Well with the temp dropping I noticed my heat just isn't very hot so i did some investigating. I noticed my coolant level was a little low and noticed a leak from a freeze out plug so i bought a replacement one and threw some Bar's Leak additive in the radiator to help seal it until i can do the repair. In the meantime I moved the lever for the heat valve on the firewall inside the engine compartment and tested the heat again, no heat at all now and the valave is stuck closed no matter if I move the arm or not...so i bypassed the valve for now.
I have minimal heat again but I am wondering if the real cause is my heater core? Also what lever controls that heater valave in the engine compartment? The temp control moves a lever on the heater box itself..is there another valave inside?

Also anyone found a place to buy the heater valve and heater core cheap?

 

My past heater problems have always been related to a bad thermostat.

 

Maybe this can help?
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...tml#Thermostat

 

On the firewall in the center you will see the valve. Remove the linkage and just wire it fully open. That solved my problem until my heater core clogged up.

 

I actually bypassed the valve by runing the hose connected to it directly into the heater core. I now have minimal heat again and it doesn't appear to be a thermostat since the truck has run mid range through the summer and now when its cold. The hose that was going into the valve and now directly into the heater core gets hot as well so i know there should be plenty of heat.

BTW Which control opens and closes that valve on the firewall? It's not the heat/cool selector as that runs to the heater core air box.

 

I noticed today the inlet and outlet hoses going to the heater core are only a slight bit different in temp with the fan running and the upper radiator hose is hard as a rock...seems like way too much pressure is building in the sytem. Maybe the t-stat is sticking and no new coolant is flowing in the heater core??

Anyone found the 2 stage t-stat that Roger Brown talks about at an auto parts store?