All right see if anyone can help me here.

I have a 1988 Aerostar 3L auto with no heat whatsoever
I have totally flushed and redid the rad fluid and it is good to -35 (I live in Alberta) The rad hoses aren't extremely hot after leaving it run and I have the total digital gauge and the temp only gets 2 lines. Which means the motor isn't heating up I think???

Any ideas Im about to redo the thermostat today and see if that helps. The other thing is there seems to be 2 smaller hoses that have antifreeze going through them with a red (valve that turns to loosen and allow antifreeze out) not really sure what it is or if it is doin me any good either?

Thanks very much

 

Thermostat should help. The two smaller hoses should run to the heater core at the firewall. Did you flush that out too? If not, unhook them from the motor and run water thru each way (one at a time) and let it drain out the other one til it runs clear. Hook your hoses back up and you should be all set.

 

Should the upper and lower rad hoses be hot???

 

Welcome to FTE!

After engine warm up, both of the heater hoses mentioned by stepman should also be warm/hot to the touch. Water circulates continuously through the heater core, so both hoses should feel warm. If only one is hot, the core is plugged and flushing may restore function. If none of your hoses are warm, the thermostat has failed closed.

 

Just did a heater core replacement this weekend.
Yes , both hoses will be hot, since this is an "open loop" system.
My core was all plugged up and only one hose was hot, the other was just luke warm, actually cool to the touch.
Prior to the replacement , the wife was threatening to use my Taurus to go to work 'cause she was too cold (I.E. no heat in van). Now she sweat to her hearts content, and I keep my Taurus!!

reever

 

If the thermostat is stuck closed, everything, including the heater, will get hot, assuming the core is not plugged.

I had a thermostat stuck just slightly open, and I could not get even a LITTLE heat out of the core. It is much easier/cheaper to change the thermostat than the heater core, so I would try that first.

 

As a side note to my previous post, the thermostat had been replaced. I know the 'stat was good based on the fact that I boiled the thing prior to installation. It opened just before water started to boil (196degree stat, water boils at 212degrees). With new thermostat in both closed and open state, I still had only one heater hose very hot and the other cool to the touch.
even with the stat closed , only one heater hose was hot and the other was cool.

reever

 

(Red faced) I stand corrected, xlt4wd90 is correct, if the 'stat fails closed water continues to circulate through the heater hoses - only the radiator is bypassed. Sorry for any confusion.

 

i also have little heat( till 30 min of driving). i'm currently re-checking all of the above.i took out the glove box and heater core cover to check the core. my heater core is cold in parts for a while then after a while its pretty much all hot....? may be clogging up again? also my temp gague seems to fluctuate while driving, what would cause that? rick

 

Looks like there are 3 here now withthe same problem and they all sound like plugged cores. Have you guys all tried flushing them?

 

i'll try this wkend (flushing heater core), weather supposed to be warm here in ohio.thought if it was also the thermostat it would be a good time to get to it also, but flushing core is easier. should do it first....thanks! rick

 

By all means flush the heater core first. If you guys have not had the privilidge of replacing one, you don't know what you are missing. The thermostat replacement isn't anywhere near as difficult.
If you are one of the few "shade tree mechanics" who actually have the SPECIAL FORD TOOL required to remove the SPECIAL QUICK DISCONNECT COUPLING Ford uses only on our beloved Aerostar, then you are going to have an easy time replacing the heater core.
If you are like me, you don't have said tool. I just broke the couplings apart with a 12" flat blade screwdriver and replaced with the same style coupling that has a hose barb, and used a hose clamp to secure it to the hose. Worked very well, and much cheaper than procuring the hose from Ford. I think Ford wanted like $105.00 for both SPECIAL heater core hoses. My local parts store cost me $21.00 for the connectors.
I too had cold spots on the original heater core. I did the flush prior to removal with no luck. After removal, I tried to flush the thing with my garden hose sprayer set to "REMOVE PAINT FROM HOUSE") and only got a dribble of water out of the opposite tube. This was a brand new core about a year ago. I had problems from the initial install but thought it had to be something other than the core. It possibly could have had a slight blockage and just got worse over time.
Anyhow, if you do need to replace, check your new core before installing. Might save some aggravation down the road.
later
reever

 

Those "special" hoses are the same as the fuel line, only bigger, aren't they. Like the AC lines?

 

They are standard rubber heater hose. I am calling them special only because they have those da**ed Quick Connects permanently crimped on the end. O ,and one of them has a bell shape on the opposite end to mount to the engine block (Don't quote me on that location though )
The A/C lines use a spring type connector. The heater core hose connectors use a double trapped O-ring in the main part which then slides over a second piece that is locked over the "boss" on the tube of the heater core. Two totally different animals!

 

The only kind I've seen are either like the AC lines or they have the white plastic "ears" sticking out and with those you just squeeze them.