hello my 97 dakota is blowing crappy heat it has the 3.9 v6 checked rad no leaks anywhere and is full, took the cap off to run it for awhile to get any trapped air out but when gets to temp i don't see it flowing like it should can't see where the thermostat could be the upper rad hose comes in to the top of intake so very hard to get at or not there anyone know where it is or any idea what else to try

I don't an answer just a question. When you rev engine up to about 3000, do you seem to get more heat?

Reason I'm asking is I have the same problem and when I rev engine to 3000 I get better heat.

I took the heater core hoses off engine and hooked water hose (flow was backwards) to see if I could flush it out. That didn't help.

I replaced water pump. Didn't help.

Don't mean to hijack your thread just telling you what i did and it didn't help.
my trk 97 and v6 as well.
could be a common problem

we might find the answer together.

my brother works on a strip job, the mechs there puts a couple of cups of cascade automatic dish washer soap in the cooling system of their equipment to flush them out. (big machines, big radiators)
They put in soap, run a few hours (10hr shift most likely), flush out all soap and fill with antifreeze. I haven't tried it so do so at your own risk.

KillerKilgore

yeah thats pretty much what mine does, there has to be something wrong dodges are known for awesome heat

This is a common issue with Jeeps - I'm not sure about Dodges - but they are the same company - so who knows.

The hose to back flush the heater core should have worked - you need to run it back & forth 5 or 6 times to get the junk loose & removed. If that doesn't work - replace the heater core - they are not that expensive - but putting them in is a test of faith I've heard.

i have flushed my heater core and the heater works great now! what i did was poor water in one heater hose till it came out the other then took compressed air and pushed through and into a catch bucket and continued to do this forward and back several times... works great now... then on my older dakota i had that wasn't enought cuz po poured lots of stop leak in the coolant so with that one i did the same thing but then poured vinegar into heater core and let sit overnight... then did same thing again in the morning and it worked... still not as good as new core on that truck but i didnt expect that with as much stop leak that was coming out... hope this helps best luck!

Heater core is prob gone. My buddys was the same way in his ram and last sat we did the heater core and so many people say its so hard and takes like 8-10hrs to do it wasnt thats hard there wasnt much two people could do other then help him with lowering the dash we had it back together and running in 3 and half hrs. His heat is 10x better now.

saw a post on the ram side when i did a search for heater or something
anywhy the post had a youtube video
dude in video used water to backflush.
if that didn't do it said to use air.
if that didn't do it said to then use bleach, let it sit for 30 minutes or so, and flush with water.
if that didn't do it said to then use easyoff oven cleaner, sit for 1-2 hrs, and flush with water.


tattoodbrute, I'm going to put in a new T-stat and try the bleach thing or the vinegar thing (thanks mtmxdakota) [it works for coffee makers] this weekend. and will report back. already down to mid 40s overnight here in KY this week.

thinking that most of hot water just going in and out and not thru the core until the higher RPM.
crude (very crude) drawing below
Killer

Davidsfarm vid that guy is a smart redneck(if that makes sense lol) Anyway I used the easy off method in my 95 grand cherokee(it had like 3 bottles of stop leak in it) The heat works awesome now I cant complain its just my woods beater.

so where exactly is the thermostat in the top hose that goes into the intake?????

Yes. If your heater core is clogged then expect your radiator to follow suit. Easy way to check core, compare temp of both hoses. If there is a noticeable difference then it's got gunk in it.