Heater not working?

Hi,

Based on your description, it sounds like the engine coolant is low. Have you checked that? Take a look through this link and let me know if it helps:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-heater-not-working

There is what is called a blend air door actuator that is responsible for the air temp entering the vehicle, but I don't think that is the issue here. It wouldn't change directions based on if the vehicle is in park or moving.

Let me know if the above link helps. If it doesn't we'll move on.

Take care,
Joe

always blows cold air, seems to change from setting(defrost, ect.) but air conditioner cycles, and the air is cold, pulled relay for pump, now the air is outside temp. but still cold. changed the controlls in dash but made no differance

Check for vacuum leaks to vent door actuators under dash, and with the engine hot, running, the heater on, feel both heater core hoses. Are both hot? If so, check blend air door. If only one is hot, flush heater core.

Heater not blowing hot air. Vent doors open and close but still no heat. I am a disabled vet and cannot use
but one hand. Help please

check actuators in heater box if hoses are both hot. if hoses aren't hot then check water valve for operation. it is vacuum operated so check for a vacuum line off or see if it's getting vacuum, if it does the motor isn't any good as it's not opening. it is item 1 in pic.

turned the heater on and is as if the AC is on.. no heat..all the controlls seem to be working, temp gauge in normal range, blower working.. was working fine ' then just no heat. I did just replace the battery, could that have anything to do with the problem

It sounds like you have a blend door actuator that has gone bad for the temperature. Here is a guide that gives you an idea of what you are in for when doing the job.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-blend-door-motor

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-heater-not-working

Here are diagrams of what it like on your car. (below)

Please let us know if you need anything else to get the problem fixed.

Cheers, Ken

What does a 007 Ranger have a heat control valve or the heater door?

you system is vacuum operated doors. see if both heater hoses are hot when truck is warm. then see if vacuum motor on hvac unit is getting vacuum so the door will open. if not check for a vacuum leak, you might hear a hissing sound under dash if it's leaking.

Thanks guys I will try this and seee what happens.

I had my A/C repaired at the Ford dealer. They said they investigated everything about the system and it just needed coolant recharge. When I got it back the A/C worked great but the heater did not. (It worked before). I took it in a month later for the heater and they said it needed a new blend door motor $450.00. I think its too coincidental that the heater needed repair after they worked on the A/C. The service manager says there is no relationship between the two systems and the heater problem is clearly a separate problem. What do you think?

If you brought the car in for A/C work and the same day you picked it back up the heater did not work, they are responsible for it. Obviously they are not going to want to fix something for free. but if they messed with wiring under the dash checking things or whatever, its up to them to fix it. issue is, you should have brought the car right back the same day and addressed it then. after waiting a month, they now can say anything.

Hi all,

My cold A/C works fine, air blows at all four speeds on the selector, but the heat does not work.

Does this truck use a single blower motor for both hot and cold A/C? If so, I can rule out the blower motor.

The car is not leaking coolant, as far as I know. No coolant drip or smell in the cabin. I checked all the hoses from the radiator to the block and to the water pump and appears fine. Engine is not overheating.

Is the next logical step to flush the heater core? I noticed that one of the hoses from the heater core is very hot, but the other one is not nearly as hot. Is that a sure sign the heater core is clogged?

Additional info:
i can see all the components behind the glovebox working; specifically, when i turn the temperature control knob, i can see the blend door hinge moving. so i don't think it's that.

Good afternoon,

Yes, I would flush the heater core.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-heater-not-working

Remove both hoses and use a garden hose to flush the core. Run it back and forth through the core until you get a good clean even flow. Then hook the hoses back up and see if you have heat.

If not, then the core will have to be replaced.

Roy

REMOVAL
1. Remove the evaporator core housing.

NOTE: If a heater core leak is suspected, the heater core must be leak tested before it is removed from the vehicle.

2. Remove the instrument panel. Refer to: Body and Frame, Interior Trim, Dashboard/Instrument Panel, Service and Repair, See: Dashboard / Instrument Panel > Procedures > Removal and Installation

3. Remove the Powertrain Control Module (PCM).



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4. Remove the PCM heat sink.
1 Remove the ground strap screw.
2 Remove the heat sink.



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5. Remove the four nuts from the engine side of the dash panel. Position the plenum chamber on the vehicle floor.



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6. Remove the heater core cover.
1 Remove the screws.
2 Remove the heater core cover.



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7. Remove the heater core.

INSTALLATION
1. To install, reverse the removal procedure.
During installation, be sure to install a new oval foam seal around the heater core inlet and outlet tubes.

Hi Roy,

Thanks for confirming. Can you tell me if my truck (listed above) has a heater control valve? Can't seem to find one anywhere in the lines leading to the heater core.

There is not heater control valve for this system.

The door or the blend door is what turns off the heat.

Roy

Hi Roy,

I flushed the coolant from the heater core, switched the lines on the core, and i’m still not getting any heat in the cab.

Two questions:
1) Does the blend door actuator look correct to you? it looks quite different than the ones i see online.
2) Is there a bypass valve or something similar in the heater core? i can see the coolant system working fine, so it likely is that the heater core is not working.

