Heater not hot enough

[mieth]

Okay, so today I removed the glove box and inspected the temp actuator. Best I can tell it is indeed moving. I removed it and turned the door by hand. It moved smooth and when I moved it from one end to the other the temp got colder and then warmer again. Again, it is still not as hot as it was in the past. I marked the door open and closed positions on the coupling, and the actuator is moving the door to the full open and closed positions, which means the actuator is working fine.
In speaking with the girlfriend (it is her car), I have found that the coolant system has never been flushed. Might that be a factor here? What is the best way to flush the system?
What if I didn't properly burp all the air out of the system when I replaced the thermostat? FYI the thermostat is a 195 rating if it matters.
Can the radiator cap have anything to do with this problem?

Thanks in advance for everyones suggestions.

[mieth]

Okay,
Today I am trying to replace the heater core since nothing else is making sense here. I have removed the center console,etc to gain access to the duct work under the dash. It appears that the housing where the core is located has been sealed closed with some sort of plastic riveting. Right next to each of these rivets it looks like there is a place for a screw to be used as well. I am thinking I need to grind off these plastic rivets to crack open the unit, and then use screws to refasten the case back together again.

Has anyone seen this before or have any opinions?

[mieth]

Just wanted to post back the final outcome and resolution to this problem. Long story short, the problem ended up being a partially blocked heater core. To get at the heater core was the most difficult thing here. After removing all of the center console, etc to gain access to the ductwork I found that the casing where the heater core was located was sealed with some kind of plastic riviting. Next to each rivet was a spot for a screw to be used for refastening. I used a dremel tool to grind out each of the rivets and used a screw as its replacement.
I took the old heater core and back flushed it at the sink and there were chunks coming out of it. I probably cound have reinstalled the old one after that and it would have been fine, but after all the work to get at it, I figured I would rather spend the $130 for the peace of mind in knowing it is new and unblocked. Thanks to all for their suggestions.

[BNaylor]

Thanks for the feedback.

It sounds like you could have just forward and/or back flushed just the heater core and saved yourself all the trouble.

[mieth]

Originally Posted by BNaylor

Thanks for the feedback.

It sounds like you could have just forward and/or back flushed just the heater core and saved yourself all the trouble.

You are correct. Hindsight is 20/20 though. Hopefully someone else will see this post and not have to go through what I did. I am just glad the girlfriend has heat again since it is 24 degrees here in Minnesota.

[twotoxic]

I am having this same problem.I will try to backflush the heater core.Thanks for posting this..