spectra premium heater core issue ? / anyone recommend a good heater core ?

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You are correct my bad spectre is the air filters. We use Oriellys for all parts at work, although ive never installed a gas tank, ive installed several radiators and they have all been murray, no issues with fitment and functionality. he must be a autozone guy
 
No biggie. It's easy to get um kornfrooshed.
 
There is ONE sentence that tells everything that needs to be said.

"then i connected the old used one to the heater hoses ( which is brass and i am guessing copper or steel ? ) and the tubes were to hot to hold almost instantly , and the center / rows parts got too hot to touch within a minute or 3 ."

If people can't get what the problem is with that said, then, well...
The metal used makes near zero difference, and I would laugh my *** off if someone told me they could tell if a heater had an aluminum or other metal core by the temp it puts out.
Obviously that heater core blows.
Doesn't mean all Spectra heater cores blow, but that one does.
 
TrailBeast said:
There is ONE sentence that tells everything that needs to be said.

"then i connected the old used one to the heater hoses ( which is brass and i am guessing copper or steel ? ) and the tubes were to hot to hold almost instantly , and the center / rows parts got too hot to touch within a minute or 3 ."

If people can't get what the problem is with that said, then, well...
The metal used makes near zero difference, and I would laugh my *** off if someone told me they could tell if a heater had an aluminum or other metal core by the temp it puts out.
Obviously that heater core blows.
Doesn't mean all Spectra heater cores blow, but that one does.
Click to expand...

Now THAT I can be on board with.

and heater cores don't blow. Blower motors do. lol
 
RustyRatRod said:
...and heater cores don't blow. Blower motors do. lol
Click to expand...

no-no-honeyblow-is-just-an-expression-7d08f.png


But more seriously, yeah, that core isn't flowing properly. Using 20psi of compressed air isn't going to tell you much about flow without a manometer at the inlet. I had a bad core that seemed to flow 'pretty good' with a garden hose but NEVER got hot. Finally had it cleaned out and fixed proper and it worked! Turns out it's tough to gauge things by touch/feel/eyeballs - a simple pressure gauge (manometer style) at the inlet would have told me a lot more than just staring at a stream of water...

Testing the core outside the dash is a good idea though. I'd swap it at the autozone for another and see if the next one is better. If not, it might be a case of 'consolidation' where a part number that isn't suited for your application has been substituted in order to reduce the # of core part numbers at the supplier - sometimes it works out in their favor - sometimes you get a piss poor substitution. It sucks, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

I also wouldn't rule out air in the core. Make sure it's at a low point of the system when refilling and that the stat opens a few times to clear the air out of the system prior to making any judgments.
 
"Cheap Chinese Chit happens" LOL! no really, O'Reilly, Auto zone, Advance auto sell cheap stuff, but that's what their customers want. Some items I will buy there knowing they may last only a year. I accept it because its cheap. If I want better I go elsewhere and pay more. I have learned that some parts you don't go cheap on. OP, I would try another Spectra Heater core, if you get two in a row, then bail on them . Its probably an isolated case of a defective unit. there is a blockage inside it from manufacture.
 
Funny thing is, when researching this for my Dakota, some heater cores came with restrictions that you installed in the main coolant passage to slow down the coolant flow. Makes zero sense to me.
 
I could see a restriction on the outlet of the heater core maybe makin a little sense, but not the inlet.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I could see a restriction on the outlet of the heater core maybe makin a little sense, but not the inlet.
Click to expand...

Nope, as the inlet being blocked wouldn't explain the different temps at different places on the core.
Partial core blockage would.
 
TrailBeast said:
Nope, as the inlet being blocked wouldn't explain the different temps at different places on the core.
Partial core blockage would.
Click to expand...

My core was blocked, but I farted and fixed it.
 
jos51700 said:
Funny thing is, when researching this for my Dakota, some heater cores came with restrictions that you installed in the main coolant passage to slow down the coolant flow. Makes zero sense to me.
Click to expand...

