Trying to heat things up!

[Looney1316]

1999 4.0 auto trans cherokee,
heater only gets warm at best
Temp stays right at 190
And lower rad. Hose is cool
Does Anyone know what gives
Its hard to play in the snow when you can't see out the window
Thanks for your help!

[Brasscatz]

Especially with the lower hose being cool, it seems that you aren't getting proper circulation of your coolant OR you aren't getting hot enough for the thermostat to open. Might try changing out the thermostat and checking the system for blockage. If I recall, the stock thermostat is a 195* thermostat, you might want to switch to a 190* to get it to open at your temps.

[4.3LXJ]

Yes, try a different 195° thermostat. The lower hose is cool because your radiator is working. Be thankful for that. But in snow, you can slip a piece of cardboard in front of half of the radiator. Old trick we did in the snow country to keep the engines warmer. Also you might want to flush the system and make sure the core is flowing at full capacity

[Carves]

190* - ought to be adequate for some heat ??

If the lower rad hose is "cool" to touch ... then the temp gauge might be telling you furphies ... so it might pay to check that as well.

If you still have issues after sorting out/confirming the running temps ... then a blocked heater core or a faulty blend door could give you grief too.

Theres no heater, coolant flow,control tap, on a '99 ... so thats one less thing to worry about.