How to Flush a Heater Core (Fast)

[@exhale.]

Can't imagine you'll see this comment, but followed this guidance over the weekend and brought my 20 year old heater from nonfunctional to hot as an oven. Took about 30 gallons and a lot of sediment that looked like pebbles of concrete. The weather is below freezing most mornings now and I'm super appreciative- you've changed my quality of life significantly.

[@handbananaistherapist642]

Hard water!

[@Akotski-ys9rr]

Sounds like you ran straight water in your car or never changed the coolant

[@exhale.]

@@Akotski-ys9rr I think previous owner ran 50/50 coolant and tap water and never changed it. I changed the coolant (and radiator, which I now realize I probably could have also flushed) but by the time I got there a drain and fill just wasnt enough.

[@keegyweegy7803]

hoping to try this, my heater on my 99 sierra doesnt work at all and as you could imagine how nice that is living in the canadian prairies where it's regularly atleast -25° to-30° C on these winter mornings.

[@adolfomonrreal8985]

This video was made 7 years ago and Chris is still responding to messages. legend

[@Brighter-Shores]

Every comment gives them money so that part don't hurt.

[@0JKLim]

Goat, legend, savior of house mechanic 👍🏼

[@justinritter7925]

​@UploaderPaul so what, he deserves it because he works for it! Lol. He single handedly, from his home, brings us lots of great help with home auto mechanical jobs that need done. His videos make things very easy to understand, he keeps them short, and he covers a lot of topics! Very informative at the same time!! Better than a lot of channels put on by big companies even!

[@Brighter-Shores]

@justinritter7925 what's your point? No one said he didnt deserve it.

[@monstershayne]

@@Brighter-Shoreslol thats not how it works

[@kristopherdrolet8548]

ChrisFix has been saving me thousands of dollars, this guy should get a nobel prize. I have a 2013 dodge Ram 1500 and I had no more heat on driver's side. I went at the dealer and they told me it could be multiple problems and would cost around 2000$ to fix. Decided to try this first and it worked like a charm, simple steps and only cost me 35$. Thank you so much Chris!

[@christinehammond1870]

Hello! I also have a 2013 ram 1500 with no heat on the driver's side! Your comment made me sure I was going to try this, so thank you! I just got the supplies and am starting now :) fingers crossed!!

[@SaltCityAngling]

No wayyyyyyyyyyy

[@EclipseStrife]

@@SaltCityAngling Just did my 08 Ram and it did work. Was trickling heat out, barely luke warm, now its almost too hot to put your hand directly on the vent!! Thanks Chris Fix, your the Shiiiaaat!

[@SaltCityAngling]

@@EclipseStrife same here! I couldn’t find the video to tell yall it worked! Thanks for replying haha

[@maxiu..]

14 RAM here same issue, will have to try this, hope it helps replacing the heater core seems to be a nightmare on this truck!!

[@kimberly4891]

Thank you, Chris. Since my Husband has passed I have to do this by myself. Because of you and your detailed instructions, I got the job done all by myself! Actually, it was pretty simple. P.S.: I have a 2000 Dodge Dakota w/V-8 MAGNUM.

[@elephantgrass631]

God bless you and your husband. May he Rest In Peace.

[@bryancastanon989]

May Your Husband Rest In Paradise 🙏❤️🙏❤️ God Bless You 🙏🙏❤️

[@ramumukiya1756]

Yes

[@jeffgood6441]

Sorry to hear that life's rough

[@corso4547]

Condolences

[@StevesRealWorld]

Chris you are a Genius!! My vent temps went from 88'f to 148'f after doing the heater core flush!!! Can't believe what a difference this made!!

[@TheS1PikesPeak]

What.. ? 88f is quite low....

[@kevlarmenace]

My TJ probably puts that much out. Junk in the system doesn't do much for cab heating.

[@rosssmith9941]

Steve's World chris is a boss

[@n5yiz]

If you had that much deviation, there was a stuck valve or some other blockage.

[@StevesRetroGaming]

Maybe, BUT this FIXED it and that's all that maters!

[@steverogers8329]

This was a great walkthrough video! I was able to flush out my 2002 Taurus in about 2 hours. My heater core is farther down behind the engine so it was a bit tougher. My heat wasn’t working at all and after flushing the brown sludge for about ten 5gal buckets, the water was finally clear. I found that running the water both directions got more crap out than just the one direction. In any case, now the heat works 100% and I didn’t have to pull my dashboard out to replace the heater core! Your videos are hands down the best walkthroughs I’ve seen on KZbin so keep up the great work!

[@Tom-wq2mz]

I've been working on automobiles for over 35 long year's and I love watching your videos. Your a very smart kid

[@abubekernurahmed8263]

Hi Sir, why i hear sound like running water (like Sloshing sound)under my car steering wheel when the car is on? Do u have any idea plz😅

[@Tom-wq2mz]

@@abubekernurahmed8263 Check your Steering Wheel fluid

[@abubekernurahmed8263]

@@Tom-wq2mz Yep i checked it is full

[@Tom-wq2mz]

@@abubekernurahmed8263 Be careful when checking it. The fluid can leak out of the valve core

[@pinpoint0]

He really is. He's taught me a lot! Too many things I haven't done, but maybe someday!

[@planetrob555]

I did this several years ago following the instructions on a package for a radiator flush kit. Same method as yours and it really works. However, I used a chemical to break up the crud inside the core. It worked much better than just rinsing the core out. Glad you are promoting this!

