Helping This Lady Get Hot Again 🔥

[@donniev8181]

So glad to see a mechanic so happy about saving a customer money. It's so fun to see their face as you tell them that the flush worked. Fun to tell them it didn't work that well. Instead, it worked fantastically!

[@curtisroberts9137]

If he's anything like me he would rather do almost anything than rip an entire dash apart to deal with a heater core even if you dont make much money doing it!!

[@SouthMainAuto]

@@curtisroberts9137 #facts

[@curtisroberts9137]

@SouthMainAuto a little bit of my soul dies every time a heater core flush fails. 😭😭😂😂

[@firstlast---]

I have a heater core flush waiting for me tomorrow morning I hope it works 😭

[@curtisroberts9137]

@firstlast--- poor bastard. 😬 May good have mercy on your soul! 😀

[@adambatko4773]

The difference between an honest mechanic, and a parts replacer. Always looking to help the customer save a buck and still get the job done right. Top notch my guy

[@LesReeves]

Yeah he is very similar to mechanic I took one of my vehicles in to get a registration inspection (NSW Australia) & I could see cracking around the tread on one tyre he said you do not drive this thing enough replace them next year & again on the my third one I thought I had a bearing going & he pointed out the left rear was worn & suggested to put the spare on we looked at the spare & it had never been on the road (06 Toyota Corolla 362,000klms).great guy.

[@robbrobb2161]

Great job Eric. The people in your town are extremely blessed to have you as a resource. : - )

[@TStheDeplorable]

"They're cheap! They're on Amazon! Dammit. I think it might be dead." We've ALL been there!

[@paulgleeson9885]

On a 40°c day in Australia I'm watching you fix a heater and love it lol

[@LesReeves]

Yeah me too sweating just sitting here on front of the laptop.

[@prussiaaero1802]

Heading for 40 in Central VIC today too. Horrible north wind. Glad to be inside "working" (watching SMA.)

[@douglasphillips1203]

Mrs O!! He's playing with the water gun again!!! 😂😂

[@dav1dsm1th]

pew pew

[@LesReeves]

@@dav1dsm1th Great comment he is like a little kid sometimes.

[@tedgtfan]

@@LesReeves Some of us just never grow old/up. lol

[@TimTheTerrible]

Back in the late '80s I worked for a guy laying hardwood floors, and he had a worn-out old box truck with no heat. Early one winter morning we found ourselves at a jobsite an hour or so early, so we basically had to sit in the truck and shiver while we waited for the homeowner to show up and open the property for us. After about twenty minutes I talked him into shutting the truck off and letting me swap the heater hoses. Five minutes later we had all the heat we could ask for. Of course, a week later the heater core ruptured and filled the floor of the truck with nasty brown water, but that's another story.

[@thermalreboot]

So that old box truck was probably a 1970 something or maybe even a 1960 something. Back in the day swapping out a heater core was much easier, lots of space on those simple old trucks. Today you practically have to remove the dash.

[@TimTheTerrible]

@@thermalreboot If memory serves, the heater core was in a long black plastic box under the dash that was easily accessible without removing any other part of the truck's interior.

[@aperson9495]

@@thermalreboot There's no 'practically' about it... You DO need to remove the dash. Even my 95 Cougar is that way. I've had the dash out several times. Once for the evaporator, at least once for the neater core, maybe twice, and I think there was something else I had to remove it for. Fun stuff lol.

[@thermalreboot]

@@TimTheTerrible I never replaced a heater core, but my parents had a 1976 Chevy Suburban with a 350 small block. I would sit on the fender liners in the engine compartment to change the spark plugs. The engine bay was wide open and everything was easy to access.

[@vwwrenchie314]

Eric got that pump off the internet so perhaps It Lost its Amazon Prime LOL😂🚘🇨🇦

[@markp4967]

😂😂😂

[@richardbambenek2601]

The joy you get from saving a customer some money speaks to your character. You are a good man Charlie Brown

[@krsa2003]

Not only an excellent mechanic but honest. It's refreshing to see a mechanic who actually knows how to diagnose but helps customers save money where he can.

[@rayleonard21]

I didn't use CLR, but just flushed my 2015 Ram 2500 at about 100,000 miles and got back heat on the right side of my cab. This was all before SMA! Great practical knowledge to help us!! Thank you Mr O.

[@brnmcc01]

The trick is you have to flush it good before parts of the core get completely jammed, otherwise the CLR just flows thru those parts of the core that aren't clogged up, and the CLR just bypasses the solidly plugged tubes.

