I then removed the existing heater core and replaced it with the new one (Nissens) and checked for leaks in the coolant system using my coolant vacuum. I had no pressure leak offs after 1hr., 15min. so I assumed since it was holding pressure there was no leaks.
Fcp has a mahle for 33$ thats gtg.
After polling the audience, seems like Nissens is a reputable brand to go with. I wanted to try something different than OE since the OE doesn't have a good track record to begin with.
Mine was clogged in my '02 Audi A4 and instead of doing what you did, I put two hoses on the intake and exhaust of the core, poured CLR down that bitch until it came out the other hose, let it sit for an hour, then rigged up my hose to the intake and blasted all of that CLR and calcium buildup out of there. Had to do it twice, but man having heat again after no heat during a brutal MN winter was a godsend.
I used a new heater core from an Econoline van, put hoses on it, connected it to an above ground pool pump, draped the core over my generator muffler that heated my hot tub at a festival in winter.
I went with the nissens heater core as opposed to OEM. The veins on the heater core are definitely bigger which may help prevent future clogs as well. Of course it's a snug fit for it as opposed to the OEM that slides in like butter. I tried blowing air through the clogged heater core and it was like breathing through a straw. The new one is wide open.
Although Valeo states it's a Tier1 oem part supplier, it does say on the fpc site that it's made in china.
Heater cores leak? Must be a Chevy thing. I'm a Ford guy, didn't know it was even a thing.
I think once your car develops a heater core issue, it’s time to sell it. Taking out the dash and redoing your entire A/C system afterwards is enough of a big job for me to comfortably say your car has reached it’s road life and it’s time to sell. The heater core was and is still the biggest nightmare job you could ever have to do on a TDI, unless it’s a newer model of the last 10-15 years. Use the Purple pink coolant always. Yes the job is extremely complicated if you have to rip the entire dash out. Heater core are problems with all VW’s.
I've installed a new Mahle/Behr heater core on my MK4 Golf and it popped at the crimps after a few thousand miles. Went with an OEM Valeo after that.
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