[@Motley-Croo]

Thank you for teaching me that working on cars doesn’t have to be scary, I started watching before I could drive and now I’m pursuing mechanical engineering. I’ve come a long way thanks to you! ❤

[@KGemini]

7 years later and your video is still helping people. SS Monte Carlo 3.8L started blowing cold and having erratic temperatures. Found this video today and got a $5 flush kit from autozone and now my car has heat/normal temperature. Thank you homie

[@mikecamann2139]

Just did this to my 2011 Jeep Liberty, and it worked great! Air vent temp went from 80 F before the flush to 135 F after! Incredible, thank you Chris!

[@MichelleSleeper]

Great video, just fixed the heat in my 30 year old truck. Found your channel a few weeks ago (looking at 24 Hours of Lemons inspiration), but then YT recommended this video to me. I said why not, let's give it a try. You would not believe the SOLIDS that came out of my heater core. Now it's blasting out hot air. Thanks!

[@chrisfix]

Awesome! Glad to hear the video was helpful!

[@rcnitroguy9317]

Almost 8 years and chris is still making content n hes still going strong yu go chris fixit love yur video ive learned alot from u my guy n ive been working on vehicals since i was like 10 years old and that right there shows that a mechanic doesnt know everything and can still learn more tricks n tips thank you chris.

[@chrisfix]

Thanks a lot!

[@ODog-]

Chris you’re a life saver, this was my first time doing maintenance on my own and thanks to you I have nice hot heat in my car again 😁

[@Z_Train_80]

Brother, I watch a decent amount of car KZbin and you are far and away the best at what you do. 9 yr. old video just saved me from buying a new car. NOT TO MENTION your head gasket sealer review video which has the car still running in the first place 8 months after taking your advice. Heater core was completely plugged, screwing with my whole coolant system (Granted, head sealer prob contributed but no heat even before I used it) . No more overheating + have working heat again! And from a 6 minute video!

[@chrisfix]

Awesome!

[@carlosvazquez2710]

I don't know why Chris Fix videos suddenly were not sugested to me by youtube. I like this videos

[@chrisfix]

Thanks a lot!

[@MARTYMEINEKE53]

Pro tip never disconnect the heater hose from the heater core itself. Disconnect them from the engine. Reason being the hoses may have to be twisted loose for removal and if you snap the neck of the heater core you are in for a big repair. So remove them on the engine or coolant feed instead

[@Patrick94GSR]

yep, I removed the heater pipes from my core when I did an engine-out service a decade ago, and ended up crushing the brass heater core pipes. Ooops. I drove the car with the core bypassed (no heat) for several months before getting a replacement core, and then I had to pull my entire dashboard to replace the core. It was a HUGE PITA!

[@travissmith6210]

Absolutely true

[@loweredexpectations8568]

What if you've got a bypass hose? Will it still flush out?

[@DJPacoRamirez]

Lowered Expectations if you have it bypass, typically your heater cores pipes are exposed, which basically your skipping the first couple of steps. Like mine

[@OcRefrig]

very good advice !

[@joehorstthemechanic-lagran3339]

Pretty good video but just a couple of cautions. You want to be very careful when removing the heater hoses from the heater core, if you have an older heater core and you twist the hoses to remove them, it can damage the heater core and then you have no choice but to replace it. Most often we put a short slice at the end of the hose and work it off carefully then cut the slice off the end of the hose and reinstall it after flushing. When those spring clamps are removed they lose spring tension, I have seen them leak when reused. We always install new screw style clamps. Otherwise the video was very informative and flushing does help heater output most of the time.

[@CMGDMovies]

Learned this the hard way, bent up the tip of my heater core on my 3000gt the other day. Going to just get new clamps and make sure they are very secure.

[@Asphaltaperider]

Thanks for that info!!

[@CantonBn]

@joehorstthemechanic-lagran3339 John, you make some good points. But spring type clamps are not used on these systems because they are cheaper. But because they continue to tighten as the material of the hose compresses slightly over time. So you get new clamps -- but not screw type, you do want fresh spring type. But you are absolutely correct about treating the rubber to alloy connection carefully and not yanking around. if you dame the heater core you could be looking at up to $2k repair in replacing a heater core which on a modern car an be a full day expert labor removing entire dash

[@josephmantooth7852]

I’ve watched 4 KZbin videos on how to do this and yours is by far the best one and only one I feel like fully showed how to the complete process. Thanks

[@chrisfix]

Thanks a lot!

[@findnwanderer2156]

Thank you for being so thrououly easy to follow. As a girl just starting to dive into the mechanic world, your videos out of the million on youtube, have been the easiest to learn from and i apreciate it tremendously! Thank you.

[@dr.s.p.]

I fully agree with you and your comments. His videos are so clear and concise with such easy to follow instructions, photography and editing that even outshines most major documentary corporations and instructional courses. His many videos also gave me the confidence to dive in and do mechanical jobs I never would’ve dreamed I’d be able to accomplish before. This young fellow deserves the ten million subscribers (and more) and all its rewards! He’s done a truly remarkable job and it’s absolutely turned my life around in actually enjoying working on my car now and trying stuff for myself.

[@Connorw1]

me

[@mjremy2605]

You are a woman not girl, unless you are under 18. Please do not disrespect yourself and your gender by making yourself into a little girl. We don't call men 'boys'. This would be disrespectful. Ditto for women.

