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Old Jul 30, 2025 | 11:40 AM
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Quick AC Question

Vacuum valve for heater core quit working Going to put a manual valve to improve AC. It is 5/8” lines, and what is the best way to plug vacuum line?
 
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Old Jul 30, 2025 | 12:28 PM
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Factory stuck the line on a stud on the heater box on trucks that didn't have the valve, a golf tee is a simple plug. Vacum was only applied on max or recirculate mode.
 
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Old Jul 30, 2025 | 04:13 PM
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My truck is pre-valve. I've been toying around with the idea of adding the stock type valve and controlling it with a pneumatic toggle switch in the vacuum line. There are times it's so humid that I want to recirculate air, but don't necessarily want to freeze myself out.
 
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Old Jul 30, 2025 | 05:32 PM
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Yeah, we didn’t have the valve from factory, and we put a vacuum valve in. We took it out today, and put the manual valve in. Put the vacuum line back on the stud, had forgot about that. We tested the old valve and it was weak, letting fluid past it when closed. The new manual valve stopped it all. 18 degree difference. Appreciate you all for responding.
 
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Old Jul 31, 2025 | 02:01 PM
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Update:

It was blowing 28 degrees this morning at 79. By 95 degrees it was blowing 39.
 
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Old Aug 1, 2025 | 08:47 AM
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I have found most use the Ford Ranger valve, and it is junk...especially the Dorman variety. What happens is it will start to leak at the actuator rod that comes out of the side of the body. I did this mod several years back on my 2000 F350 given it did not come that way. The valve failed just outside of a year, or it's warranty. I started to install one of those 4 way ball valves, then I got to thinking why I did it in the first place as our 2000 Excursion has the valve which is still intact from the factory. This valve has no external moving parts...it's all internal. I found one for an Excursion and thought I'd try it before going to the ball valve assembly. This was a couple years ago and it seems to be doing it's job given no leaks and it will hold 38*-42* depending on the outside temperatures here in south Texas.
 
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Old Aug 1, 2025 | 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by bwguardian
I have found most use the Ford Ranger valve, and it is junk...especially the Dorman variety.
The overwhelming majority of Dorman products are garbage.
 
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Old Aug 1, 2025 | 12:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Pikachu
The overwhelming majority of Dorman products are garbage.
Yup, but that's mostly what you get nowadays so putting it out there for future reference not to use it.
 
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Old Aug 4, 2025 | 08:04 AM
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Originally Posted by bwguardian
I have found most use the Ford Ranger valve, and it is junk...especially the Dorman variety. What happens is it will start to leak at the actuator rod that comes out of the side of the body. I did this mod several years back on my 2000 F350 given it did not come that way. The valve failed just outside of a year, or it's warranty. I started to install one of those 4 way ball valves, then I got to thinking why I did it in the first place as our 2000 Excursion has the valve which is still intact from the factory. This valve has no external moving parts...it's all internal. I found one for an Excursion and thought I'd try it before going to the ball valve assembly. This was a couple years ago and it seems to be doing it's job given no leaks and it will hold 38*-42* depending on the outside temperatures here in south Texas.
We got a valve from The Dieselsite and added it to Old Green. That was 20 years ago, and it is still working fine.

https://www.dieselsite.com/maxacassi...4-200373l.aspx

We had the manual one at first.
 
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Old Aug 4, 2025 | 08:10 AM
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Originally Posted by empiretc
We got a valve from The Dieselsite and added it to Old Green. That was 20 years ago, and it is still working fine.

https://www.dieselsite.com/maxacassi...4-200373l.aspx

We had the manual one at first.
That one ain't a Dorman...and it looks like it's built much better than one too...
 
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Old Aug 5, 2025 | 05:41 AM
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You guys got any pics of where this thing goes? Mine's a 2000 but I'm not sure if I have the valve already, or at 350k miles if it still works at all. Parked, I can get a little warm sitting idling.
 
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Old Aug 5, 2025 | 08:06 AM
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It would be in the heater hoses, over the engine, on the right (passenger) side.
 
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Old Aug 5, 2025 | 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by AdamDenver
You guys got any pics of where this thing goes? Mine's a 2000 but I'm not sure if I have the valve already, or at 350k miles if it still works at all. Parked, I can get a little warm sitting idling.
It will be in the heater hoses somewhere up off the firewall in the passenger corner around where the MAP sensor is.
 
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Old Aug 7, 2025 | 12:09 AM
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I used the Autozone pn 74809 Ranger valve and followed the method described by nlemerise in the attached PDF.

It is plumbed to work only during Max AC.

No issues last dozen years.

 
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