2003 Montero limited, 3.8 ltr

Had a new timing belt and water pump installed a month ago. I have been having a hard time getting the cabin warm in cold weather. Discovered that I only get heat from one side of the dash (left). As I go across to the right, the air temp from the vents gets cold. (engine temp gauge is normal)

I have read somewhere that the heater core is higher then the rad cap.

I've been trying to burp it by removing the rad cap, let the engine warm up completely, and rev it up to 2500 rpm multiple times. did not work! Tried backing it up in the ditch to get the front end high, tried the same procedure... still not working!

Any suggestions?
Thanks
Larry

 

Keep vehicle leveled when you work on refilling/bleeding cooling system. It doesn't matter where heater core is position relative to the radiator. It was designed to get coolant flow through it at the factory floor when it was first assembled. Try following steps:
1. Start with cold engine;
2. Turn heater to HOT position;
3. Take off radiator cup;
4. Open bleeder screws on/around thermostat housing (2 screws);
5. If coolant doesn't come out, top off coolant directly to radiator;
6. When fluid starts flowing through bleeder screw holes - reinstall the screws;
7. Close radiator cap and start engine;
8. Make sure you have coolant in the overflow tank;
9. Drive normally for a couple of trips.
10. When engine is cold once again - open bleeder screws to confirm that fluid coming out and not air. If air - repeat all steps again.

Make sure you have the right (Mitsubishi) radiator cap. At least for me, the aftermarket ones did not work for some reason and left air bubbles in the system.