[@deanomutch6175]

I just want to give a massive thank you to you Chrisfix. I've managed to do so much with my 2 Fiesta's on my own and this has made me a very competent D.I.Y mechanic I am today. I'm 18 and have managed to fix both of my old Ford Fiesta's which had heaps of issues and am now able to whiz through the restoration of my 1995 GMC Vandura with ease thanks to you. Wish you all the best and again I can't thank you enough for all your time in these video's 😁.

[@phantomshtter]

Just wanted to say you're awesome for these how to vids. I just bought my first 4x4 ever, I need to build this XJ up but first put some good tlc maintenance into it via everything you can teach me. I've always paid for vehicle maintenance and repairs but I'm older now, I wanna learn this stuff myself and it feels good to take care of the work myself. Hell, plus I just need all my left over dough to build this rig up. Thanks again, great vids really. Not many people understand how to present good instruction, directions and training in a straight forward, clear, precise and user friendly manner like this.

[@123456bmx]

phantomshTTer I feel like nobody who reads this will know what an xj is... I loved mine,it was a 1990 renix operating system lol

[@dr.s.p.]

Interesting video and as always, clear and concise instruction. That great little flush kit you Americans get for 5 bucks costs nearly $20 in the UK. When I lived in the US for 10 years I didn’t realise how lucky I was to have absolutely everything at one’s finger tips at very cheap costs (as compared to many places like the UK). Without Amazon and Ebay we wouldn’t have half the stuff available that the States have but we pay twice as much also.

[@mjremy2605]

Maybe. But you have free health care and ours kills us from the cost.

[@cabourn81]

@@mjremy2605 we do pay for it though every month in our taxes, it just doesn’t come as one huge bill at the point of needing it. Either way, I much prefer our system.

[@Mark-gg6iy]

Excellent points. I am American lived in America for many years. I have returned to living in Brazil and the frustration is great. Reminds me why I left in the first place. Trying to buy anything here is a pain in the neck. I can easily spend 5 hours trying to buy a simple, generic item that could be purchased from any US auto parts store and at the end of the 5 hours here have nothing for my trouble and can't even buy it in the country online.

[@richardcranium3579]

@@mjremy2605 it’s not free. Nothing nothing is ever free. Check out their tax rates for all that “free” healthcare. Denmark pays 55.9%, France 55.4%, etc etc Nothing is ever free. Somebody pays, always. Also look into quality of healthcare.

[@nuggetfinder63]

One of the best videos on how to properly flush out a heater core. I especially liked how you re primed the system with antifreeze and showed when it was primed. Good job!

[@averylefor7122]

I bet Chris's vehicles will run forever. He replaces thing that people don't even know exist.

[@chrisfix]

lol

[@averylefor7122]

ChrisFix what would you recommend as far as advanced maintenance to keep my truck running longer?

[@rcuevas76]

Avery LeFor for example blinker fluid lol😂😂😂😂

[@Zero_Ninety]

Avery LeFor Replace every single component..

[@Timmy2024-y5g]

never have sex in your car.

[@richandersen6980]

Thanks so much for your video. It totally helped me ID and fix the problem. HOWEVER, All I did was disconnect the hoses at the firewall and feed my garden hose into the inlet valve then turn the hose on just under medium, then I flushed it through the outlet. I reconnected the heater hoses and just topped up the radiator. Job done. No need for the additional adapters, etc. The tools I used were long-nose plyers, large flat head, garden hose. Again, thanks for your video, just thought I'd share my experience to help others. I was working on an 02 Nissan Xtrail.

[@83alpinab9]

We saw quite a few plugged heater cores in the 1998 to 2005 VW Passat. We reversed flushed using a pond pump (Harbor Freight) in a bucket of CLR. Let it run overnight and you would not believe the amount of debris, rust, and crud in the bottom of the bucket. It did not take too long before we ruined the first pond pump so we attached a sump screen to the replacement pump inlet to keep the pumps from getting fouled. It was about a $1000.00 job to replace the heater core and I think we sold the "cleaning/backflush" for $250.00 including the gallon of CLR. Always got good results and was amazed at how much crud came out of the heater core. We of course would not recommend this unless there was clean antifreeze in the coolant system to begin with (already had the standard coolant flush done).

[@kjamison5951]

Thanks for adding the comment about pets and the sweet smelling liquid. Also, for everyone else, if you find it difficult to push the hose over the inlet and outlet connectors on the firewall/bulkhead (UK), use a beaker if boiling water to slightly soften the ends of the clear hose.

[@christopherrandolph2151]

Chris, thanks for the video! With your guidance, and a couple of other videos on the subject, I was able to flush my heater core. It had become completely clogged. Now is putting out the heat! Thanks again!

[@timwitter7686]

I bought a Orbit 5/8 in. Metal Female Mender for $4.28 which is used to repair a broken home water hose. Don’t go to the plumbing parts area. You need to go to the Home water hose area to find it. It’s half of the cost of the smaller connectors found in the plumbing section. It works great to connect the home water hose to the car water hose for flushing. Thanks Chris, you made my first time flushing my heater core easy and clean.

[@mikemyers5972]

Thank you...thank you...thank you!! Saved a ton of money by being able to flush my 2012 Ford Focus heater core using your video. Heat was only blowing out of driver's side vents and I thought my entire heater core was shot. Took my time using your video and heat is back to pumping on both sides . Again...thanks!!

[@chrisfix]

I'm glad the video was helpful! That's awesome!

