american made heater core

[79broncoowner]

For the second time my heater core is leaking. It started leaking after the summer when I have it turned off. The first one didnt last a year. I bought a new one made in mexico: and now it is leaking. Where can I get a usa made heater core that will last longer than a year? I have to pull the whole dash out because I have dealer installed air.

[GetBent4x4]

is it the aluminum one you're having problems with?

[LarryP]

are you running strait water in your cooling system??? If you are that would probably be the reason for your failures. you need to run coolant, water will kill a heater core. Now I dont know if you are running water or coolant so it might be a whole different problem.

[79broncoowner]

It is copper. I have a new radiator so I run the distilled water and name brand antifreeze with the right ratio of water to antifreeze

[78bronco460]

Try NAPA

[chugs]

what type of coolant and what temp thermostat are you running. and is your ac functional

[79broncoowner]

180 on therostat and I use prestone antifreeze

[79broncoowner]

Oh and yes the ac works.

[soksniffer]

That's going to be tough to find, I think--most _radiators_ are made elsewhere, so a heater might not be available. With the exception of a windshield gasket, I've been happy with what I've gotten via JBG--that said, the heater core they sell doesn't specify USA on their site. You might e-mail them and ask if they know of a USA source (or if the part they're selling is made here, tho I'd think they would advertise that if it were).

http://broncograveyard.com/bronco/i-...ut-heater.html

[79broncoowner]

Thanks I will check it out.

[newageroman]

I read somewhere (not this site) that having a loose ground cable can corrode/erode your heater core. Sounded like some smelly at first, but the more I read I was more convinced.

Not tooo long ago I put in a small power inverter to be able to charge things inside the cab. when I did this I don't think I spliced into the ground all that well, a ways down the road my heater core starts leaking. Probably coincidence.

I bypassed it, but now cold weather is coming so I need to get it put back in. When doing research about heater core I came across the bad ground/erode topic. Still not 100% conviced, but bad grounds are just bad anyway so I might as well fix them.

anybody else heard of this?

[79broncoowner]

Interesting I will double check my ground. How many grounds do I need from the body to the frame?

[soksniffer]

Originally Posted by newageroman

I read somewhere (not this site) that having a loose ground cable can corrode/erode your heater core. ...

I work around and with some equipment that has impressed current cathodic protection to prevent it from corroding, essentially turning the equipment to be protected into an electrical cathode so it doesn't corrode away. I guess it's possible that somehow a poorly grounded inverter could work in reverse, and that a heater core might become the anode (esp. if it were aluminum) and lose metal until it leaked.

Note the word guess above. Good ol' wikipedia has a nice basic summary of the CP process:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathodic_protection
Generally this is more needed in saline environments (like a seaside power plant or offshore drilling platform).

This site gives a good description & depiction of the impressed current process and how it shuffles chloride ions around.
http://www.cathodicprotection101.com/

I dunno if it would do the same thing with various antifreeze additives. How about an unqualified "maybe" as an answer?

[soksniffer]

Check this out (especially the 2nd paragraph):
http://macsworldwide.wordpress.com/2...-electrolysis/

Is there any chance your heater core is somehow grounded? I think mine has some dielectric (rubber) insulators between the inlet/outlet stubs and the body where they pass through, visible from the engine side of the firewall. I don't know what's going on behind the dash.

[87Roughneck]

Google "electrolysis" and "galvanic action".

When the coolant is contaminated and/or overly acidic it becomes a wonderful conductor, especially when the vehicle's grounds aren't up to par, and you end up with nice little burn marks on the heater core and wet feet for the passenger.

The wonderful thing about the whole thing is that if you put a nice, new ground wire close to the heater core without flushing the coolant system, you can actually increase the problem instead of decreasing it. I've seen two-day-old heater cores burned clean through because the tech didn't flush the system, or because the customer wouldn't pay to have it done. They paid the second time, usually...

Flush your system, make sure your grounds are good, and use a copper heater core.

[Thumpszilla]

Gentlemen I have been a mechanic for quite a few years. If this is true then I have learned something new. If it isn't true it might cost you a few extra bucks and you will have better grounds.

[JKossarides]

Unfortunately most of them are made of poor quality either in China or Mexico but you can ground the HC with a piece of wire soldered to the HC and sheetmetal behind the kick panel sheetmetal to prevent the galvonic or electrolisis process which ever is correct.....

I'm currently using Redline "water wetter" added to the cooling system which reduces ambient cylinder temp and prevents internal corrosion, costs around $10.00 a bottle but worth every penny IMO....

Good Luck ~

[79broncoowner]

Ok I am not finding a copper or usa made heater core. napa or npd or any one else has one. I do not have any ground wires from the engine to the firewall. When I put a ground wire from the engine to the firewall and flush my system will the allumium core last longer??

[miesk5]

yo
Custom Copper Heater Cores to Replace Aluminum & Plastic
http://www.flowkoolerwaterpumps.com/...m-plastic.html
American made brass & copper heater cores for various trucks & cars. It started when a Ford dealership in Texas, frustrated with repeat warranty claims due to electrolysis contacted us to make heater cores for the F150, F250, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.

Electrolysis occurs when the electrical devices in a vehicle create stray electric DC current that runs through the cooling system. This ungrounded electrical current causes electrolysis and galvanic corrosion, an electrochemical reaction in the coolant, turning it into a corrosive agent that eats away at thin aluminum cores in radiators and heater cores. By using brass and copper, it isless prone to electrolytic actions and stress failure. Also, copper has twice the BTU transfer rate of aluminum making it an even better heat exchanger.

These handcrafted heater cores are in the $250 range. Compared to the $50 aluminum replacement, this may sound expensive until you consider the average labor bill of 11 hours to drain the fluids, remove the dash, install a new heater core and replace all the fluids. It is even worse for the person who manages a fleet of vehicles, like the police force of a major metropolitan area who recently contacted us. Repeated vehicle downtime matters.

For more information about heater cores, radiators, high flow water pumps, or any other FlowKooler product, visit us onlinewww.flowkooler.com, or call us directly (805) 239-2501

They show Mustangs and from my ever-shrinking memory;
many Stang cores from 70s were = to 78-79 Bronco
Same for 77-78 T Birds
etc.
Have to confirm!

[79broncoowner]

I will check them out Thanks a lot.