[michaelhinchey]

So I started my journey to getting heat back to the passage side. It blows cold on the passanger side on all modes. Ac works just fine. Temp Knobs work just fine.
I tried to back flush the system and didn't see any indication of rust or any Bars leaK. Just green coolant all the way through til it ran clear. I ran a light stream of air and then some flush cleaner and let it sit. I know you need this to run at temp for a few days of so but I didn't want to do that in fear of sending that through the engine and back into the radiator only to plug that.
I looked at the servo door and it works perfectly.
My question is what is the next step here? Ckuld it still be an Actuator? Drivers side works great.
Just an FYI the engine was replaced with a jdm engine so that doesn't have a blown headgasket. It's been tested.
Should I stop wasting time and just replace the heater core or is there another step before this process?

 

[DJB]

One side of your heater core is blocked. You need to replace it - I did warn you that flushing wouldn't work.

 

[michaelhinchey]

One side of your heater core is blocked. You need to replace it - I did warn you that flushing wouldn't work.

Yeah but it did work for others on this and other forums so it was worth the shot. I'm swapping out tomorrow.

 

[michaelhinchey]

Just got back from the Subaru dealers. Cost of the part was 99.00 plus tax. I know I can get this part cheaper but not as fast. Here are some pics of the start of my journey to getting heat on both sides. Still crossing fingers but I'm almost positive after taking some of the dash apart and feeling the plastic casing surrounding the core that this is the issue. I can def feel the heat difference on the drivers side core more so than the passage side. Mind you if you already didn't know this has one heater Core
. I manually changed the blend door and heard it close and open and still had no heat.
As soon as I post them somewhere I will post the pics here > or below VVVVV .

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[michaelhinchey]

It looks intimidating but they are seriously just crimped on with an o- ring.
I am going to first cover the floor and seats with plastic and then drain the heater core by pulling the hoses off of where it enters the firewall, connect my own 5/8 inner diameter hose to the bottom outlet that will go into a bucket for proper disposal and/or reuse since it's about 2 days old. Of course I will inspect it before reuse. I will then blow air through it. HOPEFULLY this will reduce the amount of coolant that gets on the interior. Next, since the under the dash is already apart I will uncrimp the existing core and remove the pipes from it. Then I will stuff the holes with some kind of towel to further reduce coolant spill.
Next I will pull out the old core, and slide the new one in its place. Then I will put the new o rings on the pipes and push the pipes on and recrimp. Finally, I will fill the heater core with coolant, connect the engine hoses on the firewall. Hopefully that helps or fixes the no heat on passenger side.
Juse a side note.... the head unit (stereo) didn't need to be removed, but I am installing the grim usb3 unit and this needs to be done anyway. I figured I would get a headstart while I waited for the core to come in. Only the passenger side part to test actuators and a few panels on the left side. I used a Phillips head and a plastic panel pry bar for removal of panels. Also take your time while doing that and take pics and notes(mental) as you are removing panels and screws. Also take caution while prying up the aluminum part of the heater core and watch the fins. They are all fragile. I did it slowly and was able to remove both inlet and outlet in under 10 min. And that includes opening the box.
Sorry about the random order of the pics as well. I just wanted to give you a feel of what was being removed. Sorry if you didn't get that from this thread.
I will add more pics as I so the install.

I will help as much as I can for anyone that needs it. You may be better of pm'ing me but it's better to post here for helping others who may have the same concerns.

 

[michaelhinchey]

The swap yesterday was successful but not without small drips. I just had to reset and push as hard as I could on the top pipe (inlet) and then crimp. I was in some awkward positions. The core had some vlockage on the passenger side that was not evident on the drivers side of the heater core which makes sense now why only heat was getting to one side. Pics below. Now how long will it last is the real question. Lol

 

[michaelhinchey]

Here are some other pics of my setup
Sorry again for them being out of order. Really tough doing this on my smart phone. I hope this helps someone. Any questions just ask.
Hoses in engine bay going to the heater core by firewall disconnected and I installed these clear hoses bought at home Depot so that I could see what was coming out. These are also what I used to try and flush the gunk out with no success. I used a heat gun to heat up the ends to make them more pliable and they slide right on. Hose was 10 foot with 5/8 inner diameter. I cut about 2 feet off to make 2 hoses. One for inner and one for outer.
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Inside of heater core after using a grinder to cut it open

This is with the new heater core installed. The top pipe was tricky and also leaked a little when I tested it. Just make sure you push in the pipe when u crimp the ends and make sure it is seeded all the way in. You will here a little pop when it is seeded right. You will have to manipulate the pipe's a little to be successful. Not difficult at all just a bit awkward for an aging body like mine. Haha.
Another tip is to make sure the steering column is all the way up. You will just have enough clearance to pull it out and then replace it.
Also before you install the new one make sure the parts where the old pipes are going ( the inner and outer pipe holes) are fully open as this will be more difficult to do when it is installed in the car already. You don't want to keep having to remove and replace the unit over and over again , or lay in the back bending position any longer than necessary.

This pic is of my front footwell covered with towels and then plastic just in case of leaks. I used water first to flush out the heater core since water will at least dilute the coolant and also it's easier to clean up. I then used compressed air to blow it dry. I didn't care about damaging it so I used it fully filled and did it for about 3 minutes before tackling the removal.
When you are done before buttoning up the screws and moldings add water to the heater core. If it doesn't leak flush it out and put 50/50 til you see coolant out of the other end to eliminate the chances of air in the system.
Connect the hoses, add antifreeze that you lost while taking off the hoses, burp the system(I didn't do this but it is recommended).
Hope this helps any one that plans on doing this in the future. Goodluck.

 

[OliverB]

Wonder what that stuff is clogging the tubes?

 

[michaelhinchey]

Well I don't know if it was the flush that caused whatever it was to be more sandy or if it is the actual product that someone put in the radiator at one time or another. I have a strong believe that someone tried to repair the head gasket issue on the vehicle. I don't know if flush would cause Bars leak to become more sandy but that was the texture.

 

[jm518]

I know this is an old post,but wonder how you made out with this. Changed mine out and the following year was clogged again. Flushed out....worked good for a year and now clogged once again !