[@hypurnova]

If your vehicle has one, check the heater control valve while your at it. If there is a lot of buildup in your heater core, your control valve could very easily be blocked/damaged which could cause a lack of/no heat as well. 👍Also, be extra careful not to accidentally bend or pinch your heater cores inlet and outlet tubes as they can be made of brass or aluminum and can be damaged easily which could result in a wicked coolant leak. Hope I helped 😊

[@chrisfix]

+Xeno Phobya thanks for the tips

[@carducky500]

Chris is awesome and very knowledgeable, he goes in detail by detail, step by step, not like some of these other youtubers who rush and don't always provide through directions and info

[@TrueBlueEG8]

Word to the wise, if you try removing the hoses from your 20 year old heater rad, you will run into serious trouble. My advice is to buy new hose before you attempt this, and cut the old hoses off with a sharp stanley knife, dont pry or twist them off, because you will distort the metal pipes on the heater core, or break the welds/braising inside the car and fill your interior with delicious coolant, I have seen this happen several times on older cars.

[@goclunker]

TrueBlueEG8 yup. Always cut old hardened hoses

[@iibadsportii690]

I feel like that happened to you lol

[@tonycrossley2869]

God almighty, how I've learnt this THE HARD WAY !...

[@billtusing2728]

just cut as much as you need to cut and peel back like an orange then you can still reuse the same hose in most cases.

[@davecrupel2817]

@@iibadsportii690 well he said he's seen it happen.... So yeah...quite the feeling there, God.

[@creatorsservant7226]

You're providing a wonderful informational maintenance service! I really appreciate it. People can save a lot of money doing some of their car maintenance themselves. Again, thanks!

[@rhensonsr]

9 years later this helped me do an 07 PT Cruiser. The inlet is the bottom and the exit is the top on PTs. Thank you Chris! Awesome job.

[@SMC_69Productions]

Gotta say thanks Chris, showed me the ground work for doing this on my vehicle and it worked. Had to search for something else vehicle specific but I honestly felt that I was going to screw it up. Gotta say thanks again because I wouldn’t have pulled it off without this. Great content as always

[@planetrob555]

2014 "hey guys..." 2019 "HEY GUYS!!!..."

[@davecrupel2817]

2020: "...guys?"

[@deeznuts2541]

2020 HEYYYYY GUUUUUUYYYYYSSSSS CHRIS FIX HERE

[@maskedredstonerproz]

@Reality Analyst no ,no it's not , trust me , I'm also a KZbinr so I know what's up

[@wompwompwomps]

Masked Redstoner Pro Z kid u and chrisfix are not on the same level u can’t know what’s up when he has millions of subscribers and you have 38.

[@spyrosbellos2522]

@Reality Analyst he deserves it, his videos have helped countless of people

[@adventStudies]

Awesome video. I have the same vehicle and this problem. Chris has saved me so much money and help determine so many problems. One note, the hose adapter Amazon link takes me to a 3/8" instead of 5/8", so if you want to replicate the vid, make sure to grab the correct size

[@GregoryAsher]

I subscribed because the quality of your videos is good, you are very informative and appear to do your research/know your stuff. Keep making good videos so that people can continue to keep their cars in good, running condition! And thank you!

[@GallacticReactions]

Chris costs me a fortune fixing stuff I didn't even know needed fixing.

[@destinhook3826]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Drewsolo924]

I have a 2012 Chrysler 200. There’s heat on drivers side but no heat on passenger side. Changed both thermostats but it didn’t fix the issue. Took it to my mechanic and he said it was the heater core and said the bill would be around $900. I asked him to just flush the heater core. I’m confident that after all these videos and reading online about so many people having success and saving A LOT of money just by flushing the heater core that this will fix the issue. Fingers crossed I guess… thanks for the video though. Provided the reassurance that I was looking for.

[@chrisc6874]

Guys like you making vids save people hundreds even thousands of dollars! Keep up the good work!

[@chrisfix]

+Chris C thanks a lot Chris!

[@marclaw4511]

Nicely explained.I had a blocked heater core which would not flush.A chap told me to put dishwasher detergent in the reservoir and run it for a couple of days.It worked a treat when i flushed it and then changed the coolant.

[@necroodin]

had a old timer tell me the same thing just the other day when working on a coolant leak

[@MrTheHillfolk]

GroovemasterOdin yea use some cascade if you ever get oil in your cooling system from a blown head gasket, works great for that too

[@patsgarage8593]

GroovemasterOdin where was your coolant leak happening when u did this??

[@marclaw4511]

No coolant leak just trying to get heater matrix to work.

[@danieljackson1272]

Marc Law I used vinegar once. I poured a 16oz bottle of vinegar into the reservoir along with distilled water and ran it like that for a couple days. Clean things out really good. Drained it and replaced with coolant, of course.

[@mkp3824]

I don't know how I got so lucky finding this channel! I have a 1998 Ranger, 3.0L with a manual transmission. I have learned so much on this channel. I just had my radiator flushed and filled. It was good before, being that the radiator was only about 25,000 miles old, but after the flush, it gets hot, QUICK! I wonder if that helped the heater core? Anyway, having this channel is great! I found it researching how to change the dash lights, which I did.

[@timberray9572]

After watching this video I flushed the core on my truck and now I got some proper heat in my truck once again, thanks Chris.

[@chrisfix]

Awesome! Glad you wont be cold this winter!

