12 VOLT DASH HEATERS?

[escavader]

HI
I lost the heater core in my old ford plow truck yesterday.I saw one of those 12 volt plug into the lighter heaters in wal mart,has any one tryed one?I only want it to keep the windshield thawed,also ive been planning on a cab and blower for my kubota,mabey could use it there when i get rid of the truck.Although im mechanically inclined,the core looks like a pain in the ... to get to,and i really dont want to shell out alot of money for it.So i bypassed it,but i have no defroster.Will it work?
ALAN

 

[rich_ncal]

I was considering on or these also. I would be good to hear from someone that has used one.

I have not repalced the heater core on a full size ford. The heater core on a small size ford truck is not very difficult to replace. Some car heater cores are a pain to replace. For example the Ford Taurus shop manual indicates it takes 12 hours of shop labor and the dash needs to be removed. On the 88 Ford ranger there was easy access with access below the dash.

When a heater core goes bad it is either blocked or leaking. If it is blocked try flushing it with a garden hose. Loss of heat is could also be an issue with the coolant flow due to other problems in the engine or the vent controls.

 

[escavader]

Just talked to one of my mechanic friends.He said a heater core for my 73 is around 30 bucks.He also said if im not gonna run it on the road again,he would cut out the spot where it goes instead of ripping every thing apart.I still want to know if the 12 volt ones work.Considering his labor for helping me,i still be ahead if the 12 volt thing works,and can use it in my tractor cab
ALAN

 

[BobRip]

I doubt that it would provide enough heat to defrost the windshield. The cigarette lighter outlet is only rated at about 16 amps (depending on manufacturer). This would be about 224 watts. That's about 1/6 the power of a room electric heater.

 

[DieselPower]

I doubt that it would provide enough heat to defrost the windshield. The cigarette lighter outlet is only rated at about 16 amps (depending on manufacturer). This would be about 224 watts. That's about 1/6 the power of a room electric heater.

That's true, but. Don't forget the air volume inside the cab of a truck is what, 40 times smaller than a small room in a house. I'm not saying it would cook you out of the cab but it would probably work for what he wants to use it for.

 

[Inspector507]

I've tried two of them. Pretty useless in my opinion. At least in Ohio.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Alan,

I installed an electric heater on the BX cab before I installed the heater via the engine. Could not get enough heat to warm up the small BX Sims cab. Unlikely it would work on a windshield.

 

[thcri]

My opinion, won't work very well. Just not enough heat there. The cigarette plug does not carry that many amps. And any old truck leaks enough air to dilute a lot of the air.

Again it is just my opionion.

murph

 

[tallyho8]

You have to figure that most vehicle air conditioners are 18,000 to 24,000 btus which is enough to do a small house. So I believe their heaters are about the same btus. Moving vehicles are not sealed and are purposely vented requiring large heating/cooling systems.

 

[escavader]

THANKS, I guess i gotta heater core to install
ALAN