What is this thing and why is there coolant leaking out where the screw is

[JMO413]

2 hours ago, eaglescout526 said:

I believe JMO found an acceptable Chrysler replacement floor boot for the TJ he made fit. I’m sure there’s aftermarket console boots. But those boots will help a little with the heat but if there’s no insulation under that carpet, yeah you are kinda hosed with heat. 

The TJ different boot does fit.

[Deleted]

7 hours ago, Eagle said:

 

That's it. If you don't want to bother with the cable, just install it and open or close it from under the hood when the season changes.

 

That valve was the factory heater valve in all AMC cars in the 1960s and 1970s. It's variable volume, so with the cable that's what controlled the amount of heat you got. Full open ==> full heat. Throttle it back for less flow to produce less heat.

Ill definitely be using this instead, thanks for recommending it

[Eagle]

5 hours ago, Pirate_Staz said:

Ill definitely be using this instead, thanks for recommending it

 

Keep in mind that there are two ways of regulating the temperature. The old AMC vehicles that used that valve used the valve to control how much coolant was flowing, which regulated how much heat was available to be transferred to the air stream passing through the heater coil. Newer vehicles (like newer buildings) tend to control the temperature by "variable air volume." Instead of regulating the flow of coolant, the newer vehicles (including the XJ and MJ) use a system of baffles that passes some of the incoming air through the heater coil and some around it. By varying the air mix, the system controls the temperature.

 

VAV is supposed to be better, but IMHO the old system worked just fine and I never understood why the car makers moved to the significantly more complex VAV systems to accomplish the same task that little valve was doing.

 

My point being that, with that valve, you have the potential to have two means of temperature regulation possibly fighting each other. I'm not sure about that -- they might play together very well, or you might find that you need to use that as an ON/OFF control and use the VAV controls for when the valve is on HEAT mode.

[JMO413]

https://www.amazon.com/Four-Seasons-74774-Heater-Valve/dp/B000C2SUWQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=1988+Jeep+Comanche+heater+control+valve&qid=1561912943&replacementKeywords=heater+control+valve&s=gateway&sr=8-9&vehicle=1988-42-348------------&vehicleName=1988+Jeep+Comanche

$27 and your good for another 30 years.

[gogmorgo]

On June 30, 2019 at 10:06 AM, Eagle said:

 

VAV is supposed to be better, but IMHO the old system worked just fine and I never understood why the car makers moved to the significantly more complex VAV systems to accomplish the same task that little valve was doing.

In many cases if the heater doesn't get much use it can lead to accumulation of crud and corrosion inside the heater core and valve, meaning when you do eventually try to use the heat, either the valve is seized shut, the heater core has plugged solid, or some thin corroded part lets go when exposed to flow. This is especially true in climates where you can get away with running straight tap water year-round in the cooling system, where the mineral content just makes everything worse, which it seems is where many people for whatever reason seem to prefer to live. 

These are also the reasons many people choose to delete the heater valve in XJs and MJs. 

The much more complex modern systems as a result tend to be more reliable, at least until the electronic control system fails, depending on the vehicle in question. 

[Eagle]

1 hour ago, gogmorgo said:

In many cases if the heater doesn't get much use it can lead to accumulation of crud and corrosion inside the heater core and valve, meaning when you do eventually try to use the heat, either the valve is seized shut, the heater core has plugged solid, or some thin corroded part lets go when exposed to flow. This is especially true in climates where you can get away with running straight tap water year-round in the cooling system, where the mineral content just makes everything worse, which it seems is where many people for whatever reason seem to prefer to live.

 

All true -- except for the tap water. Nobody should ever run straight tap water (or even straight distilled water) in their cooling system. Anti-freeze also has anti-corrosion additives. ALWAYS run anti-freeze, and if you don't run the 50/50 mix needed for maximum freeze protection.

[gogmorgo]

Yes, I should have been more clear when I said "can get away with". Having water freeze in your cooling system is a much more immediate consequence to running straight tap water, but not all climates experience it, hence being able to "get away with it". Corrosion and mineral deposition are usually long-term consequences, unless you have tap water like my parents' where a dripping faucet produces a stalactite, in which case they're much less long-term, even when mixed with antifreeze. I wouldn't even use that water in my cooling system in an emergency.

[Eagle]

4 hours ago, gogmorgo said:

Yes, I should have been more clear when I said "can get away with". Having water freeze in your cooling system is a much more immediate consequence to running straight tap water, but not all climates experience it, hence being able to "get away with it". Corrosion and mineral deposition are usually long-term consequences, unless you have tap water like my parents' where a dripping faucet produces a stalactite, in which case they're much less long-term, even when mixed with antifreeze. I wouldn't even use that water in my cooling system in an emergency.

 

My well water is like that. I buy distilled water from Walmart (69 cents/gallon last time I bought it) for use in mixing my coolant.