Engine gets hoat some time, no heat from heater. top hose seems hot to touch lower hose is cool. Drained radiator few weeks ago and problem began

The hoses were the same age, you should have replace lower at the same time., I always change thermostat at the same time since it cool and the coolant is removed. Did you replace coolant with the correct type The so called universal coolant is not for Chrysler products and can cause problems., Chrysler recommends using HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology) formula coolant, and green is not the correct type. My ranger calls for G05 coolant which HOAT, my wife's car calls for Dex cool. It is confusing so try this link,
https://www.valvoline.com/our-products/antifreeze-products/antifreeze-education/engine-coolant

is there a chance that one of your heater hoses are clogged? or where they connect to the engine are clogged still? sounds like a clogged system. Cracked heater housing? Outside air bypassing the heater coil while driving?

Both of the hoses at the heater core should be hot. If one is cold the heater core is plugged. You can think of it this way. If the thermostat was stuck closed and you checked the upper and lower radiator hoses with the engine hot the upper hose would be hot and the lower hose would be cool because there is no flow. If you check the hoses with a properly working t-stat both hoses will be hot when the t-stat is open and coolant is flowing. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them. Thank you for using FixYa.com!

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Sounds like your cooling system has an air pocket in it, and is not completely full. Try this. When the engine is cold. Open up the cap and fill it as high as it will go. Then start engine, Check level again and top off again with the heater on full heat put cap back on. Watch your temp gage. When temp get to around 215-220 the fan should tart up. Have someone keep idle slightly elevated at fast idle. Your temp should syart to lower. As soon as fan shuts off, and still hold a fast idle slowly open up the cap again, and top off the system again. This should have the system completely full, and prged of air. The make sire your reserve tank is at the proper level. See if this takes care of your problem. Your heater is the highest thing in your cooling system. If there is air in there, you will not get any heat. That would explain why you only get heat while driving..

The brown looking chiffon could be oil in the water. However, if you are sure the system is ok then I would check the actuator door motor on the heater and make sure it is allowing the heat into the car. Seems as if you have done as much as you can.

Bad heater core.

Take the thermostat out and put it in a small pot and heat it on the stove top watching to see if it open when it gets hot. If it hasn't opened all the way by the time it boils its bad

You may have had an air pocket in the system. What I would when you get part,is to run at idle with radiator cap off and let warm up from cold start. With heater setting on so as coolant can flow through that part of system. Of course keep eye on temp as it warms up. This can take a while as fans won't come on till thermostat is opening. check hoses as it warms. when hoses get "hot to touch" both upper and lower , put cap on and make sure overflow bottle is filled to its level.If it all seems to be going well then i would let fans cycle for 2 may be 3 time before test drive.

sounds like you could have faulty gauges to meby check them out.... and yes its posible that its pluged