1999 Dakota Heater will not get hot

[SteveArt]

My 1999 Dakota heater will not get hot. It takes a while to warm up but never gets hot. Can I put in a higher temp thermostat? Could it be another issue? Any input would be appreciated.

[DodgeMagnum]

Have the system flushed,then have the heater valve checked. You might just bypass the heater control valve w/a pipe, run it direct. What temp does the temp gauge indicate, lower than normal?

[SteveArt]

Originally Posted by DodgeMagnum

Have the system flushed,then have the heater valve checked. You might just bypass the heater control valve w/a pipe, run it direct. What temp does the temp gauge indicate, lower than normal?

Guage reads between 130 and 210, I assume it's around 165/175. Air coming out of vents is almost warm but never hot.

[theFREAKnasty82]

you might also want to check for air being trapped in the system.

[DodgeMagnum]

IIRC, it should be around 195 or so. Does it seem to take a long time to warm up? A quick check would be to put cardboard in front of the radiator. I know, very old and tacky, but it'll tell ya if it's the thermo. or not.

[Dakota00]

you probably need your heater core flushed out. I know a few guys who did this and it worked like a charm!!

[SteveArt]

Originally Posted by DodgeMagnum

IIRC, it should be around 195 or so. Does it seem to take a long time to warm up? A quick check would be to put cardboard in front of the radiator. I know, very old and tacky, but it'll tell ya if it's the thermo. or not.

I'll try that. I called the car part store to see if that year of Dakota had different temperature thermostats. There are three, 165, 175 and 195. My temp seems to stay around 165 so it may have been changed out at some time. I don't know the history of this truck, I just purchased it. They told me the 195 was stock and That's what should be in it, anything else could mess with the computer. I will check it out this weekend. Thanks for the advice