[@douglash3129]

Here we go again taking care of your customers and saving them money! Way to go Mr. O.! Merry Christmas to you and Mrs. O and the family! ♥

[@kirbyschneider4187]

Another great job Eric! You saved her $2000! Had a 2007 Dodge ram, and was quoted $2,500 for a new heater core. Core cost $50, the rest in labor to tear the inside down to the firewall!

[@scottturner1275]

Thank you Eric for being a top notch mech. The best I have seen in 25 years.

[@cesardavrieux3767]

"Robota"

[@wallingj68]

Yay! Another win for the customer courtesy of Mr O! So glad that you were able to restore her heat and save her a few bucks in the process. You are a good man Mr O, and that's why most of us are here.

[@samheumann5640]

Your joy for your customer is great to see.....keep on truckin, thanks for sharing.

[@Mike_Engel]

Damn Eric.... You are the man.... love how you can help out someone that cant afford the major repairs by looking for the best way

[@craiggoodwin9704]

Eric, I bought one of those flush guns a couple of years ago after watching one of your videos. So I used it two years ago on my two vehicles and I used it on the last warm day we had this year. Both my heaters will "run you out" which is great. It makes an old truck or van (my case) feel like it's got another couple hundred thousand miles in it. I think I paid about $35 for my flush gun and even with limited use well worth the investment. Appreciate the refresher course. Thanks for Sharing! 🙃🙂

[@dav1dsm1th]

I love the vacant stare when Mr O realizes he's screwed up the outro but is determined not to do another take. The show must go on, but it also must end 🙂 Thanks for the videos Mr O. Stay safe out there.

[@GoldCountryTrapping]

80% of the time, it works every time.

[@mikeglasgow9618]

Must be a YOGI BERRA QUOTE..LOL 😅

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

It works 100% on the 80% it works on

[@mikeglasgow9618]

@CraigGrant-sh3in very true LOL 😆

[@rumrunner1756]

I had the heater core done on my 96 Mustang Cobra. I was invited into the shop to see the progress the day after drop off. I was shocked by the way that my car was totally blown apart and so happy that it wasn’t me who had to put it back together. A great shop that I have used for 30 years and has never disappointed me. It truly feels like visiting family when I go there. A trustworthy shop is as important as a trustworthy doctor.

[@kd7cwg]

I had to replace the heater core on my 86GT. Wasn't fun, because the dash was so brittle. Was so afraid it was going to break. It survived though.

[@titaniumman_22]

“If I can do it, you can do it”! If we can, it is mostly because we followed your procedures. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Eric! 🇺🇸

[@Ottomation20]

in the spirit of Christmas, Mr O I have sent $20 to help this lady out. Thanks for being a blessing!

[@donniev8181]

A plethora of new South Main Auto videos, must be Christmas, oh wait! I hope you and the family have a great Christmas! Thanks for another year of great entertainment!

[@edwardmissouri2216]

Here we go again, fixing things that used to last for many years without a problem. They just keep making things, smaller and cheaper. Of course, the up side is that it keeps you in business. This is another reason to keep your coolant flushed, and whatever you do, don't believe any of the Lifetime Coolant crap that the manufactures spew. Another good and honest job by a true professional !

[@ronaldbrosius7488]

Whoo hoo-- 3 videos in 2 days, I love it. Keep the videos coming, as always great job!!!😊

[@ConesuelaLadyTailor]

Good repair - I can feel the heat through my screen.

[@kevinkoepke8311]

Having fun in the water, when it's 41° outside. Gotta love it when you save the customer some money. Thanks, Eric!

[@glennoliver1871]

Learned something new from you Eric. Many don’t have a clue about how to use generally speaking simple methods to solve or at least try to solve a problem. Nice work. I saw my friend “Henry” my former mechanic last week who is now suffering with Parkinson ‘s and back injuries caused him to have to sell his shop. Always tried to give the customer the best possible experience with a detailed description and explanation on what he recommended. Great person and family man like you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from down South in New Orleans.

[@mikeglasgow9618]

In Idaho now... but lived in Westwego and then bought our very first house in Lafitte. Just a few houses down from the bridge at Rosethorn Park. Lived there for 8 years before transferring to Alaska. USCG.

