that t’wern’t it,,,,

I swapped out the radiator, upper rad hose, and T-stat housing yesterday. The radiator was partially plugged, causing an overheat condition anytime I spent more than 20 minutes at highway speeds. The t-stat housing because it had a small crack that has been leaking, and the upper hose, just cuz and I had it.

I decided to use straight water this time around, because I have been spending mad cash on coolant the last couple of months and I know already that I am going to be dropping what’s in there out before the cold hits, when I do that engine swap. Frugal I am, yes. (some would even call me a cheap-ass)

and since I had to top everything off anyways, running one of those ginormous funnels that have a fitting to the Radcap neck, I started digging into the heat issue. Pulled the glovebox down out of the way and watched all the vacuum selenoids moving around as I switched modes. Nothing binding, everything doing as it should. Started looking further….

Max AC, blows cold, but spin the knob to heat and the temp comes up so the blend door is working as it should, just nothing hot flowing though the core,,,

thats a chore and a half,,,,

The whole dash has to come out for that,,,,

THE WHOLE DASH

Welps,, I am gonna try something else FIRST before i go digging into 21 year old plastic parts that have spent most of those years in direct sunlight. I’m gonna try to backflush the core and see if I can break up whatever is plugging it up. I am considering pouring a gallon of vineger in there and let it sit for a spell first (and if I still had my 12v pump, I would figure a way to back flush it with vineger,,,) a mild acid shouldn’t hurt the core any, unless its totally ate up inside, but I never saw any drips or seeps on the floorboards.

I really REALLY don’t want to pull that dash apart. The one cover I have pulled broke in several places without much effort. The whole dash,,,, sigh,,,, I can only imagine the carnage forthcoming if I have to go that route.

oh, and as for farming this’un out,,,,,, Around here, no way in hell. I have seen some of the ‘work’ done here’bouts and I ain’t impressed,, Horrified may be a better word. Even the transmission I had rebuilt not so long ago is ‘not right’ and when I asked them to correct it, was told ‘no warranty, you have to pay again’. $1700,,, Kiss my ass: it’s something I can live with until such time as I can switch it out with known good.

But that is where the Buff sits right now, and maybe one day I will have it all fixed: I just wonder how much fixing I will need by then,,,,, LOL (and it should be obvious, I do LOVE this truck,,, not sure the feelings are reciprocated though.)