Testing second-hand OEM heater core

[AdelaideTJ]

I managed to find a second hand OEM RHD heater core for my TJ. There are small bits of copper corrosion on it. Is this likely to be a cause for concern? What would be the best method to clean and thoroughly test the unit? I understand it was water tested, but wondering if there is anything else I should do prior to getting the dash out and installing? Obviously not wanting to tear my dash out only to find that this unit won't stand the test of time, so keen to do what I can to make sure it lasts. I have a bypassed original heater core in my TJ, but until I pull it out, I don't have any reference to what a "good" or "bad" one really looks like, or what else to look out for. Appreciate any tips!

 

[LostintheForest]

IDK that I’d be pulling the dash to put a used one in, but I’m guessing RHD versions of this are hard to come by?

 

[BIGMike]

Id put some air to it with a hand pump and a psi gauge rigged up somehow. I would think u could safely put 20
psi on it and put it in a 5 gallon bucket full of water and see if it bubbles.

 

[DuckNut]

You lucked out. You got a copper core. A radiator repair place can make that better than new.

 

[LostintheForest]

You lucked out. You got a copper core. A radiator repair place can make that better than new.

That is a good point! That would ensure the best longevity, for sure.

 

[AdelaideTJ]

You lucked out. You got a copper core. A radiator repair place can make that better than new.

This will be my pathway forward, I think. Will take it to a dedicated radiator repair shop and get them to inspect and tell me what they think. Thanks all!

 

[DuckNut]

This will be my pathway forward, I think. Will take it to a dedicated radiator repair shop and get them to inspect and tell me what they think. Thanks all!

When you walk through the door of a dedicated shop, don't let the looks scare you off. Every one I have been at looks like a junk yard and should be condemned. Then you go through the door and are greeted by a nasty stench and a guy right out of a horror movie from breathing all those chemicals every day.

If they are still in business today means they know what they are doing. With a dedicated shop they can literally remake your core from scratch if they had too. I would trade 10 aluminum cores for 1 copper.

Note: aluminum dissipates heat a little better than copper when new. When a system gets coated in the typical rusty manner, any slight advantage is gone. Then,if some leaves or other debris accumulates in the heater box it will corrode a hole in the aluminum one years before the copper one.

Let us know how you make out.

 

[sab]

Sadly, the world is conspiring to put radiator shops out of business. A good friend of mine in my hometown is the second generation owner of a radiator shop, and his son is the third generation working there. When we were kids, that shop did brisk business. Nowadays, he does more general repair work than radiator repairs because there are so few repairable radiators in service these days. He went from automotive customers to industrial customers (forklifts and heavy equipment) to few customers. Along the way, radiators changed from expensive copper/brass affairs to aluminum/plastic affairs, but now even the plastic tank manufacturers are going out of business, so he can't even get replacement tanks for many radiators. It seems radiators, like everything else these days, are made to be replaced, not repaired.

 

[DuckNut]

Sadly, the world is conspiring to put radiator shops out of business. A good friend of mine in my hometown is the second generation owner of a radiator shop, and his son is the third generation working there. When we were kids, that shop did brisk business. Nowadays, he does more general repair work than radiator repairs because there are so few repairable radiators in service these days. He went from automotive customers to industrial customers (forklifts and heavy equipment) to few customers. Along the way, radiators changed from expensive copper/brass affairs to aluminum/plastic affairs, but now even the plastic tank manufacturers are going out of business, so he can't even get replacement tanks for many radiators. It seems radiators, like everything else these days, are made to be replaced, not repaired.

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