Turbo X_J

The lowest bidder produced the original. How many of the things will still be on the road in 5 years? No reason to sweat the small stuff.

Jeepwalker

There's more to it than that.
1) Auto parts are made by bid, but to 'invited bidders only' ...not just any old company. They use proven suppliers like Borg Warner, etc. It's not always the 'lowest' bidders, but also a company who has a good quality track record, and a proven reliable supplier. The way they actually price parts is on a declining scale (meaning the car mfgrs EXPECTS the suppliers to realize lower costs) as the quantity increases and they become more efficient. It's backward of most products in other industries where you expect yearly price increases. Car companies expect REDUCED costs over time. Strange, huh?
2) Auto parts must be made to strict detailed specifications as set out by the car companies. They can't just make the part however they see fit ..as cheap as possible. I know this b/c I worked closely with Borg Warner and a few other major auto parts suppliers for a number of yrs as a building contractor. I've walked the assembly lines and knew the plant managers fairly well as I was a vendor and heard a lot of their stories.

Regardless, the heater core in my Jeep is original from 1987 ..that's 31 years. Really no special maintenance. So to say a replacement will only last 5 years is kind of a loose statement, and shouldn't be the case. The point with the information I've given above is that a heater core built of similar quality or cared for properly *should* last a long time too. A lot of owners on this site have had heater cores fail in short time. That's really not acceptable.

sharp801

I have the one from RockAuto, four years now and no problems.

Jeepwalker

Here is a pic of the Crown vs Vista-Pro ...per my post (above).

Ralph77

I have been following these heater core threads when they pop up. I believe that I have a leak in my Evap core. My thinking is if and when I decide to fix it is to replace the heater core also. Figure it is almost 20 years old. Really don't want to go in there twice. Problem is it seems to be hit and miss when buying aftermarket ones. So back before everything became "disposable" the used fix and recore radiators. I have been meaning to stop by a radiator repair place local to me and find out if heater cores and Evap cores for that matter can fixed. Anybody have any thoughts about this?

Jeepwalker

It would all depend on where the leak was, and the only way would be to take it in for a cleaning and look-over. Get it boiled out. Can't hurt. At least when they're finished, they could skip the re-painting step which would save some time/expense.

Radiators have become so inexpensive these days (and specialized too), many radiator shops do radiators for industrial equipment or antique/classic cars where there's still a few bucks in it. But it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a couple shops look it over and get a $ number..

Turbo X_J

I'm afraid you misunderstood...not heater cores still on the road in 5 years but rather how many of these vehicles will still be on the road in 5 years?
As far as "similar quality" that concept is long gone, peeps want the cheapest item they can find.

Ralph77

Not trying to derail the thread but can anyone confirm for sure that the heater box out of a '99 XJ with air will fit an '00 XJ with air?
I don't see why not but......
I ask cause the boneyard has a '99. I can probably pick up the heater box cheap. Figure rebuild that and then put it in mine. Also even though we are not pick and pull around here I am in good with the guys down there and they let me go out back and pretty much do whatever I want.
Figure I can get some first hand insight into removing the dash, probably make a few mistakes, figure out where I went wrong, and be a little more educated about the removal when I do mine.
This is one of the reasons I love boneyards. You get the experience of removing the part. Figure out pitfalls along the way and hopefully not make the same mistakes when doing the job on mine.

Password12345678

So Jeepwalker, would I be in the wrong to purchase and install a Crown Heater core? I tried getting a Vista Pro one, but I called around and they seemed to be out of stock everywhere... I tried buying one from apdty.com and they sent me an email saying that it's not in stock anymore and they weren't sure if it ever would be again.

AlamoXJ

I'm on the same boat. Need to determine what core to get.

Jeepwalker

The Crown heater core I received looks like a well constructed unit. I wouldn't be afraid to install one. Probably 3/4 of the cars on the street have aluminum heater cores nowadays.

But I would ^definitely^ pull the lower radiator hose and drain as much coolant out as possible, and install new long-life coolant (and filtered/distilled water). Keep the acidity down. You can buy test strips ..so wouldn't hurt to check in a couple yrs and see how it's going. As you read, in my post, ideally you need to keep your vehicle's coolant pH in a narrow range to keep the aluminum core from becoming eaten out!!

During the initial warm-up, if you park with the nose of your jeep facing uphill as it warms up, it'll help burp air out faster.

Did you check this guy to see if he has a copper heater core for your year? I don't know the Vista-Pro # for a 98..
https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=jeep&LH_PrefLoc=2&_ssn=parautomotive& _osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR 10.TRC0.A0.H0.Xjeep+heater+core.TRS0&_nkw=jeep+hea ter+core&_sacat=0

Password12345678

Jeepwalker, where did you find the Crown Automotive heater core? I found a heater core on Quadratec but it's a little over $100. I tried to order from their site but couldn't figure out how to get past the "Login to see price" junk.

Jeepwalker

Yes, I got it from Quadratec. Mine's for an 84-96, looks like the 97 on up is more expensive. Did you check ebay or Amazon?

Password12345678

No luck on eBay or Amazon. I'll just buy it from Quadratec because they are a repuable place from what I've heard. $100 is a good price for a quality core in my book.

Jeepwalker

I've always had good service from Quadratec.
The few tech guys I spoke with on the phone over the years actually knew their stuff and were helpful.

Good luck.