Heater core recommendation?

Morks said:
Cannot comment on longevity of a performance rad heater core yet, but warms up my hole filled cab great. Before replacing mine I had never torn apart a dash nevermind doing a heater core. Took me 4 hrs and was very simple. I keep a heater core hose connector on hand for longer drives in case of a failure, cheap insurance.
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I carry a bypass hose as well.
 
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Link said:
Don’t let stories scare you. It’s really an easy repair. No need to remove the steering wheel….just use ratchet straps to hold the dash off. I had the HVAC box out in about 1 hr. With cleaning the box, repairing a door, replacing the evaporator and heater core, and reinstalling it….it was about a 5 hr job. I charged the AC myself after pulling a vacuum on it. AC is ice cold and heat is nice and hot. I got the heater core from Rock Auto
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Yeah I'm not too worried about the job, I just hate the idea of doing it just to install another core that's no less of a ticking time bomb that the one that's barely leaking.
 
Being that I work for a heat exchanger manufacturer I'd love to try building one but i won't be able to make one this dense. Brassworks says the OEM tubes were 7.5mm and we only go down to 3/8", odds are the tube spacing is tighter than we do, and I know we don't do 30fpi. There are fin enhancements that can make up for some of the fpi but I can't do much about the tube pattern. My bosses aren't gonna spend 6 figures on new tooling for my hobby project so I'd just have to see how much space I have to work with to see if the tube count could be comparable enough to even try it.
 
freedom_in_4low said:
Being that I work for a heat exchanger manufacturer I'd love to try building one but i won't be able to make one this dense. Brassworks says the OEM tubes were 7.5mm and we only go down to 3/8", odds are the tube spacing is tighter than we do, and I know we don't do 30fpi. There are fin enhancements that can make up for some of the fpi but I can't do much about the tube pattern. My bosses aren't gonna spend 6 figures on new tooling for my hobby project so I'd just have to see how much space I have to work with to see if the tube count could be comparable enough to even try it.
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I think the smarter play is to hunt down another one that works well out of another OEM application and find a way to adapt it in.
 
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mrblaine said:
I think the smarter play is to hunt down another one that works well out of another OEM application and find a way to adapt it in.
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You're probably right but I wouldn't even know where to start with that since I don't have access to a warehouse full of heater cores, or as far as I know, a database of their dimensions.

I checked with a coworker and confirmed my doubts...we sell up to 20fpi, might be able to squeeze it to 24fpi but the tube pattern is the bigger problem because it's not just an adjustment to a machine, it's set by a very expensive die. Our tightest spacing is 3/8" tubes in a 1" equilateral triangle which means to match the tube count mine would have to be 3.5" thick, or I could fit half as many tubes in the same thickness. The larger tubes makes it not a full 50% loss but it leaves me with probably 90% of the flow, 64% percent of the primary (tube) surface area, and about 70-80% of the secondary (fin surface). I'm sure it'll make warm air but it won't be singing the hair off my toes hot that I am used to.
 
Has anyone tried one of these heater cores off of rock auto?
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3607737&cc=1432231&pt=6864&jsn=860&_nck=Ekt6BqBF1pwlXdx0gYlm1esw98pF26vehMm/GG3C/l2QOXSJubi7WSpUmUSdg3OxWOs2f5z9h422EONy36O0PjCuaadDqI1r86y/vJ1lBqxeBNhI9mMX8H1x0fHFzmF+F+fJVJLRM/POzb2h9mGwtOklgC7qGdsUwYYJkbMC5HSTqqj9r6dqkkEPp62vDQ+j2YXQZ2rhmyqI4yy2JFS7HjAxNUaXG28Spel09FOwVzx7RA46Ax21Klzzwddiiz7K/ALG6ZdXURFb0KB/IVDN/XYueWOWNVeOOO8k0+Fyj1PdrnewydVIY/OEAVKuwGK8QrtpQN6squ+xaC2ocVy3f3QPn/E7xJ0gOFtIGIZel5uf/XiN5Mhq2ojvrqDcKvP0&jsn=860&_nck=Ekt6BqBF1pwlXdx0gYlm1esw98pF26vehMm/GG3C/l2QOXSJubi7WSpUmUSdg3OxWOs2f5z9h422EONy36O0PjCuaadDqI1r86y/vJ1lBqxeBNhI9mMX8H1x0fHFzmF+F+fJVJLRM/POzb2h9mGwtOklgC7qGdsUwYYJkbMC5HSTqqj9r6dqkkEPp62vDQ+j2YXQZ2rhmyqI4yy2JFS7HjAxNUaXG28Spel09FOwVzx7RA46Ax21Klzzwddiiz7K/ALG6ZdXURFb0KB/IVDN/XYueWOWNVeOOO8k0+Fyj1PdrnewydVIY/OEAVKuwGK8QrtpQN6squ+xaC2ocVy3f3QPn/E7xJ0gOFtIGIZel5uf/XiN5Mhq2ojvrqDcKvP0It
It appears to have copper tubes maybe it will transfer heat better?
 
