low heat...

I just joined this forum, so if i make a mistake please overlook ME! I had recently purchased a 1989 jeep cherokee limited that has a littlt free heat, but when I turn on the blower it begins to blow cold air. I put in a 190% thermostat, but no go. I loosen up the hoses with the motor running and it appears to not have circulation now the temperture gauge never goes above 130, and it experiences poor gas milage I was reading this forum and see where a coolant sensor may cause this ,or if since this is a (or is it?)closed system it may have air... I am trying to not have to replace the heator core. but do you have eny other suggestions? all will be appreciated Thank you Joe Rope I have to edit this post ... I changed the air filter and it had oil smudge on one side.is that telling me somethingI really don,t have eny Idea how long it had been in and it turnes over mabey seven or eight times before it starts . thats all I can think of rope

No heat most likely means a problem in your heater system. Your core might be clogged or a hose might just be clogged.

As for you coolant temp sensor, a quick way to check if its the problem would be to unplug it. If you hear no change in the way the engine runs, then it is faulty and should be replaced.

The oil on your air filter is from your PCV valve being old and worn. Its a simple cheap repalcement.

if your heater core is clogged an easy fix is to pick up a radiator flush kit (less the $10.00 at any autoparts store or walmarts) or what I did was pick up a water hose female repair/replacement end for a 1" hose -

disconnect both hoses (around 1" dia.) that are under your pressure bottle going through the firewall.

clamp the fitting on one of the hoses - hook your water hose up (connected to an outside fauset) and run it until you see clear water coming out of the other hose (took a few minutes for mine - was real dirty - the first hose I connected to I could not get anything so I knew it was clogged hooked up to the other hose and after a minute it started to run freely), once you get clear water coming out disconnect everything and hook up to the other hose and run the water through the other way.

now once you get it all hooked back up and you are only getting air/heat through the defrost vents then you have a busted vacuum line - easy fix - same place your heater hoses go through the firewall you have 2 (1/8") hard plastic vacuum lines, follow the one that runs along the right fender to the inside of the front bumper (passenger side) to your vacuum canister - this line is prone to break - just feel along it until you find the break or breaks since you can have more then one - get a piece of windshield washer rubber tubing and cut a piece 1 1/2" long and use it to spice the broken pieces together - works great and it fits very snug so no clamps, wireties, etc are needed - once it is patched your vents will work again.

to "Burp" your system jack up the rear of your Jeep until the engine is at least on a level plane or is slightly higher in the back then the front - then take the temp sensor out that is on manifold closest to the firewall (on the drivers side) - if you look straight back between the fuel injector rail and your thottle body you will see it between them - it has 2 wires going to it and sits about 1 - 2" above the manifold, - when you first unscrew it you will hear a little whoosh as the trapped air escapes - fill your radiator until you see radiator fluid start coming out in a steady flow - stop filling and put the sensor back in and you are done.

for the poor gas mileage I would check all the common stuff - air filter, plugs, thottlebody, etc. your 02 sensor also plays a big part of your gas mileage since one (of many) after effects of a bad one is your engine running rich.

Good luck
gunny

Thank,s guys for all the information.... I keep trying to work on this JEEP but It won,t stop snowing ..as I only have a driveway to work in !(tears) But I am defilently going to repair this again thank you.......Joe Rope

Let us know how it goes - a way around the "cold" is to get some thick (around 10 mil) plastic sheeting (painters drop cloth or you can get a tarp) for under $10.00 and a set of 1000 watt halagon lights (just got a set from lowes last month that cost $30.00 for 2 mounted on a adjustable tripod and it had a free drop light in the box) these lights put out alot of heat - you basically prop the hood open and drape one end of the trap over the hood so that engine compartment is inclosed (I put a concrete block on each side of the jeep to hold the tarp down - take the other end and tie it to a tree or any object that will let you tie it off with the same or little lower/higher then the hood when raised - to have a min. of 6 feet from the nose of your Jeep to the end of the tarp you are tieing down - you are basically making a tent for the engine compartment - place the light set inside of this and turn em on - you would be surprised how warm it gets and how quickly you are sheading your jacket and gloves.

Gunny