That would only be used to correct the amount of bypass through the core. Too much or too little and it causes problems.
 
take the old one to radiator shop. If not fixable have new one made by them. If they can not build one you probably need to consider finding a new radiator shop.
 
There's a company down Texas way called Airtech or something of that nature, that builds and sells heater cores!! If I can find the catalog, I'll post up some info here!!
 
Well all I was trying to say is that 1) Spectre is made in Canada. That's a fact. 2) ALL the parts they make are not bad.

Everybody here knows how mass production works. It's the same whether it's here, or any other country. As many parts as are made, there are BOUND to be some bad ones.

Sorry for the trouble I obviously caused.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Well all I was trying to say is that 1) Spectre is made in Canada. That's a fact. 2) ALL the parts they make are not bad.

Everybody here knows how mass production works. It's the same whether it's here, or any other country. As many parts as are made, there are BOUND to be some bad ones.

Sorry for the trouble I obviously caused.
Click to expand...

It appears that were all getting along!!!!
 
another update . after i returned the aluminum one to autozone , i went and ordered one from advance auto . they showed me a picture of the core before buying and it looked like my original . brass or copper etc. the brand is carquest . so the short story is the one i eventually got ( because they kept getting the wrong one a few times ) was as pictured here and works great so far . hot , HOT heat . no leaks . fit good with very minor persuasion .

advance auto parts : carquest heater core part # 399105 for the one WITHOUT factory air conditioning . ( this is the one pictured below ) i lost receipt but i think $ 39.99 plus tax , as of this post

advance auto parts : carquest heater core part # 399120 for the one WITH factory air conditioning . $ 43.99 + tax , as of this post

both of these come with a limited lifetime warranty


the not so short story is , ordered heater core and paid ( you have to pay in advance , in person , before they order it ) a few days go by , go to pick it up , first they couldn't find it . then turned out right order # , but warehouse put it on the wrong box so wrong HC . so then they called the warehouse . no luck . then they called corporate . no luck . so reorder another hc . few days later , go to pick up number two . nope . they got me the one for WITH air conditioning ( was also brass or copper type though ) . so another order for the right one WITHOUT air . picked up the next day , 4th time to store . part right this time and looks good and @ 5.00 cheaper than the wrong one . funny sometimes how this stuff happens .
 

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Here is the Spectra Premium heater core that I got yesterday for my Dart. I ordered it from all places..Pep Boys. Only because the price was right, $25. I found they were running a 30% off code when ordered on line.
As you can see it is aluminum and is Made In China.
I started to install it last night, but there was some fitting issues. I did some grinding on the edges of the flanges and the tubes are hitting in spots when I installed it the box.

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Last edited:
694spd said:
Here is the Spectra Premium heater core that I got yesterday for my Dart. I ordered it from all places..Pep Boys. Only because the price was right, $25. I found they were running a 30% off code when ordered on line.
As you can see it is aluminum and is Made In China.
I started to install it last night, but there was fitting issues. I did some grinding on the edges of the the flanges and the tubes are hitting in spots when installed it the box.

View attachment 1715081650

View attachment 1715081651
Click to expand...



let me know if it works when installed , and is it hot , hot heat ? thanks .
 
I just installed mine today. Fit perfect no problems. And I have hot heat. Bought mine at Auto Zone.

Fred B
 
moparjon, sound bout like my ordering some prebent repop brake lines from one of the 3 co. that have been doing this how many decades now????. took 4 times to get them right.. 2 1/2 weeks total.... and how many calls and texts??? THEY kept screwing up. they were nice about it all, and I just bit my tongue!!! ha I doubt any of this old mopar new parts thing ever gets any better really. just life.
heater box? who needs it, just wipe the windshield with a good rag, and if cold wether, put on more clothes!!!!!!
 
Here is some pictures of the fit problems where the tube enter and exit the heat box. I was not going to try and bend them any thinking that I just might damage the core. I put the cover plate and gasket on, but was unable to start the mounting screw. So I used some foil duct tape to seal and cover the gaps.

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