[@Joserocha-wm9de]

When a mechanic is honest and likes to sleep at night with a clean conscience this is the man , BIG MR O ! Im pretty sure another shop would've sell to the customer a new heater core and end up doing that same procedure and charge her for a new heater core job Ty Mr O , you are the man 👌

[@Aidan.17]

You're an absolute gem. So many mechanics have no interest in saving their customers money. So many are happy to throw parts at a problem wasting thousands of customers money with zero diagnosis to back it up.

[@robertdriscoll9673]

Here again you put your customer first. You did a great service for the lady. Other shops would have just said it's a bad core and hit her for a lot of money. Mister O keep being fair. You and Mrs O have a very merry Christmas and new year.

[@billyrodriguez9499]

Eric you're a Master mechanic that can fix things both in and outside the box!

[@BuceGar]

I love methods like this. Something that anyone can do, and it might save a costly repair. It's worth a shot!

[@jackwittwer7199]

Interesting video. Nice to see a tech who realizes that sometimes it’s tough to come up with the money for car repair and we have to go the route of less cost.

[@thatclappedk24accord41]

I had issues with my 07 torrents heater core and I ended up replacing it myself- now I know why its almost a double digit hour job. They can never make it simple.

[@jack-in6hz]

Get a 1972 ford LTD two screws from under hood lift out, install new one done 15 minute job. 😊

[@Dalewatterson-xz1gq]

That pump is a Grundfos circulating pump used in residential hot water heating. A low head pump with minimal starting torque. Common to not start after sitting, like in the summer in a house. Hitting them usually starts them, next take off the cover and turn the impeller shaft if it has a screw slot. Last take the 4 screws off that hold the motor and turn the impeller by hand.

[@bkon4675]

Thanks, I was just about to search pump! !😅

[@ptrvljn]

@@bkon4675 That "looks" like a Grundfos, I think that look and brand is more like a lookalike knockoff?

[@boomer9900]

Brings back memories. The first ever auto repair I went with my dad to some radiator place to have his 70ish Impala heater core and radiator flushed out. I remember the tons of crap that came out and thought to myself they need to do better than that - referring to the all the crap floating around in that system.

[@jesseparkhurst3037]

I did this to a 15 ram truck after watching an older video. It worked great. I learn lots of tricks from your videos. Thanks

[@tompetrushka1627]

WRST..."the rust". LOL. Coming to you direct from the PRNJ!

[@sktouringsaskatoon711]

Great result. Last step of the procedure should be a pressure test to make sure the system hold pressure and you didn't blow a hole in the core

[@dlschgo]

Lucky Girl! She took it to the right shop.

[@codo7]

I'm happy to be able to hear you say "This girl is going to be Happy!"; I know it makes your day to please the customer.

[@buffystclair9042]

Late 90’s or early 2000 I had a ‘94 caravan with plugged core. Tried the fast flush method but never got hot. My local rad shop guy told me to try muriatic acid but warned me not to leave it too long. Worked perfect. We all know no matter what method or chemical used , leaving too long can open up a mess of issues or rather , the heater core starts to leak or any other weak part in the system.

[@idnld1588]

“WRST, the rust!” Oh man, that had me literally laughing out loud. Well played Dr O!

[@papagator7007]

Like others have said, the folks that have you as their mechanic are really lucky.

[@davidbaldwin2729]

Thank you Mr O, this young lady came to the right place, merry Christmas to you and your family

[@clintprice2123]

You a gem Eric! You have a good heart, most people in that situation would have priced out the heater core replacement and not given them the option to try what you achieved.

[@lvsqcsl]

That flushing is a win/win for everyone! I had a 1979 Ford LTD that I had to hang the dashboard from the seatbelt retractors. I finally dug out that heater core and I replaced it with an aluminum 4-seasons heater core. I would rather be beaten than change a heater core. GREAT VIDEO!

[@chrissmithz314]

Ain't nothin better than sittin down with yer dinner and seein some new sma vids pop up. Actually there probably are some better things, but this still makes me happy 😁

[@markavintegrator6266]

Hi Eric. This just proves what we all know already. You’re a nice guy!! It’s good that you care about helping out someone who is struggling to keep up. I hope the universe smiles upon you and your family. You are blessed.

[@jamespearce7954]

Great job Eric. It's great to see a mechanic work to get a customer a break on a high cost repair.❤

[@paradislarry]

Good for you Eric, as this world becomes more difficult, a LOT of people are going to needs guys like you, where money is not your biggest concern. You seem to always be there to help those in need. If there was a Heaven, you would probably have a ticket in.

[@janetcoursey6756]

What a guy! Always here to help your customers save when you can! You’re a good guy Mr.O!!

