Heater is barely heating
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 6,545
Likes: 13
From: Virginia Beach VA
The radiator and driver's side block holds a little more than 3 gallons. Combine that with passenger side block and core your just over 6.
You could remove both core hoses, catch that and just flush with restore or restore plus. Stay away from the VC9, it's an iron removal chemical you don't need for a core flush. But that won't resolve a plugged air flow problem, you'll need to clean the fins for that.
I'd feel hoses for temp on both supply and return.
If they were even in temp, I'd try the fin cleaning. If they aren't even, try the restore/restore + product.
That should save most of your coolant and a good point to isolate the real issue.
You are getting good air from the vents, just not hot air... correct? If the cores hot and air flow is cold, it's the blend door.
You could remove both core hoses, catch that and just flush with restore or restore plus. Stay away from the VC9, it's an iron removal chemical you don't need for a core flush. But that won't resolve a plugged air flow problem, you'll need to clean the fins for that.
I'd feel hoses for temp on both supply and return.
If they were even in temp, I'd try the fin cleaning. If they aren't even, try the restore/restore + product.
That should save most of your coolant and a good point to isolate the real issue.
You are getting good air from the vents, just not hot air... correct? If the cores hot and air flow is cold, it's the blend door.
Certified Thread Hijacker
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 14,441
Likes: 60
Not all had the valve, especially XL trucks. Possibly some XLTs. Although I would assume all Lariat and King Ranch trucks had the valve.
IIRC, my 2005 XLT did not have the valve, my 2006 XLT did. Both were Supercabs.
Josh
IIRC, my 2005 XLT did not have the valve, my 2006 XLT did. Both were Supercabs.
Josh
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2016
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So what does the valve do? I think my truck is XL. It's a basic work truck. I'll check hose temps tomorrow and report back. I also have my coolant filter tapped into one of those lines, so some hot water is probably being tapped off there but I closed my filter valves to see if that changed the temp and it didn't appreciably change it.
Yes the air flow is good, just the temp that's low.
Yes the air flow is good, just the temp that's low.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27,307
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From: Spanaway
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2016
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Okay so did a little more checking and discovered that the heater core flows well in both directions, I used the garden hose on it and got plenty of flow. Based on my previous experiment of touching both input and output on the heater core and finding the output wasn't hot I thought I had a clogged core, but the hose flowed very well, so now I'm thinking it might be a coolant supply issue?
Is it possible for a heater core to still flow lot s of water but not be able to heat exchange properly?
Is it possible for a heater core to still flow lot s of water but not be able to heat exchange properly?
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 206
Likes: 0
From: Anderson SC
If your heater core is not clogged and your temp is up, it sounds like a blower issue to me.
Is the fan blowing hard, just luke warm air or it is barely blowing?
Is the fan blowing hard, just luke warm air or it is barely blowing?
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,443
Likes: 9
From: South Alabama
Norma, looking at the picture that gray line under your MAP bracket is the vacuum for the heater valve. If you pull it off I believe you will see just a plastic stud there. So some where down the line your control valve got taken off.
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,496
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From: So. Jersey
Some of the work trucks didn't come with them.
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,496
Likes: 94
From: So. Jersey
There's only so many components here. You verified flow through the core. Now verify that coolant from the engine is flowing through by feeling the 2 hoses when running. Both hoses should be hot.
Verify the blend door is working and not stuck or the control valve isn't broke or stuck.
Any other thing would be the heater core fins inside the hvac box are clogged with leaf litter or a critter built a home in there.
I know you looked into some of these but maybe something was overlooked.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 206
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From: Anderson SC
The radiator and driver's side block holds a little more than 3 gallons. Combine that with passenger side block and core your just over 6.
You could remove both core hoses, catch that and just flush with restore or restore plus. Stay away from the VC9, it's an iron removal chemical you don't need for a core flush. But that won't resolve a plugged air flow problem, you'll need to clean the fins for that.
I'd feel hoses for temp on both supply and return.
If they were even in temp, I'd try the fin cleaning. If they aren't even, try the restore/restore + product.
That should save most of your coolant and a good point to isolate the real issue.
You are getting good air from the vents, just not hot air... correct? If the cores hot and air flow is cold, it's the blend door.
You could remove both core hoses, catch that and just flush with restore or restore plus. Stay away from the VC9, it's an iron removal chemical you don't need for a core flush. But that won't resolve a plugged air flow problem, you'll need to clean the fins for that.
I'd feel hoses for temp on both supply and return.
If they were even in temp, I'd try the fin cleaning. If they aren't even, try the restore/restore + product.
That should save most of your coolant and a good point to isolate the real issue.
You are getting good air from the vents, just not hot air... correct? If the cores hot and air flow is cold, it's the blend door.
You should be able to access this part and test it by leaving it plugged in and rotate the **** from hot to cold and look for movement.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27,307
Likes: 549
From: Spanaway
You might also remove the lines and add a temp hose to a bucket. then
start the engine and see how strong the flow into the bucket is. Good place
to separate the line would be at the valve or the steel line from the front passenger
side of the engine.
I do agree that checking the core in the heater box should be done to see
if you have any debris blocking the air flow.
Once you know what it is and if it just crap blocking the fins you can remove
the engine side cover and clean it out. You might also get some evaporator
spray cleaner from a HVAC supply house. Mix the stuff per the directions and
apply. Some types don't need to be rinsed off and others do. You should do
both the heater and evaporator cores. Clean healthy air. No more old stinky AC
mold smells is always a plus.
start the engine and see how strong the flow into the bucket is. Good place
to separate the line would be at the valve or the steel line from the front passenger
side of the engine.
I do agree that checking the core in the heater box should be done to see
if you have any debris blocking the air flow.
Once you know what it is and if it just crap blocking the fins you can remove
the engine side cover and clean it out. You might also get some evaporator
spray cleaner from a HVAC supply house. Mix the stuff per the directions and
apply. Some types don't need to be rinsed off and others do. You should do
both the heater and evaporator cores. Clean healthy air. No more old stinky AC
mold smells is always a plus.
Thread Starter
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 509
Likes: 0
Okay well I'm thinking I need to do the test to see good coolant supply. When running engine the hose going into the box is hot and the output is cold which led me to believe the core was clogged but my garden hose test proved that wasn't the case, so I now believe maybe it was cold on that side because the fan, which seems strong, was efficiently cooling what little heat was there. So, if the engine is not supplying nice flow that would cause these symptoms as well. But how would that happen? There's no kinks or anything that I can see. I'll check for debris but I feel that the fan is pushing a good amount of air, and I also feel the blend door is working well because I removed the servo and manually moved the shaft and could feel and hear it thwapping back and forth positively.
This is getting weird?!
Could the system be air locked? When I filled with coolant I did the usual fill it up top, run engine, refill it as needed a few times and we are good. Maybe I missed a critical procedure on this space ship.
This is getting weird?!
Could the system be air locked? When I filled with coolant I did the usual fill it up top, run engine, refill it as needed a few times and we are good. Maybe I missed a critical procedure on this space ship.