Well I read on this site that a clogged heater core might be the problem of me having no heat. So I attempted to fix it, but as soon as I got the clips off, I couldnt remove the hoses. Is there a certain way or some sort of tips that I can use to remove the hoses from the firewall?

 

Just be real careful and gently twist the hose. I have a special pair of plies at work for this. But just be gentile but firm and you should be able to get it off. If you still cannot get them off though, take them off at the engine. There you can use a little more effort as the fittings are metal, and it will do the same job. Good luck, Korey.

 

Yeah, I usually pull them off of the engine so I can better put the garden hose to them. You do want to be careful when pulling them off of the hoses on the firewall.

 

Ok tomorrow ill try from the engine, is there something better to use for the clips than a pair of pliers tho?

 

Only if you want to pay for special pliers. I know that it is more difficult using regular pliers but if yours have deep ridges after the flat area, you can use that part of the pliers to get a grip on the clips... the reason that the hoses are hard to get off is because of the heat of the coolant and differences between the rubber hoses and metal of the heater core that make it almost like they are glued to gether...but if you rotate them from back and forth they will eventually loosen up enough to pull off. You will have to do this method also with the connections on the engine.

I would recomend also getting a garden hose repair kit for 3/4"-5/8" and clamp it to the heater hose. I get one for each hose then I can switch hoses without having to remove it from one hose to the other...

 

if the engine uses dexron (pink) coolant can you still flush the heater core out with water? i heard somewhere that you cannot mix water with pink coolant only with the green stuff. Please let me know

 

I think you mean dexcool and yes, you can flush the heater core with water. You just want to be sure to flush the entire engine & heater core with a good amount of distilled water before draining everything back out and putting in 1/2 the cooling system capacity (6 quarts) of new 100% coolant (not 50/50 for a flush/refill). Then top off the cooling system with distilled water. Run the engine up to operating temperatures with the front of the truck elevated to get all of the air out of the system. Top off with distilled water at this point as well, but any time after this, fill up with 50/50 coolant/distilled water mix.

You should be good to go. If you have futher questions or concerns, please create a new topic on your specific problem including your vehicle information. Thanks and good luck!

 

could i used my air compresser to get the clog out the core

 

Wouldn't be good... The maximum operating pressure of the cooling system is 16lbs... You risk blowing the core if you have a good sized clog.

 

For what it's worth...I had an issue with no heat last year, and I'm starting to face it again because of that damn Dexcool crap...

I originally had the GM dealer in our area do an entire system flush and new t-statand put newDexcool in- that made it warmer for about 3 weeks, then it got cool again. I called a rad shop in our area, and they said that they had a number of complaints about Dexcool and suggested that they power flush the heater core as a start.

It cost $35 and I was in and out in about 15 mins and it was hot!!! So, while I like a DIY solution when I can clearly save some money, this was a no brainer, and I'll likely take it back in this fall and have it blown out again. You could change the Dexcool and give it a hose flush on your own, but I would check with your rad shops around your area and see what they would charge for a power flush on the core.