[@kickthejamz]

Ray Duerksen do you know what might be the problem with my truck? When I do the heater core flush it will only work good for a couple hours then starts blowing cold again

[@johnlewis503]

Check out this video to flush the rest of your coolant, you've probably got debris in the rest of your cooling system. If that fails look into replacing your mixing valve, could be barely working or easily clogged up stopping flow. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qV6QZpmqar6cfsk

[@kickthejamz]

John Lewis my coolant doesn't have any debris in it surprisingly. But it was an easy fix to just reverse the hoses to the firewall and keep it in reverse flow all the time, so far it's been good thanks

[@gregorykusiak5424]

Roy Glass your thermostat sounds like it is stuck open. You might also have a coolant leak - which hopefully isn’t at the head gasket - so try filling/burping the system first.

[@lukekirkby5304]

Good instructional video as always Chris. I normally will flush it both ways multiple times to help dislodge anything that may be trapped.

[@dizzybum3997]

Watched this video several years ago and it definitely works! I'm about to do my second heater core flush over the lifetime of my '99 Jeep XJ. Heater core is going to get replaced eventually, but until then, this is a really easy way to extend the life of a clogged core.

[@chrisfix]

I'm glad the video is still helpful and is going to help with your Jeep!

[@matthewbellant38]

​@chrisfix I'm having this issue with my 2015 chevy equinox. Please help before I shell out hundreds or possibly thousands on repairs

[@BigGuyReview]

Hey awesome video. I have a 2007 econoline with 450 000 miles on it. The heat is a little low and I will try this. Up north here in Canada the winter can be cruel and cold! We need all the heat we can get out of these heater cores.

[@chrisfix]

Big Guy Review Wow 450k miles is a lot! Nice job keeping her going! Let me know how the flush goes!

[@BigGuyReview]

ya will do.

[@JustyzzG]

What a fucking tank. My Step-Mother has the same van for daycare children.. and it has 380k.

[@BigGuyReview]

ya if you take of most any vehicle it will take care of you.

[@papa54321]

FarrukGlo CR7 Neechious Teen answer Lol And if you're not a kid it,s even worse Hahaha good luck in life with an attitude as yours!

[@jessielee1369]

That was an excellent video. Well articulated, great pointers along the way, good lighting, nice volume and camera work. Just an excellent video.

[@marcrules101]

I'm actually in the process of flushing my ranger and the heater core was absolutely filthy and now I'm flushing out the rest of the system as we speak thanks to you. Can't wait to have good heat again

[@MrGremple]

Haha, ist funny how Chris sounds bored in the old videos. Today he has way more energy in his voice. Love the videos!

[@tygill7401]

It’s probably because jobs were a lot more tedious without his crazy collection now lol love this guy, literally taught me everything I know about car maintenance since I was in high school. So many emotions I get thinking bout him

[@Vacublaster1]

A good idea is to have the end of the clear hose in a cup of hot water before pushing it onto the firewall fitting. That will make it much easier to fit as the plastic becomes softer.

[@waltermessines5181]

And much harder to remove once it's cold.

[@401Impala]

@@waltermessines5181 not if you pour a cup of hot water on it. Derp.

[@BADBOIOFBOSTON]

I'm not one to comment or like videos but you sir deserve it. My wife's Dodge Nitro heater was not working. Took it to three mechanics, one personal mechanic and two franchise. The last franchise, rhymes with dep toys..lol, they were charging 1980.00 for a new thermostat and water pump I told them the first mechanic just changed it. I told him my Friend Chris suggested to flush the heater core. Easy fix!!! 49.00 later. My family is toasty in her car. He said. Good catch by your friend Chris. Yup!

[@1keykneedeep]

When putting your hose back in - always push it to the base. ALWAYS GENTLEMEN

[@briancorrea524]

Yes balls deep

[@OcRefrig]

😂

[@VictoryConyers]

1keykneedeep great minds think alike 🤪

[@dannac_8888]

Gross, not cool, this is a G-rated show. My children are watching...

[@dateraped.1323]

Lol make sure there's no air

[@huntergman8338]

"it tastes sweet and will kill them." Peta, "write the down, write that down!"

[@jonas699]

Sadly it is true. Two years ago both of our cats turned out poisoned by antifreeze probably some neighbour trying to kill rats or whatever (hopefully not the cats). Luckily one survived but since then it's sound is very different and weak.

[@kodhii3091]

@@jonas699 :(

[@jordanparker8359]

😂🤣

[@guycha0s380]

@@jonas699 :(

[@NYG5]

yeah it's sweet, sometimes working under the car if you get blasted in the face by it a little can get in your mouth

[@CLOWEN2010]

TY for the video, i flushed my heater core yest because i had no heat at all, after flushing i didn’t think it worked because not much came out of it, well i was wrong, heat works now and it’s bumping at a hot 130 degrees. Keep up the good work!!

[@chrisfix]

I'm glad you got your heat back! Thanks a lot!

[@eathanrichards6363]

Have i watched this 2 times. YUP! Do i need to do this. NOPE!

[@basspassionguide9089]

Faxxx😂

[@eathanrichards6363]

@@basspassionguide9089 i also can't do this

[@tomthetitan3697]

Am I watching it a fourth time? Yes! Why? No clue, I’m bored.

[@eathanrichards6363]

@@tomthetitan3697 lmao

[@Bigwolf8412]

Works great I do it with a 2014 vw jetta

[@ak540i2]

I also give my spigot a love tap when I'm done with it.