[@kens.3729]

Consistently Exceeding the Customers Expectations. Who wouldn’t be Happy with Solid Results ? Keep Up the Strong 💪 Efforts, Eric, and Thanks. 👍🙏

[@brianwhitney9181]

Eric you sure like those Frankenstein projects.😂😂😂😂😂

[@peterhodgkins6985]

Happy customer, happy mechanic. Win/win. Happy viewers too, so it's a WWW!

[@kway7583]

So much GREAT information in this video! Thanks Eric, I'm sure your customer was very grateful and many viewers learned a few tricks as well.

[@petermccoll469]

Super repair! I've had a clogged heater core, really not fun having very little heat in the winter. Great video, thanks

[@stevanrose7439]

Great job Eric you be the man. I’ve changed a couple of heater core’s over the years. Too bad they don’t make them easier to work on. And for as hard as they work they sure seem delicate.

[@chuckychuck]

Ever year i have to flush out my heater core in my ford, all because my heater core sit lower than my water pump, the highest I get heat coming out of my vent is 145, but I'm definitely going to invest in one of those circulate pump , save water instead of wasting it. I till watches your video but never comment, I love your teaching classes.

[@markm0000]

That seems like an awful lot of contaminants in your coolant system. Are all the ground wires in good shape? Electricity could be grounding through the coolant causing corrosion.

[@markm0000]

You can also put a spin-on fuel filter setup on the inlet of the heater core to keep it from plugging up.

[@brassmule]

Nothing gets me hotter than a good SMA video, complete with part numbers and straightforward mechanic stuff.

[@Qusin111]

You can just lift the bucket, the pump should prime on it's own

[@BobSakamoto]

Worked on industrial pumps for years. You're exactly right and the technical term is flooded suction. Get the bucket above the pump and it will prime - then you can set it down.

[@jeffs2809]

Perfect timing. Although I’ve watched many of your heater core flushes, this was a timely refresher. I just noticed the weak heat on drivers side in my ‘17 Ram this weekend. I’m hoping the flush will do the job, since I definitely don’t want to be doing a heater core if I can possibly avoid it.

[@ericblackwell9863]

Glad it worked for you. I’ve put Don dishwasher detergent in one and let it circulate through the system and used my pressure washer it worked perfect also used it in a plugged radiator cleaned it out as well

[@goodcitizen64]

Great customer service from the friendly neighborhood technician and diagnostic Dr. O and saving the customers money! God bless y'all and Merry Christmas!

[@danlemke6407]

Strange to me, I noticed bubbles coming from the bottom of the bucket @ 10:45 into the VJO. Made me wonder what was percolating. Well, never a dull moment at SMA. Wanna thank you Eric. You have a gift, thanks for sharing.

[@StephenFranzen-z2n]

Glad to see Dodge still has @rapy heater cores. had a 96 jeep cherokee. Once a year had to flush the heater core except I used cleaning vinegar . I would use hose to flush then fill system with vinegar let sit for an hour and flush out. Worked great.

[@547Rick]

One of the funniest videos from SMA was years back when you were flushing out a Pontiac radiator. It was classic!

[@brnmcc01]

I replaced the heater core once in a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Oh boy that was a fun one, the whole dash, steering column, center console all had to come out, plus reclaim and recharge the A/C system too because the whole HVAC box comes out in one unit. Once out, the heater core is simple to replace, just slides into a slot. That one wasn't plugged, it was leaking like a sieve, even had coolant pouring out of the A/C drain.

[@virtisconsole12]

Great video Eric O.. CLR is pretty caustic stuff, that "slimy" feeling is actually your skin's oils and thin layer of skin being partially dissolved by that solution that is about a 30-50% solution of the CLR you made, you don't need to make it that strong, could weaken the aluminum core and fittings. Should be wearing gloves and glasses with that solution. Stay safe and definitely one of the best channels out there

[@robtorres]

haha...When you mentioned blend doors. Made me chuckle.

[@danaowen9014]

That is so great that the process worked, she will be so happy, and warm😊

[@joshbreeze1865]

It's great when you do "won't lose points at the car show, and when you do " and he wrights " thanks for sharing.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Very satisfying seeing you flush the crud out of it, much less labor intense, and very satisfying. CLR infusion was genius.

[@mrenfilade7178]

Great job, @South Main Auto LLC. I always learn something new from you each vid I watch!

