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Not necessarily. It depends on what you mean by a bad heater core. The core will either be leaking or stopped up. If it is leaking, then it can cause the engine to overheat and the only fix is to replace it. A clogged or plugged heater core can sometimes be fixed by flushing it. You can also temporarily bypass the heater core until you can get it fixed. Just connect the inlet & outlet heater hoses together.
Yes it can cause it to overheat but first check your thermostat. That would be the 1st cheapist thing to do before you did anything else. I got an 85 regal(overheating) and the thermostat or the heater core is the problem im getting them both replaced tomorrow and will let know of how it runs.
A bad water pump or thermostat can cause an engine to overheat. A plugged (clogged) radiator or heater core may also cause an engine to overheat.
bad heater core bad heater core
COULD BE A BAD HEATER CORE COULD BE A BAD HEATER CORE sounds like the heater control switch needs replacing.if that doesnt fix it, you need new heater core
could be fans not working, thermostat, blown head gasket, broken or leaking coolant lines, bad heater core
Check the heater core, it is probably bad. It could be heater hose connections to the heater core, but I would bet on the heater core going bad.
A bad smell coming from the heater in a vehicle can indicate a bad heater core. One way to check this out is to see if the smell is worse when you sit in the passenger seat. If it is, there is a good chance the heater core is bad.
The most common signs of a bad heater core are; no heat or fluid leaking into the passenger compartment. The heater core can have a leak or it can be plugged.
coolant on the floor
You know the heater core is bad when your truck leaks antifreeze onto the floor of the passenger side.
The first sign that a heater core is bad is the lack of heat from the blower motor on a vehicle. The second sign that a heater core is bad is water on the floor of the passenger side foot well on a vehicle.