[@billtusing2728]

good for you

[@brandonb8879]

LMFAO

[@GreyGhost-r4z]

Today I rinsed out my heater core on my 2006 Scion XB. Your video made it look like the guy from This Old House, where everything works perfectly. 😆. Lol. You apparently cut out all of the F Bombs. Finally got it done. My heat is HOT now. Thanks 🙏🏼

[@kens97sto171]

Nice video, good information. Be careful with some cars.... Some heater cores are brass... 90~97 Miata are for sure. If you try to pull the hoses off like you did, you will bend the input / output lines. once the output lines are no longer round they will often leak. Very difficult to get them perfectly round again the only way to fix it is to get a new heater core which requires removing the entire dashboard. If the car has a brass heater core I would suggest leaving it alone and doing a entire cooling system flush draining the fluid from the radiator at the bottom. And then refilling with fresh. Coolant

[@chrisfix]

kens97sto171 Thanks and thanks for the tips!

[@clangun]

kens97sto171Just remove the opposite end of the hose & connect the fitting there that way you leave the heater core alone.

[@kens97sto171]

clangun On a Miata one of the hoses goess to the back of the head, right up against the firewall.. Major pain in the butt to get to. The other runs down the side of the engine too.. I can't remeber where. Also not easy to get too. Unless the hoses need to be replaced, I leave them alone.. Again this is Miata specific. The core is brass.. And does not tend to corrode. Also it is a constant flow system.. There is no valve in the core to shut off water flow... So debris does not tend to collect in the core. More radiator. Defiantly recommend just doing a drain and flush. I've had Miata with 230,000 miles and never had a heat issue...,besides the shitty heat it came with from the factory.

[@بدوناسم-ث1ل5ص]

الخسيلاحي

[@zedman442]

Great stuff, these old motors are so much easier to work on. Trying to find the equivalent on a modern car can be a nightmare. Great tips as usual Chris.

[@chrisfix]

+Zed Man Thanks man!

[@funkyprepper]

Cool video as always Chris. My truck had head gasket seal fluid in the head. My heater core is clogged. Highly possible it will need replacing as its hard to flush out by the sound of it

[@chrisfix]

Thanks a lot! And I would try this method first even if it seems hard to flush, definitely beats having to go in to replace the heater core

[@p3l1k44n1]

I did this to my old dodge aspen and the water was clear.. But then i reversed the order and pumped the exhaust port with water and inlet as an exhaust and more brown sludge came out.. then i reversed the order again and even more brown sludge.. After that it was clean tho.

[@Dee-hi5zj]

EXACTLY my experience with a Volare (same type system) I had a 5 gallon bucket of ultra-sludge... And afterward, the heater cooked everybody in the car to a nice lobster-red!

[@moby271]

You did it the right way. Chris could learn from you.

[@ajg2040]

Donny B.. Lobster red... Lmao

[@evolutionj]

passengers cooked af

[@ThomasFarquhar2]

Ford M Garage you don't have to end every sentence with tho tho! You don't have to end every sentence with tho tho

[@hellcatredeye-g6582]

Just by the discoloration of the anti-freeze you should've flushed the radiator and engine at the same time otherwise just going to get contaminated all over again using the same old anti-freeze in the radiator when I do this at my shop it's just best to change all the any freeze flush everything otherwise just half the job . You Gotta know the radiator water pump heater is all connected same system

[@chrisfix]

+Ken Cook thanks for sharing. Watch my "superflush your cooling system" video.

[@williamjenkins871]

I took notice when the video started how "discolored" the coolant was. At the end he is concerned about proper 50/50 mix and not flushing radiator.

[@dufus2273]

yeah , I just said this very thing.

[@OcRefrig]

fact !

[@JacobPeterson2014]

I can't wait to try this out on my 2005 ram 2500. The heat has been only luke warm for a while now. Thanks Chris! You're videos are the best!

[@chrisfix]

Good luck!

[@philipfm]

one recommendation, if the hoses require to much effort to remove from the heater core, use a razor and slice into the hose where it goes on the core nipples. Pulling on them could damage the heater core especially on a older vehicle. Antifreeze stinks up your car.

[@tonycrossley2869]

I use new Heater and Radiator Hoses and put tons of Silicon Grease on the fittings, making future removal much easier.

[@christophervanzetta]

@@tonycrossley2869 Silicon grease doesn't mix well with coolant. Only use sparingly on the connector

[@Wok_Agenda]

Guys be carefull with the flush . Dont use high pressure, i did this to mine cause i had no heating but it didnt do any good so ive changed the heater core and when ive opened the old one i saw that it had some plastic spiral structure inside the copper tubing which collapsed inside from pressure and no water was circulating no matter what i did to it.So carefull guys use low pressure and patience if nothing replace core

[@chrisfix]

+Dimitri Andreou thanks for sharing

[@Wok_Agenda]

My pleasure Chris

[@nothingsurprisesmeanymore]

I used a diesel powered jet wash bit only on around 25% and it did the job lots of brown sludge but a hose is better I kept thinking that suddenly the cars interior would explode with steamy jet wash water, but it didn't.

[@tonyanaya4085]

Need a video on heater core replacement.. Come on chrisfix

[@robowen11]

I know it's an old video but I followed Chris's advice and tried this. Boy did I get some shit out of the radiator. It was like brown treacle at first and took around 10 or 11 buckets before it started to run somewhat clear. At first there was barely any flow it was that bunged up. Thanks to Chris, I now have great heating, perfect for those summer days here in Australia. lol

[@lilmomma4891]

This worked on my Pontiac Torrent and I finally have heat. Thank god

[@davidhur09]

my relationship so broken not even chris can fix it =(

[@highlyunlikely2349]

Use the Force

[@seungjoon2037]

Koalafications4Dayz sorry to hear that. Ih the person is good, go get her or him back. If not, flush ur mind with a fresh mind to meet a better person😁

[@Aaron-qr3tg]

have you tried unplugging and plugging it back in?

