How to replace the heater core on a Jeep Wrangler TJ

I'll give it another try tomorrow. Maybe I'll try putting the nut into the ratcheting box wrench and then stick both to the telescoping magnet. Thanks!
Another trick is to use a piece of paper over the nut then put your ratcheting wrench over the nut. The paper will hold it in. It can still fall out if it hits something hard enough, but it helps.

Kind of like this:

IMG_3174.JPG
 
Just want to make sure a future person replacing a heater core sees this thread as well. Make sure to get the right heater core brand before you install it. Here is the thread Very little heat from new heater core. I learned the hard way and will probably need to replace the heater core again with a better brand.

If anyone has any thoughts to try before I do I am all ears. I can get a little heat at 1 or 2 but anything past that it starts getting cold.

Also, side note ever since I did this I now get some vibration from in front of my left knee when driving. I have been trying to track it down for about a year without luck anyone had a similar issue.
 
Just want to make sure a future person replacing a heater core sees this thread as well. Make sure to get the right heater core brand before you install it. Here is the thread Very little heat from new heater core. I learned the hard way and will probably need to replace the heater core again with a better brand.

If anyone has any thoughts to try before I do I am all ears. I can get a little heat at 1 or 2 but anything past that it starts getting cold.

Also, side note ever since I did this I now get some vibration from in front of my left knee when driving. I have been trying to track it down for about a year without luck anyone had a similar issue.
Thank you for making sure everyone could access the posts. I went with performance radiator after reading those write ups.
 
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I'm looking for a little help identifying some electrical connections. I'm putting my dash back together and am questioning what these connectors are for?
20220311_135057.jpg

Yellow and gray connectors, lower right side of fuse panel. They both have the red locking tabs on them ('98 model.) The later models seem to have a different connector that's neon green instead?

Any insight would be appreciated. I'm thinking I didn't have anything connected to these two places? Either that or I have some wiring tucked in the wrong place and can't find the male ends. Is it possible that these were just left open at the factory? I'll tag @MountaineerTom on this one. Thanks.
 
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I'm looking for a little help identifying some electrical connections. I'm putting my dash back together and am questioning what these connectors are for?
View attachment 315029
Yellow and gray connectors, lower right side of fuse panel. They both have the red locking tabs on them ('98 model.) The later models seem to have a different connector that's neon green instead?

Any insight would be appreciated. I'm thinking I didn't have anything connected to these two places? Either that or I have some wiring tucked in the wrong place and can't find the male ends. Is it possible that these were just left open at the factory? I'll tag @MountaineerTom on this one. Thanks.
I figured it out, lol. It's for the passenger airbag defeat switch.
"What are these connectors? | Jeep Wrangler TJ Forum" https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/what-are-these-connectors.26650/
 
Glad you got it. I would have guessed the yellow may have been air bag related, but didn’t know what the gray one was.
 
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I don’t know if this is the case, but it seems like most yellow connectors are air bag related.
 
Hmm, never realized that. I noticed the pics of your Jeep show a bright green connector in that area. I don't have that one at all though.
I couldn’t remember and had to go back and look at my pictures. There sure is a big green connector there. LOL. I was originally thinking of my ’99 Silverado. I think there are a couple yellow connectors on it that are airbag related.
 
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Just thought I would check in on this thread, and see what the latest and greatest brand of heater core is. I am totally disgusted that one that I had handmade from a very reputable manufacture only three years ago has never really put out as much heat as the OEM one, and is now leaking and needs replaced. I see a lot of people refer to the performance radiator heater core but my Google fu is not coming up with that particular brand. What do you guys think?
 
Just thought I would check in on this thread, and see what the latest and greatest brand of heater core is. I am totally disgusted that one that I had handmade from a very reputable manufacture only three years ago has never really put out as much heat as the OEM one, and is now leaking and needs replaced. I see a lot of people refer to the performance radiator heater core but my Google fu is not coming up with that particular brand. What do you guys think?

https://shop.performanceradiator.co...ath=1_22310_22822_22877_22879&product_id=8045
 
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I recently installed a Performance Radiator heater core. So far so good.👍
 
My heater core started leaking one winter and I NEEDED the defrost function at least. Cold cab was fine, frosty windshield not.

A buddy said to run the heater hoses thru rhe AC unit which was not working anyway.... BRILLIANT !!
It seemed hotter than the original
Heat off the AC Coil was 130F

DSCN0856.jpeg



Heat off the new heater core was 100F, outside temperature of 30F for both.

IMG_0021.jpeg
 
Well I sure hope I get a lot more than that out of the new one! The heater core that I thought sucked put out about 125-130 on the meat thermometer test. For reference both my wife’s Volvo and my Ram heaters put out 150 or more.
 
hardly an accurate thermometer, this was a $15 indoor outdoor repurposed to show the dramatic difference between the heater core and the AC core...... Believe me the AC core is wayy hotter than ANY heater core I have put my hand over. I'm more analog than digital.
 
Right on, I can’t say I remember what the outside temperature was when I was testing our cars, might have been summer for all I remember.
 
I wonder if anyone out there that has an original factory heater core could measure the heat coming out of the dash vents at low and full blower. I believe that high blower causes a heater core to act like a radiator, the airflow dropping the temperature coming out by a few degrees. But I also wonder if the lower temperature at high blower is caused by a leak at my blender door or something. I love data and numbers, and find conjecture highly suspect.