If the cause was corrosion, might it seem a good idea to go back to the traditional changing of coolant every four to five or so years?
If the cause was corrosion, might it seem a good idea to go back to the traditional changing of coolant every four to five or so years?
Last edited by foama; 09-16-2018 at 06:30 AM.
That's good to know you don't need to pull the box right out. I had to replace the heater core an 01 dodge I had. It was either pull the entire dash and heater box out which was a huge pain or cut the metal tubes on the old and new heater cores and splice together with heater hose and extra clamps. 5hr's vs 1. I chose the latter.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)
Question:
Was this photo from post 242 taken from inside the cabin?
Attachment 12632
Yep. I will be writing up a whole thing on it.
Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block
Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)
foama (09-19-2018)
Alright, lets continue on with this now that I am home from vacation.
I ran into a small snag that I hadn't posted about. I got the heater core in, but it was ridiculously tight. So, I pulled it out and cut off some of the foam and refit it. This took several go arounds to make it fit nicely.
Unfortunately, while doing that, I banged up the tubes going to the heater core. The pivot setup they have is really nice, but also pretty fragile. So, when I got it hooked up and (thankfully) tested things before reassembling everything, it leaked. Nothing horrible, but a few drips, and that certainly isn't going to fly.
So, I pulled it out again and attempted to fix it. I grabbed a pilers and simply recrimped the ends. I put it back into the car, connected the coolant lines, and refilled the coolant. When I fired it up, I checked for leaks and it looked good.
All I need to do now is reassemble everything!
Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block
Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)
That's good you were able to get it to re-seal. I wonder what the mating surfaces of the 2 parts look like.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 62.4 mpg (US) ... 26.5 km/L ... 3.8 L/100 km ... 74.9 mpg (Imp)
Hmmm... I assume this is because the dimensions of the aftermarket unit are slightly off? Would this be enough of a pain for you to recommend the OEM unit?
You've probably already thought this out...but is there a way for you to test any airflow/temperature scenarios without having to re-assemble the entire dash?
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)
Daox (09-26-2018)
I would also imagine this is the case. The aftermarket heater core is just a little longer, about 1/8". I definitely don't think this is enough to go with the OEM unit. The cost difference is just too large. My core was about $70 shipped. The OEM core is closer to $300.
I actually hadn't thought of that! Thanks for the great great reminder. I actually just got done testing it out.You've probably already thought this out...but is there a way for you to test any airflow/temperature scenarios without having to re-assemble the entire dash?
This is how the car currently sits. Such a beauty eh?
The ambient temperature was around 51F out. So, not too cool out, but hopefully good enough to do our test. I idled the car until it was fully up to temperature. Then, I set the heat to max, and the fan to max and went at it with the IR thermometer. Here is what I got.
Driver's side.
Passenger's side.
So, things look pretty good. Any further testing will have to be done later once I get the ducting back on. But, so far it looks about as good as one could hope for!
Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block
Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)
Wow...that's a pretty convincing test compared to what you were seeing with the OEM heater core!
If you are able to test your original heater core in some way...it would be interesting to see if it isn't distributing heat evenly across the grid. If you are able to verify that, I think that's pretty conclusive that a lot of us are probably driving around with defective heater cores.
I wonder if the Mitsubishi Tech Line already knows this? I hope so...because I can already see a fight coming when I take may car in.
Man your dash looks like a nightmare right now...lol.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)
160 degrees! Nice.
That was compared to around 117 degrees from your video of the original heater core, I think.
Should make for happy toes this winter.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 62.4 mpg (US) ... 26.5 km/L ... 3.8 L/100 km ... 74.9 mpg (Imp)