heat

[giorno71]

just woundering if anyone knows any tricks or fixes to get more heat out of my 94 yj 2.5 before i buy a new rad and heater core?  even at normal operating temp i have to wear gloves and keep my jacket ziped up. i have a new water pump and thermastat installed within the last 4 months. i checked the heater core in the summer with a garden hose and had lots of flow through it, i even reversed the lines on it, got a little more heat but not enough. i have 2 xj's and was woundering if the heater cores out of them would fit my yj?

[rocnrol]

unfourtunatly, the ony way to get more heat in your case would be to go to a larger engine. four bangers in this weather have a hard time building heat.  one trick is to go to a hotter thermastat and/or try the old cardboard in front of the rad trick.

[Gearhead]

My 94 w/ 2.5 is a refridgerator in this weather , 4 bangers just don't make a lot of heat.

[sylvrinvader]

try a 12 volt plug in heater and insulate your roof

[cLAY]

I have read a mod somewhere where you replace the factory fan with one from a Chev. Do a search for it on google or try to contact Tim Garton(somethingwicked). I'm pretty sure he did it on his YJ.

Oh yeah, cardboard on the rad always helps.

[Hi Lo Silver]

  http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/interior/cjheater/
Worked great on my CJ7.

[giorno71]

I'v had this jeep 10 years and always had a soft top and soft upper doors. this is the firsr year with a hard top and full doors and it seemed warmer with the soft top. i have a 195 thermostat and the top is insulated, i have a winter front cover and an eletric fan that turns on at about 110. guess i'll turn up the fan thermostat to come on later.  then after that i guess its a 1500 watt inverter and a car wamer, that should help. Thanks

[frenchy]

I bought a heatercraft unit, but have not tested it yet... 28,000 BTU's 

[barmanjay]

Mine puts out decent heat,.. it's the heat loss that the heater can't keep up with (air leaks).

Another prob with the YJ's is the heater only being directed at the windshield and floor,.. it needs a couple vents to circulate the air

Mine only starts getting a wee bit colder is when I'm on the hwy,.. maybe you guys should try the cardboard on the rad thing?

[giorno71]

do you mean put the cardboard right on the rad or in front of it??

[Spinalguy]

do you mean put the cardboard right on the rad or in front of it??

In front, it will slip in nicely between grill and rad.
Weird, i owned 2 TJ's with 4 banger and 6cyl. Both ran soft tops and 1/2 door/soft window.
Both jeeps were TOO warm in every winter since 97.

[RedApe]

Wrranglers (YJ, TJ etc) have heat??  Where is this feature?  How can I turn it on?

All kidding aside, I'm struggling with the same issue: the cold air that the hard top seems to radiate down ontop of my head is far more effecient than the "luke warm" air that the heater puts out on the wife's 97 TJ (yeah, the 4cyl).  I've done cardboard...and yes it blows warmer air....but it's not enough.  Also running the high temp thermostat.

Some notes:
 - 12V aux heaters do actually help...but store them inside when the Jeep is parked.  Leave them outside in -20, and they won't warm up in time. (really like the inverter and 20,000 BTU's concept!....it's one step away from the PROPANE heater I was considering this week...along with tying blow torches on the dash pointed at the steering wheel to keep my mitts warm  )
 - operating temp for me NEVER goes much beyond the first marker on the temp guage, even in 35* Aug afternoons), regardless of the thermostat used.
 - challenge with air flows/leaks from outside is certainly an issue.  Worst spot for this is the shifter.  We have the rubber shifter boot,  and when it get's cold it freezes (stiff) and pops out of the console, creating our own wind tunnel.  Will be looking at a more effecient setup over the break.
 - it's still a Jeep.  They are designed to be as uncomfortable as possible, to make the drivers/occupants feel "Trail Tested"


If someone has suggestions on the shifter boot (Ie a place to get a replacement, non rubber version)... 
Would love to see a pic of what people have done for insulating the hard top.

<wore long johns almost every day this last week to work...>

[giorno71]

To insulate the top i used the reflective bubble stuff and carpet tape, got it at co-op, comes in 48" wide and cut to whatever length u want. gonna try using the same stuff to insulate the heater core hoses to see if that helps. i also used reflective tape to cover up the summer vents, that helped with some of the drafts, tried the 1500 watt inverter and car warmer but couldn't take my foot off the gas because it taxed my alternator to the max and allmost stalled the jeep.i have the same problem with the shift boot, it gets so stiff that it will actually pop my tranny out of gear when i let off the gas. would love to hear any ideas on that issue.as for my operating temp, it always reaches 100 on the gauge so I'm at a loss.

[barmanjay]

do the coolant lines that run to the heater core in the engine bay get hot?

if they do,.. then see if you can try and block off the cowl vents for the fresh air in, maybe you have ice build-up there?

if not,.. then I would suggest changing your T-stat again,.. I've done mine twice not,.. even new they can fail, besides it's only $10 for one including gasket

[RedApe]

if not,.. then I would suggest changing your T-stat again,.. I've done mine twice not,.. even new they can fail, besides it's only $10 for one including gasket

Third one since October...I can't see going through 3 faulty units that stick open in a row. 
Ah well...I'll try a few things as suggested on the board here...and drive the OTHER vehicle when it's < -20.