Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Thermostat replacement

[HHhuntitall]

I sure have had bad luck with buying trucks without heat lately all my friends say the heat never works in dodges but I know I've had dodges that the heat has worked before ... I think ?

Most of mine work, and work good.... Only have one that is argumentative, and speaking of that little electric motor that I hate.....

 

[GAmes]

My heater works perfect and always has. It is all about maintaining it and keeping up with the little things. I flush my cooling system on a regular basis and replace the antifreeze. I remove and clean my heater fan and the evaporator yearly. When I replaced the dash top I removed the heater core and cleaned it. Somewhere around 1.2 million it started a slow seap so I replaced it with a Mopar unit, not a cheap knock off with swivel fittings. Even in -20 temps I never have to turn the heat control past halfway, and only use recirculate in the first part of the trip until the engine is up to normal temp. No cardboard or winter front, that is what a genuine Cummins t-stat is for.

 

[The patriot]

My heater has always been on the cooler side of acceptable.
I wish my a/c was the same.
I've even added the grill pop-ins for a sort of winter front, still not great heat.
I flush & change out antifreeze annually no matter the mileage. (as of late, it's WAY low)
I bought a genuine cummins T-stat and may change it out this year.
I also have been wanting to pull the radiator and wash it out for a while now.
In the hotter part of the summer, I can reach close to 190degrees empty on the highway at speed.

 

[HHhuntitall]

I normally flush most of mine every 2-3 years. My old '97 has a water filter installed, so it hasn't been flushed in a long time. I just change filters every 2 years, which adds the anti-corrosion additive and keeps any small particles filtered out. I have the filters on-hand for tractors and trucks, so it's handy.

I very seldom have a heater core go bad, but do NOT use the swivel connectors from cheap automotive stores... they break and leak and you'll be replacing them in a few years. Learned that the hard way, and Orielly's won't pay for the lost hours.... They also won't pay for their crap water filters or clutch fans.... OEM is more expensive but worth it in labor.....

 

[DonFitzwater]

I've been installing the auto parts store heater cores with swivel type pipes and had zero failures or leaks. Been running them for over 10 years without issue. I get them from Napa so maybe they are a different brand than what Oreillys sells?

 

[HHhuntitall]

I've been installing the auto parts store heater cores with swivel type pipes and had zero failures or leaks. Been running them for over 10 years without issue. I get them from Napa so maybe they are a different brand than what Oreillys sells?

Hmmm, may be. Could be the difference in use or environment, as I notice your signature lists Alaska as home.... Here in Texas, with the 105+ ambient temps in the summer, it may have something to do with it. I also run a great deal off road in pastures, and a lot of my clients are farmers who do the same.... But knowing Oreilly's, it's likely they have a cheaper supplier....

Oreilly's refuses to admit they have a quality issue, and I know they are trying to compete in a global market, but when they won't pay a mechanic for poor parts that fail in warranty, and they won't offer a higher grade part, one's forced to go elsewhere.... I've started buying a good bit more from Napa and CARQUEST, as well as what's available from Meyer Distributing, where I get great pricing on Wix filters and Mahlee/Clevite gaskets and bearings (they deliver, too!).... The regional rep from Oreilly's has been by twice to see why my purchases have fallen off... guess he doesn't listen. I was nice the first time. Surprised I still have an account after the second time. :shakemyhead: He wanted to go home and lock himself in a dark room with a case of alcoholic beverages and painkillers when I got through verbally abusing him.... There was a leaking heater core in items I threw on the floor in front of him, too. Of course, they haven't payed the pending loss claims I have filed, either.... Seriously, though... how friggin' hard is it to make a water pump that will run 50k+ miles without leaking or squeaking?!? Cummins manages to make hundreds of thousands of them!! (of course, they cost twice as much... worth it, but hard to tell that to a customer....)

And going to another store isn't that easy.... the nearest store is Oreilly's in Sanger, which is 9.8 miles from the front gate. Napa is 26 miles in the middle of Denton/DFW/foreign country, and CARQUEST is 32 miles in Gainesville...... Sooooo..... The man in the brown toy van is a regular, here, bringing parts from Cummins, DPPI, Geno's, Ebay, and Foster's Truck.... FedEx can find us on occasion..... not easy for them, but they do.... well, no they don't really try... they don't even show up... (nothing like leaving a box with $5400 worth of Industrial Injection at the front gate, 3/4 mile from the house, next to the highway....)

Ok, I'll quit... I'm just getting madder as I go.... I've got a Cadillac to go cuss, you guys have a good day, TDR....

 

[Bob4x4]

The shop my son works at uses Oreileys and they do pay labor on failed parts,maybe a special arrangement or regional issue?

 

[HHhuntitall]

The shop my son works at uses Oreileys and they do pay labor on failed parts,maybe a special arrangement or regional issue?

Could be.... could be I'm just a jerk and the regional guy don't like me.... Either way, it doesn't look like I'm going to get paid for the last few I've filed.... Of course, doesn't look like I'll be using Oreilly's any more than I have to....