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Have you ever pressure-tested a heater core before installing it?
I replaced the heater core in my 2000 Civic HX and got a brown puddle for my trouble. My old one didn't do that, so the new one is actually worse! Testing it seems straightforward enough, two rubber corks, a Schrader valve, and a bike pump. Drill a hole for the Schrader valve in a cork, plug both ends, and pump to the pressure rating on the radiator cap. Had I done this in the first place I could have sent it back for a warranty replacement before I installed it!
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
Joined: Dec 2011
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Re: Have you ever pressure-tested a heater core before installing it?
Brown puddle? I've never seen brand new coolant that is brown, so I assume that's some old old old green stuff in there. Does it stink too?
Cooling system neglect may explain why the original heater core went bad in the first place.
Re: Have you ever pressure-tested a heater core before installing it?
Hey guys, I thought that I figured out how to properly test a heater core before installing it. I trimmed down a Schrader valve to fit in one hole, inserted a rubber plug into another, and used these two mending braces, bolts, washers, and nuts to keep the Schrader valve in the hole. The cooling system is rated for 16 PSI, so I took the bike pump to 16 PSI, set a timer for an hour to ensure that the core holds pressure, and just a few minutes later the pressure was gone. Is the problem with my core or my rig? Oh! How do I remove a rubber stopper from a hole?! My rig pushed it almost all of the way in!
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 32,017
Likes: 256
From: Midwest. Aiming about mid-chest
Rep Power: 518
Re: Have you ever pressure-tested a heater core before installing it?
Originally Posted by Xist
Hey guys, I thought that I figured out how to properly test a heater core before installing it. I trimmed down a Schrader valve to fit in one hole, inserted a rubber plug into another, and used these two mending braces, bolts, washers, and nuts to keep the Schrader valve in the hole. The cooling system is rated for 16 PSI, so I took the bike pump to 16 PSI, set a timer for an hour to ensure that the core holds pressure, and just a few minutes later the pressure was gone. Is the problem with my core or my rig? Oh! How do I remove a rubber stopper from a hole?! My rig pushed it almost all of the way in!
HOW would someone locate an air leak in a tire?
Pressurize it.
Spray it down with a mixture of dishsoap and water, see where bubbles form
OR
Dunk the whole mess underwater and see where the air bubbles come from
