Copper vs Aluminum heater core for 71 valiant

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MCPObr44

MCPObr44

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Hey guys
I was just cruising around town with a buddy of mine and we discovered my heater core has some issues. It's not dribbling onto the floor yet but it's definitely leaking and fogging up my windshield. So I need to fix the problem and I hoped to ask for advice.

I remember back in the day for another brand of car that most people said the aftermarket aluminum heater cores sold for replacement were pretty much junk. They don't give as much heat and they fail quick. But since this is a daily driver and I can't have it out of commission... what's the factory heater core? Aluminum or copper? Would it be worth soldering the original if it's copper? Are there any copper type cores out there that don't cost a ton of money? Are the aluminum jobs any good?

If it's a factory copper core then I can plan accordingly and make time to fix it. If it's an aluminum job then I need to look for a replacement. I already found the instructions here on FABO to remove it, so I'm good in that department.

Thanks for reading guys.
 
All of the old cores were brass or copper/ combo of. Aluminum did not come into play until......?? the nineties ? or so

Even so, the old cores can rot out depending on water quality. Back when I was stationed in San Diego, the water down there would rot a radiator out in a few years. That is where I learned to use store bought purified water in a rad.
 
67Dart273 said:
All of the old cores were brass or copper/ combo of. Aluminum did not come into play until......?? the nineties ? or so

Even so, the old cores can rot out depending on water quality. Back when I was stationed in San Diego, the water down there would rot a radiator out in a few years. That is where I learned to use store bought purified water in a rad.
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I've only ever used distilled water but it's up in the air what the previous owners used. I doubt this thing is all rotted out though from the amount of coolant disappearing. Just to be on the safe side maybe I had better get a male to male couple for the heater hoses so if I do yank the core and it's not fixable I can just join the hoses together. It wouldn't have heat but at least I could keep driving.
 
The big box stores sell millions of aluminum radiators and heater cores a year. If there was a huge problem with them, we'd know it.
 
I've had trouble with electrolysis in cooling systems with aluminum components. Mainly in corvettes and a couple of jeeps I've owned. After research I learned to only use distilled water and the new style antifreeze that combats electrolysis in the newer vehicles. The old copper radiator's weren't as susceptible to electrolysis as the aluminum components we have to use today. The old style glycol based antifreeze isnt compatible with newer systems using aluminum. If you use distilled water and modern antifreeze the aluminum heater core's and radiator's will be fine.
 
Patching is a good option too, preceded by a flush, and followed by a pressure test. What I see often is debris piling up in the bottom of the heater box and rainwater then wicking up to the core. They have been easy fixes for me.
But, I suppose at the cost of labor these days, if you have to pay someone to patch it, it might be cheaper or smarter to replace it. And if I had a choice, I would leave the aluminum ones alone.
 
AJ/FormS said:
Patching is a good option too, preceded by a flush, and followed by a pressure test. What I see often is debris piling up in the bottom of the heater box and rainwater then wicking up to the core. They have been easy fixes for me.
But, I suppose at the cost of labor these days, if you have to pay someone to patch it, it might be cheaper or smarter to replace it. And if I had a choice, I would leave the aluminum ones alone.
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Oh I would patch it myself. I'm pretty good with solder considering how much I've done in the past. So labor is insignificant.
 
I have an aluminum heater core. That sum' beech gets HOT. Many (all?) cars are sold new with aluminum heater cores, they heat just fine and usually better than our old cars ever did.
 
Here's a thought.

I wonder if having dissimilar metals in the cooling system would eventually cause a problem. My radiator is aluminum, the block is iron, and the heater core is brass/copper.

Hmm.
 
MCPObr44 said:
Here's a thought.

I wonder if having dissimilar metals in the cooling system would eventually cause a problem. My radiator is aluminum, the block is iron, and the heater core is brass/copper.

Hmm.
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Yes, the dissimilar metals is what causes electrolysis, its like copper and lead in a battery, one metal eats at the other and the liquid becomes a charge, this is what causes that sludge that builds up in the cooling system. Distilled water and modern antifreeze helps combat this problem.
 
Mopar-Mitch said:
Yes, the dissimilar metals is what causes electrolysis, its like copper and lead in a battery, one metal eats at the other and the liquid becomes a charge, this is what causes that sludge that builds up in the cooling system. Distilled water and modern antifreeze helps combat this problem.
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Ok so it might be better in the long run to delete the copper core and go with the aluminum.
 
1994redram said:
I have an aluminum heater core. That sum' beech gets HOT. Many (all?) cars are sold new with aluminum heater cores, they heat just fine and usually better than our old cars ever did.
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This is difficult to compare because of design differences in the two cores, and even the thickness of the metals. I have a different opinion about my Dakota. The aluminum core in the one I changed was VERY thin, and the the one in the current truck has plugged. They have incredibly small core passages.
 
MCPObr44 said:
Ok so it might be better in the long run to delete the copper core and go with the aluminum.
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I wouldn't worry about it, just make sure to use new style antifreeze and if it is full strength cut it with distilled water instead of tap water. I had a jeep Cherokee, used the old regular glycol green antifreeze in it, after a year the system turned to a sludge from electrolysis. I flushed it and started using the orange Mopar antifreeze and it cured the problem. I also found the same problem in a couple of corvettes a had with aluminum radiator's. New style antifreeze and distilled water was the cure.
 
RustyRatRod said:
The big box stores sell millions of aluminum radiators and heater cores a year. If there was a huge problem with them, we'd know it.
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simply you have moisture a leak it could b mayed of gold a leak is some where . simple water steam . ur leak may b some where else . cheap fix a real fine type of stop leak. fine hy dollar but will work.
 
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