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Yes,on ours 1/2 the heater core was plugged. It's honestly not that hard to change. The worst part was the quick couplers in the engine bay. I cut the ends off the heater core and pulled them into the engine bay where I could reach them.
Hello Lance,
I didn’t have a chance to do much with the heater yet. To much going on with the holidays.
But yesterday I checked the hoses to and from the heater core. And both sides are hot. So I’m still doubting thats the problem.
Also the front and rear heaters are acting the same.
I can’t rule anything out completely yet.
It looks like cutting the core lines is definitely the way to go. Ford sure could have figured out a better way to service the core.
I didn’t have a chance to do much with the heater yet. To much going on with the holidays.
But yesterday I checked the hoses to and from the heater core. And both sides are hot. So I’m still doubting thats the problem.
Also the front and rear heaters are acting the same.
I can’t rule anything out completely yet.
It looks like cutting the core lines is definitely the way to go. Ford sure could have figured out a better way to service the core.
thanks for the input.
Merry Christmas everyone
Joe
The fluid flowing through it was hot, but it was only flowing through 1/2 the heater core. I was about to give up and close the heater box. I decided to check one more time. I happened to have the defrost turned on. At first it seemed fine, but as I moved my hand across the core, the right side was hot and the left was cold from the A/C condenser (the air goes through it first). I installed a new Motorcraft heater core and the heat worked great again. It's not hard to remove the cover and investigate. It lifts off of the top right corner.
The fluid flowing through it was hot, but it was only flowing through 1/2 the heater core. I was about to give up and close the heater box. I decided to check one more time. I happened to have the defrost turned on. At first it seemed fine, but as I moved my hand across the core, the right side was hot and the left was cold from the A/C condenser (the air goes through it first). I installed a new Motorcraft heater core and the heat worked great again. It's not hard to remove the cover and investigate. It lifts off of the top right corner.
Lance,
you and the others who suggested the heater core must be right. I can’t find any other option.
I took a 500 mile trip this weekend. It was 15-20 degrees outside on the way home. I could only get about 75 degrees out of the dash vents when doing 70-75 mph. When I idled at a drive thru food place the temps went up to the 120 range.
So I’m thinking that the coolant is moving to fast thru a small part of the heater core at hiway speeds.
As far as the rear doing the same as the front. I got to thinking that the rear heater isn’t used very often. It may have been like this for awhile without us ever noticing.
I don’t remember ever having seen a clogged core not have noticeably lower temps on the return in the past. So that is what messed with me.
We learn something new everyday
I will order a Motorcraft heater core and hope thats what it is.
Thanks to everyone for their help. I’ll follow up when I get it in.
Not sure about your rear heat, ours worked good. We would crank the rear heat because we weren't getting heat from the front. Several years earlier when we did have a problem with rear heat, it was a valve in the engine compartment. One of these MOTORCRAFT YG366 {#YC3H18495BA, YC3Z18495BA} Info
w/o Aux Heater (Only 1 Remaining)
$26.79
MOTORCRAFT YG357 {#YC3H18495AB, YC3Z18495AA} Info
w/ Aux Heater
$30.79
Not sure about your rear heat, ours worked good. We would crank the rear heat because we weren't getting heat from the front. Several years earlier when we did have a problem with rear heat, it was a valve in the engine compartment. One of these MOTORCRAFT YG366 {#YC3H18495BA, YC3Z18495BA} Info
w/o Aux Heater (Only 1 Remaining)
$26.79
MOTORCRAFT YG357 {#YC3H18495AB, YC3Z18495AA} Info
w/ Aux Heater
$30.79
Lance,
I’ll probably look into the rear after I get the front working.
I have hot coolant on both sides of that heater valve.
Replacing the core itself was very easy. But those so called quick disconnect connectors are a pain in the ***.
I cut the lines from the inside. And even with the hoses pulled out they were really stubborn to remove.
Putting them back on wasn’t reassuring either. One had a nice audible click when it locked on. The other never made a sound.
Watching utube videos I saw other people had the same results.
I imagine they worked good when new. But after 20 years they did not want to let go.
Glad you got it fixed. Thanks for letting us know what fixed it. It's blowing hot air a lot sooner now too, I'd bet.
Lance,
No problem with following up with the results. It doesn’t help anyone when people don’t tell us what worked or what didn’t.
Yes, it gets hot air faster now.