Flush your relationship and refill your heart with a fresh one.

[@bas12345654321]

Just flush her old blood out and replace with fresh antifreeze.

[@revthomasstanley8001]

Chris I thought you might be intetested in this. I purcjased a 97 Silverado with a seized motor and a group of us got together and put in a salvage yard engine. Winter came and no cab heat. This time it was to cold to work in an unheated garage. So i took it to a repair shop. The repair man said after checking hose temps goodflow, good fan but it is pushing out a diminished air flow. Leave it here I `ll check thing out. Several days later he called it"s done. In Southern Colorado we have dust storms the heat exchanger was packed with mud. Washed it out and now it heats well. So there is something else if your in an area where there are dust storms to consider. I have another tale to tell your viewers check out your engine coolant flush video.

[@dsent31078hooyah]

Hey man, thanks for the video. Really helped out with my 2010 jeep liberty. Took a couple tries to get the clog out but now I have awesome heat. Thanks again keep making good videos like this for DIY people like myself.

[@geopars9396]

Flush it both directions. Always. And flushing the whole coolant system is highly recommended. Flushing the heater core and not the block, radiator is pointless

[@chrisfix]

Thanks for sharing!

[@chetkosciolek]

Duuude I bought a 05 silverado 1 year ago. last winter was brutal heat barely worked but I got by. Last summer did a complete coolant flush easy peezy I figured this winter I would be good to go but nope still had horrible heat issues and last week driving home from work in Illinois btw the heat completely stopped. turned cold 🥶 ugh and with finding your video I did step by step and bam 126° F thanks for your very thorough video 📹 👍👍

[@chrisfix]

Awesome! Glad the video is keeping you warm this winter!

[@JosephLucas]

Great instructions step by step. no extra talking just straight to the point so good.

[@dreamsmith19]

Hey, just so you know, your link to the hose adapter is for a 3/8" I.D. hose, not 5/8".

[@chekpoh]

Great video and very educational, followed your recommendation, it fixed my heater problem in about 5min job. I took my 2004 Nissan Frontier to the dealer for diagnostic, they wanted $2700 to replace the radiator, thermostat and they were kind enough to tell me no guarantee it will fix the issue. What!!!!...thanks Chris, thanks for sharing.

[@elit3401]

Nice , clear and simple instructions 👌. Thanks , Chris.

[@Trainmaster1907]

The clock was at 3:59 I wish it flipped over to 4

[@erayc4536]

XD

[@meredithmeredith7371]

SKilz Mate s

[@民進黨-j3h]

Owen Landauer

[@calebtyo643]

XD

[@tiaria7941]

Hi, Chris, Appreciate all the amazing video you have created. I am an international student new in another country. Learning to maintain viechle all by myself. You helped me so much. One question here, why don't we use this 2 hose method to flush the whole coolant system? or at least use this for the first 2 round of flush, and then distilled water? or just pressured distilled water through a filter before recycle it in? And then pure distilled water flush and then coolant. I am really tempted of doing so for the convenience of less manual work. Let me know how bad my idea is. Thank you again for all these great quality content. Cheers Henry

[@chrisfix]

Thanks a lot! And the heater core is a small part of the system that you can connect a hose to easily with a cheap adapter, trying to do something similar to the rest of the system would be more specialized and trying to do it with distilled water would be harder. Not saying its impossible, i'm sure there is a way to do so, but it's pretty easy to just drain and fill your system a few times with minimal tools/products

[@18spd4Life]

Good thorough rundown of the process, well explained and demonstrated 👌🏻

[@scottfirman]

its best to reverse flush your core to remove any accumulated crap in the core. Most flush kits available use the heater core line to flush your whole system. It comes with a T fitting and your hose fittings. you leave the T fitting in and cap it after you are done so you can use it again in 5 years.

[@ahsanrafiq8090]

Thanks for the great video , my Hyundai Atos 2007 heater was not working and was giving chilled air, after flushing with pressurised water like you did, all the scale and dirt come out of the outlet hose, now my car heater is giving hot air like a charm, bundle of thanks man....👍👍👍

[@Clearanceman2]

Wow, never even heard of this. Both cars still good heat at 256,000 and 300,000 miles. But I do change radiator fluid before it gets dirty.

[@craze1701]

If you buy the 50/50 antifreeze, you're throwing money away. That stuff is 12 bucks. So, you're basically paying 6 bucks for a half gallon of distilled water, which costs about a buck a gallon alone. If you buy a gallon of straight antifreeze at 16 bucks, and a gallon of distilled, you get two gallons of 50/50 for 17 dollars.

[@chrisfix]

craze1701 That is true, but 50/50 is way more convienent and already premixed. When it is 10 degrees outside I dont want to play with mixing distilled water and for backup antifreeze it is premixed and ready to go. But you are right that 50/50 is more expensive.

