Hi,
I need to find out where the heater core is on my 88 RAnger 2.9 supercab. This must be why the wasn't a thermotat in it.
When I turn on the defroster or heater my windows fog up horribly and are very hard to defog. The windows have ahaze on them. I was told because the heater core must have leak or the hose is leaking because it also smells like warm antifreeze in the cab also.
Please I would appreciate any help possible.

Thank you,
Kallie

 

If you remove the glove box liner you will see a panel about a foot square with seven? screws around it. Remove and there is the core.

 

It should be right behind the glove box like it was on my 86 Ranger. You must first remove the glove box shell. A few easy screws hold that in. The core has several screws that must be removed from the bottom, under the dash. Just getting your head under there to see is fun! Before doing that, you must remove the two coolant lines that connect the core at the fire wall. If this the original they can be fun also. I couldn't twist mine off, ended up cutting one which was too short and had to buy a new piece. You'll need new hose clamps too.

After you get it back together, if you lucky, you'll have heat, if not that means that you have air trapped in the core. You'll have loosen the outlet hose at the wirewall, start the engine and let it run till you get a stream with no burping of air. Then tighten the clamp. Ah! Which one is the outlet? I'd have to look that up, it's by where the hose comes off the engine and I can't remember right now.

Hope this helps!

 

Be very careful about pushing the new heater core through the fire wall. Heater cores now days are very fragile and any amount of twisting and pushing can make a new one leak. Other than that it's a piece of cake to remove and install one, as detailed in the previous post.

 

I wanted to thank all of you for help.
I replaced the heate core without a hitch.

Thanks again

Kallie

 

i need to replace my heater core also on my 88 ranger, do i need to remove the dash to do this?

 

do you have the ranger with the rotary engine?

 

i thinks is just the reg.2.9 v6

 

Heater core is the problem. It needs to be replaced
But it will cost a lot of money in labor
Part is not expensive, but you have to remove the whole dashboard
If you have air conditioner, you need to disconnect that also
You can bypass the heater core, working at the firewall heater core connection
A short piece of hose is all what you will need to bypass the heater, but
heater will not work after this kind of repair

 

For maryland ranger: "i need to replace my heater core also on my 88 ranger, do i need to remove the dash to do this?"

Follow the instructions listed above - the responses given for the original poster.

 

you dont have to remove the dash in a 88 ranger just the glove box, then take screws out around the heater core box remove the 2 hoses under the hood that goes to the core, then it comes out ... replacement is the opposite....

 

OP is 11 years ago, and over 2 years since he posted anything. See post 6, the job is done.

Last post prior to yesterday was 3 1/2 years ago.

The next guy posts every 2 years and isn't due for a year, by which time something else will be leaking--the usual subject for him.

It pays to read the whole thread and look at dates.

Serving suggestion.

BTW, to apache34, welcome to FTE. Your comment about removing the whole dash is contradicted in the thread and proven to be inaccurate. You will find this site to be pretty friendly, but wrong info is usually jumped on pretty swiftly. I had a heater core go bad in my '86 Ranger and the cost seemed like it was enough to take the entire truck apart, but it really isn't that complicated.