another heat thread...

[ggoblue]

so I notice in the fall that the 2001 expedition [I stole from the new wife] doesn't make much heat. of course I notice it a lot more once its zero and below this week. I don't like riding around without my sidekick [the dog]. its too cold to leave him in the car when I'm running around right now.

the front and rear heat are both affected.

I've had the coolant flushed twice in the last 2 years...maybe they flushed crap into the core? didn't have a problem before that.

I put a flush tee in the heater hose so I could make sure its full up. I think this was the hose into the heater core because its warmer than the other one. as I pour coolant into the tee I can see the level rise in the bottle.

I changed out the thermostat. that didn't help.

I get a little surge of heat when I'm making some rpm's. then it goes back cold.

so I'm down [in my mind] to either a clogged up core, or the water pump is too weak to feed the heater core.

if you swapped the two heater hoses would that flush it? wouldn't it work the same anyway?

there's a tee in the heater hoses and I think that's to feed the rear core.

thanks in advance.

 

[bedrck46]

get the expy up to operating temp feel each of the heater hoses to see if they are hot/warm/cold both hoses for each heater core should be about the same temps. If you can hold the hoses in your hand they are to warm I can hold about 125 degrees for a short bit. if you feel a big difference in the inlet temp as compared to the outlet temp then I would think that the core is clogged. do this for both front and rear heaters

How many miles on the Expy and how old is the water pump.

 

[ggoblue]

get the expy up to operating temp feel each of the heater hoses to see if they are hot/warm/cold both hoses for each heater core should be about the same temps. If you can hold the hoses in your hand they are to warm I can hold about 125 degrees for a short bit. if you feel a big difference in the inlet temp as compared to the outlet temp then I would think that the core is clogged. do this for both front and rear heaters

How many miles on the Expy and how old is the water pump.

120k on her and I'm sure the pump is original.

 

[bedrck46]

can you squeeze off the flow of coolant to any of the heater hoses

 

[ggoblue]

can you squeeze off the flow of coolant to any of the heater hoses

yes i can. they are easily accessed. is this a way of gauging pressure?

i'll be out there at first light this morning. at the very least i'll blow compressed air [in reverse direction] thru that heater core. too bad its so cold i can't use a water hose.

 

[1997SCEBFEX]

suspect water pump &/or combination with a potential clog. the surge would be indicative of better flow based on your higher rpms.

FYI & for comparison, my vent temps, using a food thermometer, shows 150* up front/142* rear taking into consideration the extra distance the coolant has to travel to the rear and the ducting impacted by the cold of the roof headliner.

I had a rebuild 3 years ago after a an ejected plug and part of the "a la carte" items included a new water pump and thermostat etc. as well as a lot of coolant too.

Hope you get it figured out & let us know.

PanHandler.

 

[ggoblue]

success

i have heat...

i bought 2 ''flush kits'' which were about $4 each. i cut the heater hoses and installed the ''tee'' fittings with the screw on caps...i sent compressed air thru the core in reverse...then forward...and then reverse again.

popped it together, poured coolant back into the bottle and went for a drive.

now i'll do the rear core the same way.

ps, i clamped off the hoses that went to the rear while i did the blowout. i'll reverse that process now.

i had doubts that it was the core because neither one was making heat but wifey says the rear has sucked for quite a while. [i only stole this truck from her last year when i bought her an escape]

nice trade for me

 

[bedrck46]

Maybe that why she let you steal it paybacks are hell LOL