Re: Need Heat

[Jake Kooser <jake_k@ibm.net>]

Here's a bizzarre one.  When I had to worry about heat in my square
(last winter), I was getting only a little heat from the vents also.  I
later found out that the aluminuim fins on my heater boxes had partially
melted into big ugly blobs.  The aluminuim, which is apparently cast
over a cast-iron J-tube core, had also cracked so some of these blobs
were just sitting in what was left of the tin.  I have no idea when or
how this had happened, as I had only owned the car for about 6 months at
that time.  I did a 'top end rebuild', replacing the rings and just
generally cleaning everything up - there was a lot of crud on #3 and #4
from where the oil cooler seals had blown when my friend owned the car.
Haven't had an engine problem since.  Of course, to fix the heater box
problem, I cut off the badly rusted tin, used a torch to melt the
aluminuim the rest of the way off (thereby creating the world's ugliest
J-tubes), and moved to Miami.  Haven't had a problem with the heater
since, now that I think of it.

Jake