No heat/defrost until cruising at high speeds of 55mph or higher.

1998 CHRYSLER CONCORDE
135,000 MILES
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DONNMAN
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Bought this car used for my son. It will not give heat / defrost for typical city driving. However, when we cruise on highway at 55 or higher the defrost/heat will work. Soon as we slow down though it begins blowing cold air again.

Would this be a thermostat problem? If so, how do we change it on the 1998 Concorde with the 2.7 V6 engine?
Oct 16, 2011 at 5:54 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Have you checked the coolant level? It sounds low.
Oct 16, 2011 at 6:07 PM
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WRENCHTECH
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That sounds like a restricted heater core. You can try backflushing it with water pressure from a garden hose but it will likely ultimately need a new heater core. Get the rest of the engine flushed thoroughly before installing a new core though.
Oct 16, 2011 at 6:32 PM
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DONNMAN
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Thank you for your response's. Yes, we checked the coolant level and it was very low. Topped it off but still blowing cold air at low speeds.

Will have to have it checked for the heater core I guess. Im not very handy with cars and was hoping for an easy fix. Was crossing fingers that topping off coolant would do the trick.
Oct 17, 2011 at 12:18 AM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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I need you to check something. Start the engine and turn the heater on high. Let the engine warm up and feel both heater core hoses. Both should be hot. Let me know if that is the case.
Oct 17, 2011 at 2:31 AM
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DONNMAN
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We have found leaks in what is a metal tube that runs from the thermostat housing up to the top of the motor. It then has spouts going off to the reservoir and the heater hose. This tube is metal and is about 3 1/2 feet with bends. It connects to the thermostat housing with a rubber piece.

I have called a few places and described this tube and some think it may be a water outlet tube, a coolent tube, or a heater tube.

Any idea on what this part is?
Oct 22, 2011 at 3:06 PM
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