Okay, I have searched this topic on the forums, but have not found my particular situation listed. So, if I may, let me tell you my situation. I have a 2002 Ford Taurus wagon se. I just shortly received it from my nephew. There is no heat in the car. It blows cold and the AC works well, but not the heat. My nephew had the heater core replaced. I have put in a new thermostat, and the actuator blend door is working fine. However, there is still not heat. After the car reaches running temp, I can turn the blend door to heat and will get about 10 seconds of hot air, and then it goes back to cold - not ac cold, but still cold. Because of this, of course, there is not defroster working which makes driving on cold days extremely hard.
Does anyone here have any other suggestions?
I know that the coolant level is okay, both by checking it and by the fact that I just had the thermostat changed by my mechanic and they topped everything off.
As for the hoses going in and out of the heater core. I will have to check that tomorrow. I know that one is very very hot, but I don't know about the other yet. I will check.
I'm guessing the heater core is restricted. If the output hose is just as warm as the input hose then the core isn't giving up its heat. The coolant is just passing through a small portion.
If I might offer what I have learned
I noticed through much research that many of the vehicles with heating issues have a noticeable amount of rust built up in the coolant passages. If you had done the thermostat you might have been able to tell better than looking in the reservoir, or even by removing a line and looking into the radiator. I say this though because as rust forms a thicker and thicker layer within the engine, replacing other components that increase the flow of current can knock pieces of these big layers loose thus causing clogs in other locations. I suppose it could even be that the lines leading to the heater core are clogged elsewhere and only allow very little coolant to pass through the core at a time.
My other advice is if you live in a colder location where temperatures do not rise very high, there could be a worn water pump/propeller? I think that is also fairly common with the amount of rust that can occur from not doing proper coolant services.
I Do Not think this could be of any help, but I had a problem with another vehicle (Mum's Mazda), where I could not get heat out of it no matter what I tried. But I happened to notice that the evap AND A/C were also turning on as I turned the heat on, and turned off when I turned the heat off(even the fans cycled as the heat was turned off and on). Turned out this was due to the ambient air temp sensor / MAF which needed a good cleaning. Now mums happy.
Interesting .
Iirc, the ac pump engages any time the defrost function is selected to assist in removing moisture from the air. (There is a low-temp cutout that removes this feature when ambient temp drops below a cert temperature to protect the compressor).
I appreciate all of your answers. If what I am gleaning from your advice is correct, I think the starting point for me will be a good system flush. I live in an area where I cannot do this myself, so I will have to have it done professionally - stressing, of course, my inability to get any heat.
If anyone thinks of anything more, I am all ears. Thanks again for you very helpful responses.
If your mechanic is intending to do a complete system flush, then you could dump a flush additive in now and let it do it's thing before your mechanic does his flush.
Follow the instructions on how long you can leave it in.
But it sounds like your problem requires a mechanic who will disconnect the heater core hoses and clean / flush the core directly.
Sorry, I have been away for a while. The heater core was changed about a year ago. The engine does not overheat at all. The heat gauge never rises above about a quarter inch below the halfway mark on the heater gauge.
Sorry, I have been away for a while. The heater core was changed about a year ago. The engine does not overheat at all. The heat gauge never rises above about a quarter inch below the halfway mark on the heater gauge.
^ +1 Did you use a Motorcraft thermostat? Aftermarkets sometimes do not have the right opening characteristics and will cycle wrong. Also the temperature that it opens is important. Do some research, but I believe it is 197 degrees F.
A couple of other things to consider... Heated water goes into and out of the heater core element. Both hoses should be equally hot....almost too hot to hold on to for more than a second or two. If that is happening, and the blower works for several speeds and the actuator door is operating, then the next thing I would check is the Cabin Filter and, if you can get your hands on one, a see snake to look down into the top of the heater core itself. It may well be clogged up and not allowing air to flow through. ALSO, if you are considering a flush, do the whole engine and not just the heater core..but then flush the core separately. If you have a mechanic doing the job, talk to him about it. Because Ford chose to put in such a close tolerance heater core, perhaps a jumper hose run from where the hose comes out of the water pump and jump it to the driver's side where it enters the Thermostat would preclude any rust garbage (and there will be some) from re-clogging the heater element. Then reconnect the hoses before testing and adding coolant.
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