[@Linkys_Adventure]

That's crazy here in Mississippi its $9 a gallon for shell full strength antifreeze I never use distilled water always use it straight out the tap I have never had any problems been doing it for 20 plus years I have a mechanic business Boleware's Auto Repair and never have I ever had any of my six vehicles with and without aluminum heads have pits in them or any defects caused by antifreeze as long as you change your antifreeze at least once a year you're in the good and to all mine I use one gallon of antifreeze to the rest water and in my dodge ram diesel I use 2 gals antifreeze rest water it's about 5 gallon capacity but which Mississippi doesn't get below 10° in the winter and I can take my endoscope and look down in the cooling systems and there is no rust No pitting it's all how you take care of your vehicle whether you change the oil every 4000 miles change the trans fluid at least once a year and flush and with the cooling system flush it and change it brakes flush it and change it and I also do a power steering flush and change at least once a year as long as you take care of your vehicle you will have it forever timing belt I believe in doing it every 60,000 miles or less and if the timing belt or chain runs the water pump I also change the water pump and all other gaskets and seals I have a 95 Toyota Camry it only has 742,698 miles on it can provide proof of needed

[@443DM]

@@Linkys_Adventure Depends how soft your water is. If you have well water with a lot of minerals, it'll lime up pipes a bit, like water does in a kettle. But if you change it every year, I don't think you'll have a problem.

[@margiela2374]

Thank you so much!! Saved me a ton of money No more freezing commutes to work! Fixing this made me soooooo happy

[@chrisfix]

I'm glad this video helped you out!

[@FloridaMan7337]

"you're mixing thing's up, you're flushing things out" lmao

[@380stroker]

Damn playa...did you go to heater core school?

[@johnsarnecki8078]

+380stroker Mad funny...

[@roblogs7168]

😐😑

[@BigBand1942]

I attended but failed to graduate, Forgot to monitor those Hoes!

[@znks7907]

Very satisfying, curious why you didn’t have to burp the coolant system after?

[@MusangLaut2]

I live near the equator, why am i watching this

[@midas8877]

Aiman Razak it’s spelled Ecuador

[@jokumukamikalie]

@@midas8877 You might want to check again. Ecuador is a country, equator is a line dividing southern and northern hemispheres.

[@Pilzi02]

@@midas8877 stupit

[@midas8877]

r/wooosh

[@makern5304]

@@midas8877 that's not how it works

[@hugoloza9]

Awesome! Thank you bro. I did it with my dodge journe 2010, it was really bad. Thanks!

[@chrisfix]

Nice!!! Glad the video was helpful!

[@manij1078]

My journey 2009 has luke warm heat driver side and cold passenger side think this will work for me? Thanks

[@AussieNexus7408]

@@manij1078 yeah buddy should help just be careful to not break the barbs off the heater core 👍

[@MaximumHyperdrive]

9 years later, I need this video. No heat, Winter is coming. I noticed a reduction of temperature, gradually, until no heat at all. Will try this exact method first.

[@chrisfix]

Let me know how this goes!

[@ELECTROMARINEMANIA]

im from india your vedios more help full thank you buddy

[@chrisfix]

Im glad the videos are helpful!

[@blackopsfan00]

"Because it tastes sweet and it'll kill them" lol

[@adamnichols476]

not really a joke, tons of pets have died of it, it tastes like maple syrup.

[@spoonfed7455]

+Adam Adamson I had some and I didn't die

[@hellfire447]

Ethylene glycol toxicity is a potentially fatal condition that results from the ingestion of substances containing ethylene glycol, an organic compound commonly seen in antifreeze. (In addition to being found in the car's engines to prevent freezing and overheating, it is used in hydraulic brake fluids.) Cats usually come into contact with antifreeze when it leaks from a car's engine onto the ground, when it is spilled onto the ground while being added to a car's engine, or when the container is left uncapped.

[@RetroPCUser]

Jesse Brown Thanks, Bill Nye.

[@mattbraga4033]

Spoon Fed one of my patients ingested antifreeze as a means to commit suicide...it didnt kill him.. but it severely damaged his kidneys. In his 20s, he needs dialysis till he dies. or a kidney transplant. Its no joke.

[@procdaddy12]

Thanks for this video Chris, it helped me to realize I had my hoses backwards after I did my last flush. Dumb mistake I made and you helped me fix it and return heat to my 92 ranger custom 2.3L. Thank you Chris❤

[@gereral1_jackofalltrades]

did you bleed the air out?

[@chrisfix]

Yes I bled it out when I flushed the new coolant though.

[@GoodnightMoon666]

ChrisFix How did you bleed the heater core?

[@GF_Burke]

Just run, get hot. Check coolant level. Add if needed. Done.

[@penrodautorepair3170]

You failed to flush the full system. If you don't flush the full system. You will have sediment from the cooling system clogging your heater core back up.

[@marcin495]

That's what happened to me. I flushed the heater core last year and then 2 months later it got clogged up again and I had no heat.

[@OcRefrig]

very good point ! flush whole system too before Heater core flush.

[@jarrettbrewer35]

It will take years to clog up again.

[@zacharybickham6423]

This video was just the heater core flush. He has another video on a system flush. I'm sure he did the whole thing off camera.

[@jeffiroth8899]

I agree that if the heater core is clogged, you might as well flush the whole engine's coolant system, but with a full system flush, you won't be able to reverse the flow through the heater core to help unclog it. I usually reverse flush the core at some point during the full system flush.

[@dabigboom8140]

Thank you so much! I just did a timing belt job on my 2004 tacoma and changed a ton of other stuff too like the water pump. Which meant I had the refill the coolant, so I decided to put the old coolant back in with some radiator flush for a few days and flush it with fresh coolant. I flushed the new coolant, and on the test drive I noticed my heater stopped working... I had a new thermostat and everything so it could only really mean the core was clogged... I really didn't want to spend the time and money to change the core, especially since I just spent so much on the TB job. I tried this method, and sure enough some plastic bits came out along with some dirt and now the heater is working flawlessly again! I'm the type of lazy that likes to change as much stuff as possible that might need it while I'm already in there so I don't have to do it again. So you probably just saved me $600 and 8 hours