going though heater cores once a year, please help

FORD MUSTANG
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FALCO
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i have a 1992 Ford Mustang GT, with a 5L V8 engine, mileage is around the 240k Kilometer mark, and so far.. in 3 years, i have gone though 3 heater cores, the one in it now, the 3rd since i got the car in 2000, looks to be dieing as i have been getting that mist on my windshield, as well as the odd time i have smelled antifreeze. what is the cause of this, and is there a fix ? the one that i took out last year the part that the hoses connect to from the engine, the soldering let go, dunno if thats related or just a bad solder, the one before that, looked as if it " balooned " now.. considering i haven't taken it out yet, i don't know what it looks like.

any ideas on this ???
Apr 18, 2007 at 12:51 AM
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BESTBET777
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You need to look carefully at the old cores, especially the pipes that connect to the firewall, sounds like maybe they are not fitting correctly and either bending or crimping the tubing.
Apr 18, 2007 at 2:45 AM
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FALCO
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i no longer have the 2 prev old cores. by pipes, are you referring to the rubber ones that go from the engine to the core, the ones on the core itself or the ones that the rubber hoses connect to on the engine ???
Apr 18, 2007 at 3:01 AM
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BESTBET777
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The ones that the soldering let go.
Apr 18, 2007 at 1:06 PM
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FALCO
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as i mentioned.. i don't have that heater core any more.. its long gone .....

it seems that there is a flow restrictor in one of the hoses that goes from the engine to the heatercore, the hoses i have on the car now.. don't have it .. could that the the cause ???
Apr 18, 2007 at 6:59 PM
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TAURUSWHEEL
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Have someone check your coolant for voltage readings,, Ford has had some issues with electrolytic-induced heater core failures, notably on some Taurus models,, some kind of grounding issue was creating the problem i think,, the electrolytic solution was eating heater cores, some very quickly.. not saying this is your problem, but give it a go, a core a year is crazy, they can't all be manufacturing problems, certainly no way to "balloon" the core out
Apr 18, 2007 at 10:09 PM
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FALCO
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TaurusWheel

if what i was told about that flow restrictor is correct, then the " balooning " could of been caused by that, the heatercore just couldn't handle/wasn't made for all that pressure that went in it when i " punch it " :-)
Apr 19, 2007 at 12:28 AM
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TOWNCARTECHI
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Hi Falco and others, I found this post by searching for "1992 Ford Mustang". My daughter's 92 mustang has a heater core leak and I want to replace it. The local mechanic wants $500 for the job. I believe it is labor intensive but not too mechanically difficult. Her car is the 4cylinder LX model. Could any of you give me any tips or tricks in doing the repair?
Dec 2, 2008 at 10:47 PM