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Coolant Not Circulating?

DrHalfHand

New Member
Joined
August 6, 2017
Messages
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City, State
Bloomington, IN
Year, Model & Trim Level
2003 Limited V8 4x4
hi everyone,

First off, thanks to all of you for providing such a wonderful resource for Explorer owners across the world; you guys have saved my butt a few times already. I'm hoping you all can help me diagnose what's going on with my 2003 w/ the 4.6L V8:

I replaced the valve cover gasket on the passenger side, and when I was removing the hoses for the heater control valve, it broke. Not a problem. I got a new one and figured I'd replace all the radiator hoses since I had already drained the coolant. I put all the hoses on, changing both the upper radiator and lower radiator hose, the "tee" near the heater control valve, and the valve itself. I filled the radiator up with distilled water to check for leaks, and despite getting up to operating temperature (and not overheating at idle), the truck does not seem to be pushing water/coolant through the system: the level in the coolant reservoir hasn't changed, and despite having the heat and fan both on high, there's no heat in the cabin.

Finally, I checked if there was any coolant flowing through the hose in the picture, and even when the car is at operating temperature, this hose is not warm and when I pull it off there's no coolant moving through it.

I know all signs point to a failed water pump or thermostat, but it just seems like it could be something much simpler that I forgot to do.

Any advice before I get a new thermostat and/or water pump?

Dr. H.
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Did you install the heater control valve in the correct direction? Is the heater core clogged?
Arrow pointing towards the firewall, towards the rear of the car; right?
 












Yeah; neither hose is hot.
 






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