Ok so this might be a long question but I'll try to keep it as short as possible. I'm wondering if my heater core is just clogged, leaking, or if it's gone out completely. My passenger floorboard is soaked at times but dry at others. My heater does blow but never gets much more than warm. Also my temp gauge almost never moves unless I am idling or it's hot out. I've not had to add any coolant really at all. The reason for asking all this is of course my dash was all cracked and messed up so I put a dash cap over it and I'm trying to avoid having to take that off and inevitably breaking it and having to replace it again.
I've seen some stuff online about flushing the heater core with air and/or water hose but I've not got much experience with that type stuff. Any advice or ideas? I truly appreciate any and all help. This forum has been a God send!

 

When does the floor flood out? Heater core is a constant flow design, so, there is always coolant running thru it. If it was leaking, it would always be leaking, and you would notice you were losing coolant. If your truck has AC, it's possible that the drain hole for the condenser is plugged, and all that water ends up on your floor. (a/c runs when in defrost modes as well....) Does your a/c even work??

 

A/C works like a champ

 

Very rarely do I even run my AC. I normally just roll my windows down but it's getting cooler and I will be needing my heat and I have none so I'm just trying to fix the problem ASAP you know what I mean?

 

If your water on the floor doesn't feel like coolant, then it is probably condensate. The drain hole is on the firewall, below, and to the drivers side a bit, of the a/c housing. Poke a wire in there, and see what happens.

As for poor heat, that is an all too common problem on these trucks. Getting all the air out of the heater core is a right pain in the keester. Getting the front of the truck up as high as possible, and burping the system sometimes works..... Steep the angle, the better it works. Taking it somewhere that has a flush machine may help as well..... (that's the route I took.....)

 

Almost positive that it's not coolant. And what about the temperature gauge not moving unless I'm idling or it's really hot outside? Could that mean my thermostat is stuck open maybe?

 

That would be the first thing I would change. Get a GOOD thermostat, stant is preferred, NOT a 'safety-stat', they are notorious for failing damn quick.

 

Yeah I changed the thermostat like a year and a half ago and I think it was a 'safety-stat' unfortunately.

 

Ooops.

 

What year is your truck? The early ones had two sensors, One for the gauge and the second for the pcm. Also the later ones had the electric blend door.