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hey guys, just a quick question.

i noticed that my truck has been running alot cooler this winter, and while im not entirely sure, i think it may be due to the cold temps we've been having.

of course, i wouldnt be asking this if i WAS sure.

since it's running cooler, the heater in the truck is also not putting out enough heat. last winter it put out ALOT of heat.

what can i check or do to the truck to get it to run hotter?

(BTW , just to give you an idea, i drove the truck at close to 70mph today at almost 4k rpm and the needle barely climbed to the first line on the temp gauge. when i turned on the heater, it dropped and i started getting cooler air. )

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To the Oquirr hills for awesome thrills! Go-go 4wd, Activate!

I'm just guessing but it sounds like your thermostat is stuck open.

I agree with Ben.Check your fluid levels too!

well, coolant level is where it should be. made sure to use a 75/25 mixture since the temps have been dropping down to almost 4 here recently.

i did notice that i have a small pinhole leak in the radiator, but the fluid level remains almost the same as what it's been at.

i also suspected the thermostat, but didn't want to tear into it if i didn't have to you know?

i think i will change to a different temp thermostat at the same time... how does 160* sound? too low?

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To the Oquirr hills for awesome thrills! Go-go 4wd, Activate!

Came from the factory with 180*, I would use that as best all around.

For the pin hole leak use Mendtite from Zecol. I used to sell parts and it is the best I have seen.I know Carquest and Pronto auto parts carry it.

try backflushing your heater core... hell after all those years there just might be some foriegn shit like calcium in there from tap water that is clogging some of the passages as well... I mean hell if your going to go ahead and replace the thermostat you might as well do it for good measures ya know

i will indeed attempt to flush the core, but using a sealer is a BIG no-no in my book. i've seen engines that use that stuff and it's just not worth it in my opinion.

If i can't fix the leak with some solder and some heat, i will just re-core the radiator or adapt one for my use.

i'm gonna get a thermostat tomorrow, but i did notice something today..

it was somewhat warmer here today than it's been in recent days, and the temp the truck ran at was just a tad higher than what it's been. i still suspect that the weather DOES have SOME effect on the temp the truck runs at, but it shouldn't be THAT much...

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To the Oquirr hills for awesome thrills! Go-go 4wd, Activate!

Yeah, a new thermostat. I think they are much easier to change than many. What ever you do, don't keep adding hard water to cope with a minor leak. Every drop of hard water adds to the lime blocking the passages. Take your own jug, and you can get deionized water at Wal*mart for 35 cents a gallon.

I've had my 80 LUV since it was new, now some 30 years. I have always been less than happy with the heat when you really need it, which is to say when its really cold. I drive about 12 miles to work, and it takes most of that distance to get comfortable. Part of the problem is that the fan is wimpy. Somewhere back there I've learned to live with it.

so i finished putting in a new thermostat. so far it seems like it's getting the job done a bit better, but time will tell. i didnt get to drive very far before my steering decided to do this tremendous herky-jerky sort of dance.

as far as the fan is concerned, i know it doesn't blow as well as i'd like it to, but it's better than the last truck i had which had NO fan.

last year, the heat was GREAT. ran nice and hot the whole time. always let the truck warm up to operating temp and had lots of heat on the way home. . .

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To the Oquirr hills for awesome thrills! Go-go 4wd, Activate!

Sorry if this has already been said, but I just skimmed this post. But your coolant mix should be more like 50/50. 75/25 doesn't have enough water to absorb the heat from your engine. The glycol and water have different heat absorption characteristics. I use to run the same 75/25 mix in my impala and It didn't pump out the heat very well and it would still run a little hot in the summer. I switched to a 50/50 mix and it damn near cooks me out of the car with the thermostat nailed to the 190 degree mark no matter what time of year or how hard I push my car. 50/50 is good to -32 degrees anyway. Just my 2 cents.

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Hold on to your lug nuts, it's time for an Overhaul!!!!!!!!!