Jcrubicon said:
Has anyone tried one of these heater cores off of rock auto?
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3607737&cc=1432231&pt=6864&jsn=860&_nck=Ekt6BqBF1pwlXdx0gYlm1esw98pF26vehMm/GG3C/l2QOXSJubi7WSpUmUSdg3OxWOs2f5z9h422EONy36O0PjCuaadDqI1r86y/vJ1lBqxeBNhI9mMX8H1x0fHFzmF+F+fJVJLRM/POzb2h9mGwtOklgC7qGdsUwYYJkbMC5HSTqqj9r6dqkkEPp62vDQ+j2YXQZ2rhmyqI4yy2JFS7HjAxNUaXG28Spel09FOwVzx7RA46Ax21Klzzwddiiz7K/ALG6ZdXURFb0KB/IVDN/XYueWOWNVeOOO8k0+Fyj1PdrnewydVIY/OEAVKuwGK8QrtpQN6squ+xaC2ocVy3f3QPn/E7xJ0gOFtIGIZel5uf/XiN5Mhq2ojvrqDcKvP0&jsn=860&_nck=Ekt6BqBF1pwlXdx0gYlm1esw98pF26vehMm/GG3C/l2QOXSJubi7WSpUmUSdg3OxWOs2f5z9h422EONy36O0PjCuaadDqI1r86y/vJ1lBqxeBNhI9mMX8H1x0fHFzmF+F+fJVJLRM/POzb2h9mGwtOklgC7qGdsUwYYJkbMC5HSTqqj9r6dqkkEPp62vDQ+j2YXQZ2rhmyqI4yy2JFS7HjAxNUaXG28Spel09FOwVzx7RA46Ax21Klzzwddiiz7K/ALG6ZdXURFb0KB/IVDN/XYueWOWNVeOOO8k0+Fyj1PdrnewydVIY/OEAVKuwGK8QrtpQN6squ+xaC2ocVy3f3QPn/E7xJ0gOFtIGIZel5uf/XiN5Mhq2ojvrqDcKvP0It
It appears to have copper tubes maybe it will transfer heat better?
Click to expand...

I ordered it and what I received was the same black tank and aluminum tube that everybody else sells.
 
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Jcrubicon said:
Has anyone tried one of these heater cores off of rock auto?
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3607737&cc=1432231&pt=6864&jsn=860&_nck=Ekt6BqBF1pwlXdx0gYlm1esw98pF26vehMm/GG3C/l2QOXSJubi7WSpUmUSdg3OxWOs2f5z9h422EONy36O0PjCuaadDqI1r86y/vJ1lBqxeBNhI9mMX8H1x0fHFzmF+F+fJVJLRM/POzb2h9mGwtOklgC7qGdsUwYYJkbMC5HSTqqj9r6dqkkEPp62vDQ+j2YXQZ2rhmyqI4yy2JFS7HjAxNUaXG28Spel09FOwVzx7RA46Ax21Klzzwddiiz7K/ALG6ZdXURFb0KB/IVDN/XYueWOWNVeOOO8k0+Fyj1PdrnewydVIY/OEAVKuwGK8QrtpQN6squ+xaC2ocVy3f3QPn/E7xJ0gOFtIGIZel5uf/XiN5Mhq2ojvrqDcKvP0&jsn=860&_nck=Ekt6BqBF1pwlXdx0gYlm1esw98pF26vehMm/GG3C/l2QOXSJubi7WSpUmUSdg3OxWOs2f5z9h422EONy36O0PjCuaadDqI1r86y/vJ1lBqxeBNhI9mMX8H1x0fHFzmF+F+fJVJLRM/POzb2h9mGwtOklgC7qGdsUwYYJkbMC5HSTqqj9r6dqkkEPp62vDQ+j2YXQZ2rhmyqI4yy2JFS7HjAxNUaXG28Spel09FOwVzx7RA46Ax21Klzzwddiiz7K/ALG6ZdXURFb0KB/IVDN/XYueWOWNVeOOO8k0+Fyj1PdrnewydVIY/OEAVKuwGK8QrtpQN6squ+xaC2ocVy3f3QPn/E7xJ0gOFtIGIZel5uf/XiN5Mhq2ojvrqDcKvP0It
It appears to have copper tubes maybe it will transfer heat better?
Click to expand...

