ok... started using this site just yesterday very helpful. well before i found the site my girlfriends truck (ranger 96 4L) decided it was cute to leak from the heater control valve. at the same time i realized the heat wasnt working (in florida we dont really need it but we're leaving for ohio tommorow :-staun and i dont like freezing, im native here). so i figured the heater control valve was the culprit and replaced it. well it still leaked. first question can someone check theirs and see where each hose runs? right now i have the left heater core hose going to the bottom and the right heater core hose going to the top (on the control valve). then the bottom one on the radiator side of the control valve goes to the water pump and the top goes to the thermostat? can someone check those and make sure they are in the right places? perhaps a picture. also... i had to ghetto rig the heat because the blend door actuator wasnt moving when i turned the heat control. another wierd thing is the compressor to the a/c (i had to unplug it to further ghetto rig my heat) stays on when the heat should be on. so it leads me to believe the actuator is good but what would go bad to cause this? can the actual control on the dash go bad and not send the signal to change to heat and disable the compressor? if anyone has any information on any of the subjects please reply asap. thanks in advance.

ps. this website is great. that blender door repair helped me through most my problems figuring out the a/c system. (did i mention i've never worked on a ford before?)

 

Welcome to FTE!

The AC Compressor runs in most of the "heat" positions. I think the only ones it doesn't are the Floor & Vent positions. Any involving the defroster, it runs. This is for a few reasons, 1) AC'ed air is good and dry to defog your windshield with, 2) to run the AC in the winter while the heat is on makes sure it gets a little exercise now and then.

The heater control valve is in line with the lines to the heater core right? This is what you replaced? Can you see where the leak is?

-Jim

 

the leak is where the metal lever of the heater control valve is. its almost like its getting too much pressure or something... is it possible i bought the part and the new one is bad also? if not what would cause the leak? hoses connected incorrectly to the heater control valve?

 

It could be bad. I would make sure the core isn't clogged by running the garden hose into it with both hose disconnected.

 

I dont know much about trucks, but I had that similar problem, and I replaced the heater control valve and changed rad. That fixed the problem for me, but I still have a problem with the rad temp gauge fluctuating for some reason.