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2004 Dakota heater core...AGAIN

JDMopar

JDMopar

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Aug 29, 2015
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Candler, NC
The engineer that designed the heater cores in these trucks needs his or her ass kicked so hard they're wearin it for a hat! Now that the rant is over, lol.....does anyone know of an aftermarket solution to the heater core problems with these trucks? It would be nice to have one that has the inlet/outlet tubes as an integral part of the core, instead of passing thru piddly little o-rings that are supposed to seal the metal tubes to the plastic tank of the heater core. The heater core blew out for the second time, while I was sitting in a hospital parking garage 3 hours from home. In my haste to get there before my nephew passed, I ran out and forgot tools. I never go anywhere without a basic kit. Long story short, I got enough water in it to get to Autozone and buy a 5/8 nipple to connect the firewall ends of the heater hoses, and a pair of pliers to get them loose and back together. 4.7 never got hot, thanks to finding a water hose at the hospital and Autozone being close by. Never mind the work tearing half the truck apart to get the heater box in/out. I'd just like to not have to do this every few years because of the piss poor design. I saw a video on You Tube, where a guy installed a heater core with integral tubes, but his truck was a 99 or 2000 model. I'm pretty sure they changed the box before or in 04, because my heater box looks a lot different. Last time I had to put a heater core in it, I used the best (high durometer) O rings I could find. It lasted 4 years. :cursin:

Sorry for the combined rant and help request. Having to do something over that should have lasted many years just pisses me off.
 
I bought a new one from Advance Auto Parts when the last one busted 4 years ago. I haven't pulled it apart yet to see if it was the core that popped, the plastic tanks on the end, or the O rings where the tubes attach to the plastic tank. I've got about a month and a half before I will need the heater or defrost, and I'm dreading pulling the dash out again to get it out to replace the core. I may see if I can get my secret old school radiator shop that the EPA hasn't found yet to make me and all aluminum replica of the factory style P.O.S. heater core.

 
Good idea the older ones worked good just like a lot of newer stuff not being as good as older models
 
I have a 68 Barracuda with a rock-solid cooling system that runs exactly 207*F, no matter how I treat it.
Because of that, I run a 7psi cap.
One of my hoses was already ancient when I installed it in 1999, and it's still on there! The rad is a 1973 model.
The point is this
you might want reduce your running pressure, and run aluminum-compatible fluid, and change it every year. Jus trynta help
 
Thanks AJ. I put a new engine in it when I bought it 5 years ago and put the proper antifreeze in it for the aluminum heads and radiator. The biggest problem with it is the heater core design. Aluminum core with a plastic tank on one end. The aluminum pipes that hook to the heater hoses on the engine side of the firewall seal to the plastic tank with an O ring for each tube. I'm going to change the thermostat to a 180 instead of the factory 200. I'll check to see if there is a cap with a little lower psi too. Thanks for the tip!
 
Yeah I'm very familiar with that design.
>The stat sets the MINIMUM coolant temp. and has NOTHING to do with the maximum, which is governed by the system efficiency. But I agree , that if yur gonna run over 200, then you need the Hi pressure cap for headroom. Do not run a 7 at 200, if you live in a hot clime.
> Aluminum compatible coolants have a recommended maximum service life IIRC of 3 years. About that time the coolant has become acidic and attacks rubber parts. Read the directions on your container.
If I had your problem I would convert that tank to all welded metal. Look thru the heater-core catalog, and find something that looks close and then have a rad shop make it perfect. I feel your pain.
 
I've got a good, old school radiator shop about an hour away, out in the sticks, that should be able to make me one. If the Dakota was as simple to get the heater box out of as our old Mopars are, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm 67 and the bones don't bend as far as they used to....lol. This is a 2 day job in this truck!
 
I am 71, so I get that.
Even the A-body Mopars, altho simple, are still an exercise in contortionism. Whenever I have to work under the dash, the first thing out is a seat, and the steering column is no longer a scary thing for me either. and if I have to work under the hood, I put a block under the K, and air-down the tires.
I need to take the engine and trans out of my 68 Barracuda one of these days, and I'm not looking forward to it cuz it's all gonna be at ground level. Thankfully I have a concrete floor.
All the best to you.
 
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