it says nothing about copper, just aluminum and plastic !
 
sandmc said:
Has anyone tried the CarQuest from Advanced? Is the Limited Lifetime Replacement worth it if it goes bad?

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/carquest-premium-heater-core-398311/18820096
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If I recall correctly just about every aftermarket unit available from every chain store has been tried by many... (did you read through the whole thread?)

The idea of having a lifetime warranty is enticing for sure, and if you don't have A/C and you're not averse to having to pulling your dash if it fails it's not a bad idea.. That's not to say that all the chain store heater cores are junk, but I think you'll find most on here steer clear of them.

If you have A/C it's going to get really expensive if you have to tear the dash out multiple times. Even though the heater core is covered, your labor is not and neither is the expense of evacuating and refilling your A/C.
 
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I have no experience with Carquest heater cores, but I have used Carquest parts over the years on many vehicles and don’t recall ever having any problems with them.
 
reddvltj said:
If I recall correctly just about every aftermarket unit available from every chain store has been tried by many... (did you read through the whole thread?)

The idea of having a lifetime warranty is enticing for sure, and if you don't have A/C and you're not averse to having to pulling your dash if it fails it's not a bad idea.. That's not to say that all the chain store heater cores are junk, but I think you'll find most on here steer clear of them.

If you have A/C it's going to get really expensive if you have to tear the dash out multiple times. Even though the heater core is covered, your labor is not and neither is the expense of evacuating and refilling your A/C.
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Thanks for the feedback. I have read all the way through the thread (and several others :)) but didn't remember seeing the Carquest mentioned, but did see that most parts store parts are not recommended (except maybe for NAPA). It seems as though there is no consensus on what is the best core to get. I was thinking about getting the Performance Radiator but, like everyone else, it's out of stock online, and I thought maybe I could find something local that would allow me to work on it this weekend. I do have AC so I definitely don't want to want keep doing the work.

Also, the Performance Radiator was roughly $37, while the CarQuest was $57 or so. Didn't know if that indicated a higher quality?
 
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sandmc said:
Thanks for the feedback. I have read all the way through the thread (and several others :)) but didn't remember seeing the Carquest mentioned, but did see that most parts store parts are not recommended (except maybe for NAPA). It seems as though there is no consensus on what is the best core to get. I was thinking about getting the Performance Radiator but, like everyone else, it's out of stock online, and I thought maybe I could find something local that would allow me to work on it this weekend. I do have AC so I definitely don't want to want keep doing the work.

Also, the Performance Radiator was roughly $37, while the CarQuest was $57 or so. Didn't know if that indicated a higher quality?
Click to expand...

As per usual the negative experiences are the ones that get the attention online. With that said, I'd say (if you haven't already) take a trip down to your local Advanced and lay eyes and hands on it. See how well it's put together, how solid it feels. With the options deminishing what else can we do?
 
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sandmc said:
Thanks for the feedback. I have read all the way through the thread (and several others :)) but didn't remember seeing the Carquest mentioned, but did see that most parts store parts are not recommended (except maybe for NAPA). It seems as though there is no consensus on what is the best core to get. I was thinking about getting the Performance Radiator but, like everyone else, it's out of stock online, and I thought maybe I could find something local that would allow me to work on it this weekend. I do have AC so I definitely don't want to want keep doing the work.

Also, the Performance Radiator was roughly $37, while the CarQuest was $57 or so. Didn't know if that indicated a higher quality?
Click to expand...

I went with the Agility from Rock Auto. It’s been three months of heat. As others have said it’s a PITA to swap one.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...0906,heat+&+air+conditioning,heater+core,6864
 
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