Mike,

That's pretty much my plan, put in a 180 this morning, but haven't had the chance to check out how much difference it made.

Update: I bled the system, it seems to be heating to around 180 according to the dial. It's a little warmer, but not much. I'll have to give a full flush a try, and failing that maybe get a pcm, one for winter and one for the other 3 months.

 

If the coolant system hasn't been serviced within the last couple of years then flushing it is a good idea, but with temps ranging from -10 to +30 I really don't think you're going to see as much heat as you'd like. Since antifreeze does aid in the radiant transfer of heat then (as previously mentioned) a mix closer to 50/50 may help if there is too much antifreeze in the system now. I also don't think a different PCM (with higher fan activation temp) is going to yield a different result. If your gauge is showing 190° (now 180° with lower temp thermostat) and not going any higher then the coolant is circulating. If the thermostat wasn't opening I'd think you'd be seeing an overheat situation with a continual rise in temp on the gauge. An old 'trick' from yesteryear to improve heating during the Winter months is to partialy block half the radiator with a piece of cardboard so there is less surface area exposed to the cold air. It seems to work well, but if you try it keep a close eye on your gauge and remove the cardboard if you see a significant rise in temp on the gauge. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do and if it improves your heating.

 

sound like the heater core is plugged or when you turn on the heat the control is not opening all the way to let the hot water thru .check the control first

 

Did a flush today, and it was still cold in the cabin, followed it up with a back flush and now it is piping hot, even with the 180 t-stat in it.

I only wish I had the facilities to have done it all myself. On the bright side, I don't need to replace the heater core.

 

Glad to hear the flush fixed it