Ok , so here I am once again. -35 here in Canada truck does not want to pump decent heat at all! Just Luke warm maybe. just did the ****ty heater core job because I thought that was the reason why it was doing this before. I topped up the coolant after and bled the system for air bubbles. What else can cause this? The rad I replaced couple years ago and was really good shape at the wreckers. New rad hoses and the thermostat was done awhile ago to. I really would love some better heat in this thing. I'm ready to pull my hair out from going through the heater core job which probably didn't even have to be done. If I cover the rad with cardboard and have my winter front over the grill the engine will start to actually get hotter then operating temp and it still Luke warm air! My temp does read past half ever since I installed a temp sensor on my intake because it a 2001 motor with 1996 body/ wiring .maybe it's just a bad sensor I got.
help what can I do to stay warm!?

 

To remedy the wiring sensor issue, do you still have the intake from your 1996 motor? If so, install that onto your 2001 short block so that all of your sensors will work correctly. Since we are unsure of what the coolant temperature the motor is really running at, do you have a scanner you can use to double-check the actual motor coolant temperature or a laser pointer style temperature gun (https://www.harborfreight.com/121-in...ter-63985.html) you can use to gauge the actual coolant temperature by pointing the laser at the thermostat housing or heater hose hear the firewall to determine the coolant temperature?

The blend door could also be hung open a bit allowing cold air to get into the truck and dilute the heat that the heater core is putting out.

 

unfortunately no sir I don't. Buddy kept it when he rebuilt my motor. I had to install the temp.senspr myself he just left it. And I will have to pick up one of those temp guns. How accurate is it from the thermostat housing to the reading on the dash? I guess I'll have to find out
also is the blend door the white arm I'm.pointing at in the picture? It turns everytime you adjust the temp from hot to cold. How do you diagnose that is the issue? Would you have to replace that whole box ? Man I just want heat this is crazy . It kinda warm when it sit idling but once your driving on the road it's gets colder!

 

From the research I've been doing alot of people are saying blend door actuator . So I have a 96 and I'm not lucky enough to have the unit underneath the dash. So I'm assuming it's this white arm beside the heater core cause when you adjust the temp it moves back and forth. Seems to work fine for me . I'm really stumped here I need heat

 

You may want to stick with one post, Now you have two with the same problem. If someone answers in one others don't know about the other(as i just did)
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-the-road.html
You said you replaced the temp sensor, A 2001 intake only has one. Your truck needs two one for the pcm and the other for the gauge.

 

Yep, that's your hot/cold blend door but you gotta make sure it's actually moving the flap inside. Sometimes you can just listen for it to clunk. But just because you see the arm move externally it doesn't mean anything is happening internally

 

Gotcha. so if you hear it moving inside then it's working? How the hell do you access this thing? Hopefully do not have to remove the heater core again..I bet these parts are discontinued for the blend door

 

Blend Door USA (a forum sponsor) makes complete kits to replace all the doors in the heater box with aluminum doors. Much more robust.

Go to your local parts store, pick up a 'flush kit' for your truck. It should have a variety of "T"s, install one in the outlet hose of the heater core. Start the engine, and let it warm up some. (radiator cap off please.) Crack open the T, and bleed out any excess air from right there. Close it up again, and see if you heat hasn't improved.

 

Yeah, I honestly don't know exactly how to access the hot/cold door but if'n it were me I'd start by reading Blend Door USA's instructions for installing their doors which I ASSume are available online.

If you click on the HVAC sticky at the top of this forum the last post is from Blend Door USA and they link to their product.

If I had decent reason to think the door isn't moving I'd probably find a place to drill an access hole....maybe 3/4" (that's about 19mm for you Canaduhns) and see if I could cheat the door around with some wire, bent as needed. However that may be a BAD plan as I've not actually attempted it. ...so be careful from whom you accept advice.

But first make sure both lines at the firewall are getting heat TO and THROUGH the core.

 

I take a look at the instructions. Sure look expensive damn. Thus truck is starting to be a burden lol


after I changed the heater core I used one of the spill free kit funnels to top off the coolant. I thought the main purpose of those was to get rid of any air bubbles. And I thought I was quite successful in thar department 🤔