The second picture shows a control valve. Try moving the arm manually and see if the hose gets hot and you get heat.

The blend door look right and also new.

Roy

Hi Roy,

i actually installed the heater control valve you see in the photo above; i guess the previous owner bypassed it and installed a t-connector in place of the valve. the valve works fine, it will open and close when max A/C is toggled.

i will muster the courage to replace the heater core, in that case. i live in Florida so heat is not a huge necessity; how severe would you say a non-leaking bad heater core is?

It is okay, if you want to wait until the weather gets cooler. It will not damage anything. The only thing it will effect is the defroster operation.

Roy

2002 3.0 V6 Auto. Tran. When I start my truck to warm up, no warm air is blowing until I am on the road. It doesn't matter if it idles for 5 minutes or 30 minutes. Yesterday while driving, I lost heat, cold air started to blow, and my engine temp went up as if it was starting to overheat. What could the problem be?

First, make sure the coolant level is full. If it is, then one of three things would be my guess-- First could be a simple air lock in the system. THe other is a bad head gasket. Also, if you haven't replaced the thermostat, now would be a good time to do it to see if it helps.

Let me know what you find.
Joe

it turned out to be the heater return line going from the water pump to the expansion tank and the heater core. the outlet for the heater core line was completely plugged solid.

had to take off the A/C compressor, the alternator, the bracket that holds the tensioner. the exhaust manifold, the air intake. basically the entire engine.

the hose was pretty much a nightmare to repair but it solved the problem.

Good job.

Glad to hear it is fixed.

Roy

up until a couple of weeks ago I had heat, no longer. I thought it maybe the thermostat but its not. my top radiator hose gets hot, lower hose warm, my inlet hose to heater core hot, but the outlet hose doesn't even get luke warm. Could my heater core be clogged?

both inlet and outlet hoses from heater core should be hot to touch if engine is at operating temp. if not then heater core is most likely clogged.

Is there a way to tell if my water pump or termostat is not working? My temp gauge does not register any temp and I have no heat. From various sources on the web it seems like it may be either the thermostat or the water pump. Before I replace one or the other I would like to narrow down the problem. Also if it is the thermostat I have conflicting repair solutions. Some say I can just replace the thermostat other say Ford made a change and now it is not possible to change the termostat beacuse it is part of a larger more expensive component. I didn't have a repair manual but have bought one and it is in the mail.

Thanks for any help.

temp guage stays on cold? belive me if the thermostat or water pump was bad it would overheat, and it would overheat fast.

i think you should make sure you have enough coolant in the vehicle first.

I just recently noticed the heater isnt working like it should. The blower is working fine and its pumping the air out fast but its not really hot air. More like luke warm. Before i could start the truck up in the middle of winter, let it run for 5 min and when you got inside it was really warm. Now it takes about 15-20 mins just to get it a little warm. Even when driving it after letting it warm up, it never really gets warm to the point that you have to turn the heater down. Its slowly gettin worse and worse. At 90,000 miles and never having a problem, im not surprised something is starting to go bad so i cant complain about the truck. So is there something i should look at first to solve the problem? My guess would be the thermostat?

A few things can cause this type of problem. If the thermostat is the problem, you will know by paying attention to the temperature gauge. If the engine never warms up properly, then chances are it is the t-stat. If the truck engine warms up normally and in a reasonable amount of time, chances are the t-stat is fine. Also, make sure the coolant level is full.

Check those two things and let me know what you find. If they are okay, we will move on to a couple simple tests.

Joe

Well, the temperature gauge doesnt work, hasnt since last winter. I had called a local auto repair shop in town to ask them if it would hurt anything leaving it the way it was, and they said no as long as i am checking the coolant routinely. I only drive the truck in the winter time, and its stored in the garage pretty much all summer. When i told him that he said dont even worry about the gauge seeing is how i barely drive it. But i do know that last winter the heater worked really well when the temperature gauge wasnt working. Now this winter something obviously went bad because its not putting out that much heat.

My truck starts out cold even though it is garaged over night. The gauge is at the very bottom of the dial and sits there for at least ten miles of driving. The gauge finally starts to climb and then pegs out and the "check engine" light comes on for a second and then the gauge drops back down to normal. The heater blows cold air out even though the gauge says the truck is warm. The heat starts to blow out of the vents after about three or four miles of driving. When stopped the overflow reservoir is topped out and the cap is usually popped off. The radiator is about one to two quarts low then. I have had the system flushed and a new thermostat installed. The hoses are warm to hot when the engine is running. Could it be the heater core not operating correctly?

there could be a couple things going on here. have the ECM scanned and get the diagnostic code from the computer, It sounds like you may have a bad head gasket if the radiator is doing weird things like that. Compression gasses may be getting into the coolant system causing too much pressure and it is just acting strange at different engine temperatures. Scan for engine codes and let us know what you find.

I took it back into the shop where I had the system flushed and thermostat replaced. They said it could possibly be the head gasket. I will let you know their findings.

Good call, it is kind of their issue if it wasn't doing this before the coolant system was serviced.