First of all i have a 1978 F-250 Ranger Explorer and i don't have factory a/c but i do have aftermarket. coming out of the firewall (looking in the motor compartment) there are two small hoses 3/8 or smaller. middle height left side. shouldn'tr they be hooked up to something? i was thinking heater core. how does the heater work from these two lines. i think it's coolant that runs through and rewturns to make heat in the cab but i'm not to sure. i'm lost right now. HELP!!!!! please!




Drive It Like You Stole It!!!

 

Heater hoses are generally 5/8 or 3/4 inch hose (much larger than 3/8). The heater hoses attach to the water pump and intake and go to the firewall on the passenger side. Do you have these hoses? Can you get a pic of your 3/8 hoses?

Marty

 

i'm not 100% sure they're 3/8. 5/8 it's probably right. i will get pics this weekend as the truck is at my grandparents house and i don't have any way over there. Ther hoses are coming out of the firewall into the engine compartment and the stub off about an inch or two with clamps. something deffinately needs to go here it's just that i have no idea what goes in between the hoses sticking out of the firewall and the motor. Where at on the water pump and intake do these connect. Sorry about the size i was going by memory. where is the heater core located at?




Drive It Like You Stole It!!!

 

If you have a similar sized hose that horse-shoes from the water pump to the intake area, that would be your heater hose connection locations.

The heater core is what those two stubbs are that are at the firewall. It's actually in the cab under the dash inside the air box.

 

ok i was trying to figure it out. so all i have to do is connect these hoses to the proper locations and it's fixed?




Drive It Like You Stole It!!!

 

Yeah, that's pretty much it....... but,..... Generally the reason the heater hoses are removed/bypassed like that is because the heater core leaks, which means you run a good possibility of filling your passenger side floor with coolant when all is hooked up. You will know when you hook it up and get it going. Just be on the look out for it.

 

thanks for the answers. you've been very helpful through this.

how hard is a heater core to replace in these rigs?
Where does the hoese connect on the engine? where at on the intake and water pump? i am gonna do this this weekend so help would be greatly appriciated.




Drive It Like You Stole It!!!

 

Standing in front of the truck, looking over the radiator into the engine compartment, one heater hose will connect to the water pump nipple at about the 10 o'clock position. The other hose will connect to the nipple just to the left of and below the thermostat housing.

Changing the heater core isn't that technically difficult. It's just labor intensive and you won't be working in a comfortable position during the whole job. You have to remove the screws attaching the box to the firewall, most of which are accessed from inside under the dash. Once you have everything disconnect and the box loose from the firewall, you have to finess the thing out of the engine compartment. I always have trouble getting it out because of the condensation drain on the bottom of the box hanging on to the inner fender well. Once you have the box out, it's a matter of removing the screws and side gards that retain the evaporator. Removing the evaporator gets you to the heater core. Behind the heater core is the fan. While you have everything out, you might as well evaluate the condition of the fan. If there is any question in your mind that it ain't perfect, replace it. It's a pain in the butt to put everything back together in the truck just to have fan issues a few months later and have to do it all over again. Fan motors are cheap and ain't worth the extra labor to have to do it again. If you get a new fan motor, you will probably need to keep the fan blade off the old motor to add to the new motor.

 

thanx for the info and i will try hooking this up this weekend(hopefully if everything goes right and i have enough time to do it). Thank ya for the help. i really appriciate it. See ya around the forums.




Drive It Like You Stole It!!!

 

When I bought my truck there was a hose looped from the water pump to the intake. I expected the worst and figured a new heater core was in order. Before I bought it I figured "What the heck, hook up the hoses and see where it's leaking", I got lucky!! The core wasn't leaking, it was only the inline Heater Control Valve. I don't believe this valve is there on non A/C trucks though.

 

well guys i looked under the hood today and for some odd reason i completely goofed and the heater is hooked up and works greatly. i looked and i remembered what i was origanlly trying to ask. it's a SINGLE hose to the left of the heater hoses about a foot and down about 6 inches or so. it's a single small 3/8 size thin walled hose. on the fender inside the motor compartment it looks as if something was there sometime. shinnier than the rest of the metal. right behind the battery on the right side of the compartment. Sorry for the mix up.




Drive It Like You Stole It!!!

 

Front axle vent hose maybe, or at least what is left of one. Or perhapse a left over hose from a vacuum cannister that's been victim of a smog system rape.

 

well it passes smog with flying colors and the guy there said he'd never seen one of these ol trucks pass that good the entire time he's been working. 15 years. so i don't think it's smog rape(hard me rollin for a while). thanks for the help.




Drive It Like You Stole It!!!

 

I don't believe I've ever seen a ford truck without an inline heater control,
my old 82 had one & it had air but my 58,66,67,&72 all had one & they did not have air. So whats the deal with some have it & some don't???

Thanks

Ron

 

Drive It Like You Stole It!!!