner

Deke

Are the hoses going to and from the heater core hot? Is the *Door"
that forces air through the heater core in the heater box working
correctly?

Looks like you have checked all the usual things. You may also want to
check that that the valve that allows coolant into the heater core is
not connected backwards. A poster with a Dodge Shadow had that problem
some time ago.

-Kirk Matheson
 
Back
Top