Cabin heating problem
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 11,931
Likes: 180
--hot water goes into the top of the radiator, air blows over the coils, and cooler water comes out the bottom... lower hose should be cooler.
--if the radiator is plugged, why dont the motor overheat ?
---if the pump is bad and wont circulate water, why dont the motor overheat ?
---if the thermostat has failed, the gauge will not read in the "normal" range.
---if the heater core is partly plugged, you wont get any heat out of it
---if the blend door is broken, your mixing hot and cold air and mmight not get too warm.
--if the radiator is plugged, why dont the motor overheat ?
---if the pump is bad and wont circulate water, why dont the motor overheat ?
---if the thermostat has failed, the gauge will not read in the "normal" range.
---if the heater core is partly plugged, you wont get any heat out of it
---if the blend door is broken, your mixing hot and cold air and mmight not get too warm.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 339
Likes: 0
From: Savannah, GA
Its not that the lower hose was "cooler", it wasn't hot... at all, not even warm. I could feel just a bit more warmth than the ambient temperature after running the truck for more than an hour. I believe I forgot to mention that there also wasn't any fluid running through it, I had the engine running and when I squeezed on the hose it collapsed without any resistance. I completely agree that its a weird occurrence that the motor wasn't overheating, but I'm positive that the water pump I removed is bad. I don't believe that the radiator is clogged, but for $120 its worth the piece of mind to go ahead and replace it while I've got it apart. Both heater hoses get hot so I don't believe that the heater core is the problem, unless like stated earlier its clogged and somehow the coolant its bypassing it and not fully heating the core.. I've also considered the blend door to be the problem. I kind of veered away from worrying about the cabin heating to worrying about why the lower hose didn't have fluid running through it as I'm going on a 1000 mile trip this Saturday.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 339
Likes: 0
From: Savannah, GA
Put the new radiator in today and got it back together. I can now feel that theres fluid running through the lower radiator hose, so thats good. As far as the cabin heat I'm starting to lean towards the blend door, I remember seeing that someone on here has a step by step guide on how to remove the dash; but it will be at least a week before I attempt it.
New User
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: mapleton iowa
Im having the same problem. My 98 f150 with 4.6 takes forever to put out heat. I blew out a freeze plug 2 weeks ago and it quit working for a couple days and slowly started working again. I back flushed the heater core and that helped a little. This last weekend I replace the water pump and it took 75 miles before it started puting out accetable heat. I do have a theory that its air trapped in the heater core. I make sure my overflow tank is overfull and tuesday I parked my truck on an incline with the front bumper 2 feet higher than the rear, it started working again last night and worked at 80 to 90% tonight. Last night was the first its worked since changing the water pump saturday. It seemed to do the same thing after the freeze plug was replaced.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 339
Likes: 0
From: Savannah, GA
I changed my mind, I'm going to replace the heater core and blend door tomorrow. I don't want to face this 17 hour journey without heat.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 210
Likes: 0
That's good you have circulation through the lower hose now. The heater core is a big project, let us know how it goes.
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 379
Likes: 0
As long as you disconnect the battery and wait a few minutes before you unplug the air bag you should be fine. Then sit it on its back somewhere that way if it goes off it doesnt turn into a rocket. Some folks wear a grounding strap while they're handling air bags to eliminate static electricity. I never have but it's not a bad idea.