2 questions: weak heat & strut mt noise - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

beige97camry · 05-01-2011, 11:10 PM

97 camry

changed out some leaking hoses to heater core and now heat is weak so question is there a brass restrictor in one of the lines, I found something that looked like one but didn't know if it came out of hose and might cause weak heat, also changed anti-freeze and wondered if it is possible I have too much and not enough water causing the problem.

second problem is I changed rear strut mounts and shocks and noise from upper strut mount area worse now

I torqued small bolts to spec but even after cranking down on center and bigger bolt (top of shock) couldn't seem to
get 36ft/lbs of torque and was afraid if I kept cranking I would strip or brake top of shock threaded rod. any ideas or do I keep cranking??

ruggz · 05-02-2011, 12:08 PM

Did you change the thermostat? If not just take the radiator cap off and let the car run for about 30 mins on a level surface. It takes a long time to get the air out of the system.

chuckoff · 05-02-2011, 03:24 PM

Coolant should be a 50/50 mix. No restrictors in hoses. Ck heater control valve. Low coolant can cause lack of heat in heater core. Was stop leak added to fix leaking hoses before replacing the hoses? If so, heater core could be clogged up. Strut noise could be cheapo struts, or mounts. Mounts could be installed incorrectly, cheapo, spring insulators could be weak.Some struts require a spacer under mount on strut rod. 35 ft. lbs isn't a whole lot. You could be turning the whole strut rod and not actually tightening nut if the mount is not seating on the step on the strut rod. Hope this helps.

beige97camry · 05-03-2011, 01:22 AM

update: struts fixed, wasn't aligned right with strut mount and top of shock, h2o problem, with heater off temp runs right, with heater on temp runs cold, so I am guessing air in system, you agree?

chuckoff · 05-03-2011, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beige97camry

update: struts fixed, wasn't aligned right with strut mount and top of shock, h2o problem, with heater off temp runs right, with heater on temp runs cold, so I am guessing air in system, you agree?

No. Air in system = lack of coolant and possible overheating. Most likely, thermostat is stuck open. runs cold with heater on, because heater is acting like another radiator, not allowing engine temp to rise. To eliminate air in system, leave coolant cap off overnight, top off coolant in morning. Check coolant in a couple of days after a couple of warm-up, cool-down sessions. Thermostat is not that expensive. Get an OE one, don't use cheap parts store Chinese crap.