[@DaveReynolds-y3v]

Thanks for the vid Eric. You're always looking out for the customer. Hope you and Vanessa and the kids have a merry Christmas.

[@glenharper3136]

Thanks for the video Eric. Another job well done.

[@davidmcclain5180]

I've seen a couple of your videos on heater core flushing and the results are terrific for the customer. Nice going!

[@trekOCLVone]

At the :12:00 minute mark - water is flying down by his feet and spraying under the hood and Eric says: " Woo Dude". That is a classic moment right there.

[@airdrop1670]

If you use tap water you can put in a Teaspoon of TSP to take care of the hardness in the water so it doesn't clog up . This is what we used in boilers to keep the minerals sticking to the tubes .

[@maddydog]

I remember when i was 16 and helped my dad who was a backyard mechanic replace a heater core on a 1968 Pontiac Catilina, he had to remove right front tire cut hole in wheel well to get core out

[@kens.3729]

2010 Dodge Journey doesn’t look too bad for its age. 👍

[@mikechiodetti4482]

Well that's one success there! Good one Mr. O. Need the car heat......NOW!

[@annewilliamson2429]

Air and water is all we ever used at our shop years ago. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. Didn't have any detergents back then.

[@oldjarhead1125]

You are one of the best KZbinrs! Best teacher, best electrical auto tech guy that I've ever watched. Instructive & entertaining. I wish I had your gift of trouble shooting. Greetings from the Old Jarhead in WNC.

[@jatco84]

Awesome service savings a bunch of money for the owner. I love it when things are repaired (when possible) vs replaceing.. much more satisfaction imo.. Great job Eric..

[@sprograt]

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Eric, Josh, Mrs O and family from a cold rainy Manchester UK.

[@brnmcc01]

@19:32 the reason those don't work is, the heater core passages are all in parallel, and what ends up happening is half of the tubes get completely clogged, and when you flush it, you're sending all the CLR/water thru the half of the core that isn't plugged, but the rest get so jammed up nothing can be forced thru the clogged ones because the water/CLR/air will just take the path of least resistance. Sure, you could pull out the heater core and take the plastic tanks off and manually clean it, but the labor is so horrendous you'd be an idiot to not install a new one "While you're really deep in there". Because even if you could clean it, it could still leak two weeks later and you get the dreaded comeback, "Customer states smelly green water on the floor mats"

[@mitchhagness2081]

So cool you posted a video on Sunday. Made my day. Thanks Eric.

[@irvenrathburn9421]

Great video Eric, you treat your customers with respect which is hard to find nowadays!

[@williamgagnonroadboxservice]

You did a video on this a few years back I went out and bought the tool that you use with the garden hose and air pressure and CRV and I have had nothing but luck with it and making some dollars. Thank you, Eric

[@SouthMainAuto]

That's awesome! Glad it's working out for you.

[@2DogsVlogs]

Had to do this on dad's car. The amount of rust I got out was crazy. I started servicing the car when it was 6 years old and dad always used water in the rad even though it had an alloy head and serviced it on miles rather than time (serviced ever couple years). That heater core lasted another 4 years. He bi-passed it when it finally died.

[@jlawlar]

almost a million subscribers, you most be doing something right, keep up the good work!

[@goodfriendg]

Honest mechanics , like you, know how to please your customers because you want them to come back for all their maintenance. Bigger shops would say she needs a heater core just to get the money one time. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@robpeters5204]

Another nice job Mr. O! The only thing I don’t like messing around with heater cores is if it were to burst under all that cleaning it’s the inside of the cabin would be trashed. Nice fix! My fox body was a pain in my butt a while ago. You have to take the entire dash out. It’s a day job for sure and then you pray you don’t have any rattles going down the road. lol! Keep up the excellent work! Merry Christmas!

[@nutsnproud6932]

I had the same trouble with my old car. So filled it with steam iron water and drove 1000 miles to a friends house. Water came out almost black. Refilled it with fresh water drove it for 50 miles and water came out clear so put ready mixed anti-freeze in it and it was perfect after that.

[@markburns4497]

Glad to see you worked outside the normal repairs to give your customer a cheaper possible solution for a older car.

[@Big_Old_Dog]

Not sure it matters but you can get a grit guard for a few bucks and it will cause all the particles to stay at the bottom of the bucket and not be recirculated through the system. Detailers use them in wash buckets to filter out dirt that causes fine scratches.

[@1foxly]

I like all your joking around comments, makes me chuckle, we have the same sense of humor. Love your vids