I live in Texas and it is not cold here. If it is cold I put on a jacket and get in my truck; I rarely have use for a heater.

I have been driving around for about a week with my windows at half mast because my heater core is a piece. This will be the third one in my truck.

Here is my question: Why not just connect the IN hose to the OUT hose? i was thinking of simply cutting the hoses that connect to the heater core, put a length of pipe between the two and use clamps to keep it from leaking. I don't need heater and I have zero time to mess with it (I am a college student and doing this repair in the middle of a parking lot is not my idea of fun; I can wait until spring break to fix it right)

Any comments and suggestions are welcomed.

 

Bypassing the leaky heater core is a time-honored tradition amongst young, poor F150 owners. You know when you see that guy at the traffic light on a rainy day and he has a towel and he's wiping the inside of the windshield so he can see? That's proof that he belongs in the 'bypassed leaky heater core' club.

 

The high here today was about 40 degrees with a stiff wind. Summer to some of those folks up north, damn cold to me in Georgia. Bypassing leaky heater cores isn't nothing unusual though.

 

I've had to do it a few times and I have bought one of those electric heater/defrosters from Wal-Mart that plug into the cigerrette lighter and hardwired it to the fuse block with a switch... The last time it was my Jeep "hunting vehicle" I rarley drive it so it had the towel/shirt action going on...Ohh yea!
I finally decided to fix it last year after using it for 6 years w/ out... Except I have never looped them, I just shove a bolt in the inlet and put a clamp around it.

 

Why not find the real root of the problem instead of just replacing the heatercore?