MrMeeseeks

Hey all,

TL;DR - looking for help locating '95 Lexus GS300 heater core, preferably not new

So I did a ton of work to my newly purchased 95 GS300 and I drive very little (2.4 miles a day, about 3k miles a year) and the other day I was driving to get my rabbits nails clipped. I get on the freeway, cruising at 60, coming up on traffic so I slow down and all of a sudden smoke/steam starts pouring out from every orifice in my car. Behind the radio, steering column, out the windshield area..well....everywhere. So i straight panic cause the bunnies are in the car so I roll the windows down (pouring rain, go figure since it's the NW) and clear it out. Then the car starts overheating so I quick duck off and get to a gas station where I turn it off and get the bunnies outside (in their cage).

I am thinking my heater core/heater radiator is blown. As are the techs I work with at the Toyota dealership I am at (I'm in parts). I cannot for the LIFE of me find a decently priced one. Anywhere. No aftermarket, and I really don't wanna spend $400 on a new one from Lexus.

Does anyone have a lead on anything, or know a place, or know someone parting out or anything like that? Really just looking for any help at this point, haha.

Thanks in advance!

jottinger

Good luck I found a used one on the Web a place called purzauto. Here where the fun begins it was pulled from a junk yard car. When it showed up it was cracked at the neck of the outlet . After a week of back and forth. They refunded my money and told me to keep it . So we soldered the crack no leaks . Well then when I tried running water through it it was so stopped up that I had to flush it with comet and a water hose . Paid a family friend to tear dash apart and replace . Now I have perfect heat and a dry passenger floorboard . Don't know where you are located but you can bypass the heater core but you will have no heat . If I had to do it over again I would buy the part from lexus/toyota

Mandrake

Why would you put in a used part when the labor is going to be many times more than the part? Look up the procedure to change the heater core, get a quote just for the labor and then come back to us. I bet you won't want a used heater core after that.

MrMeeseeks

I don't pay for labor. Well, I mean I will probably give him a bottle of booze or a couple cases of beer, but my labor is not what it is for normal people. Working at a dealership makes that nice. As for it being used, I am not all for that, but if I could find a great price on a decent one I am all about that. I was hoping more aftermarket, like from MAC's or NAPA or IMC or whatever, but since they aren't to be found anywhere, it looks like I will be going the new route. I am in the PNW, so heat isn't super necessary but I definitely would like it.

Mandrake

Its dangerous to drive without a heater core because you can't defrost/defog your windows. That's the biggest problem when you bypass a heater core. Safety should be more important than your comfort but whatever. Sometimes I don't want to be out on the road because I know there's people who drive cars like this or without brakes etc. Thats not really fair to other drivers. If you absolutely have to do that, at least try to get an aftermarket solution like this:
http://www.autobarn.net/6000c-.html

Or just carry Rain-X anti-fog and a lot of towels or something. Be safe out there.

MrMeeseeks

I don't think I would drive without one. And driving with one that's blown has been sucky but luckily I drive VERY little, so it doesn't affect the windows or anything like that. I only noticed this because of the longer trip I was taking that day. I have towels and window wipes in the car just in case, but it looks like I'm gonna be making that dreaded phone call to Lexus here pretty soon

Thanks everyone

(Also, MN! I just moved away from there two years ago to come out here.)

Mandrake

I hope Oregon is treating you well. These things happen with the heater core. You're just the unlucky one.

MrMeeseeks

Yeah, shizz happens and it is what it is. That's what I get for grabbing a $2k car that sat for almost two years, lol.

It is amazing out here. All the best parts of MN without the 5 months of cold BS! Hahahaha

Mandrake

Oh I'm sure, but you don't have me out there! j/k. Yeah it would be fun to have the mountains, an ocean, old growth forests etc. I don't think you even get that great of hunting in Minnesota.

MrMeeseeks

You really don't, gotta go to the Dakotas for the great hunting. Michigan too. Up north isn't all bad I guess, but really the biggest thing I miss from MN is the river fishing (I used to live on the St. Croix river). Haven't been able to do much out here yet, but I'm hoping to get to it soon

Also - don't forget the sand dunes down south! I'm about 4 hours or less from everything out here!

Mandrake

Oofta. Sounds like a nice place.

kene

iTrader: (2)

Here is a thought that has come to mind. Have you ever thought of looking for a large bore aftermarket transmission cooler that has the same dimensions as a last resort? They can be purchased new for around $30-$60. At worst, you can pay an exhaust/weld shop to make the inlet and exit bends match exact the stock route.


I know this is a stretch, but I'm just trying to help.

MrMeeseeks

Really funny you mention that, because about 30 minutes ago I was at work trying to find anything and everything. Used one for 150 was my best bet because I couldn't even find much new (called the nearest Lexus dealer, they couldn't get anything)! So I stumbled across a guy who does radiator repair near a co workers house. Called him up and told him my dilemma. This awesome gent is going to build me a custom core for only 180 bucks! Need to get it out first and send it to him, so the car will be down for a solid week which sucks, but luckily I live about 2 miles from work and it's only a 40 minute walk, so coming up here soon I'll be doing that. And for the money, can't beat that. At all. So I'm trying to keep my hopes high for this endeavor, knowing full well what's in store is going to make me wanna blow **** up, lol.

kene

iTrader: (2)

Very nice! Please take a few pictures of the heater core next to a ruler and post them with the Height x Width x Length dimensions. If you could also take a picture with a ruler showing just how far apart the spacing is for the inlet and exit tubes for the cooler as well. I have a feeling that a Toyota camry or a lexus LS400 heater core may work, but I don't have the dimensions to verify this.

MrMeeseeks

I will definitely have him do that. I know he had the dimensions right there and honestly I think he knew them off the top of his head cause he was rattling off dimensions and part numbers and I didn't catch much of it. I wanna say I heard something about 10" x 4" and that's all I remember but I could be wrong. Regardless, I will definitely see if I can get him to give me a full spec breakdown when it is going down. I am saving the email notification for this thread to try and help remind myself to get as much info as I can from him.

As for now, I had to do the unfortunate. I bypassed the heater core so that I can get to and from work. Luckily the cold wave is gone, and I am keeping micro fiber towels and window wipes in the car so if I need to do some "defogging" I won't be a threat to others. I am not stupid when it comes to this stuff, and despite my best efforts to avoid this, I cannot. But I have prepared for it all and it is what it is. Luckily I drive 3 miles a day and won't be going anywhere long distance until this is resolved. I will borrow my friends car to take the bunnies to their vet appointment.

Bypassing was so much more of a pain than I was expecting, but literally anything that could go wrong, did. The heater valve literally crumbled. so now I will have to replace that as well ($90 part, whatever at this point) and all the hoses were stuck to their respective pipes. It took a good 30 minutes and a trip to NAPA for some generic 1" diameter heater hose but it is all done. Topped off radiator and let it run for 25 minutes, no overheat! So I shut it off and will drive home tonight. Gonna grab some more coolant and top the radiator off when it is cold tomorrow and then just play the waiting game. I can't get to the car for another ~3 weeks (gotta wait until the next 5 day weekend) but it will be done.