Heater core?

[fropiler]

My daughter noticed what she thought was smoke coming from the vents with the AC on. Then the sweet/foul smell of coolant. Floors are not wet, but there is the telltale coolant drip on the passenger side on the ground under the firewall.

Against my better judgement, in a moment of desperation after reading the 2nd gen heater core threads here, I had her put a $15.00 bottle of k-seal in. Instructions on the bottle were followed to a tee.

I'm here to tell you: Don't do this. Not only did that stuff completely clog the line from the reservoir to the radiator (twice), but the radiator cap was caked, and now the heat doesn't work at all. It's like the AC stays on at all times now. I hate to think of the unseen havoc that goo has wreaked.

Continued wishful thinking has me wondering about the heater control valve as the culprit, but I can't see how that would cause the smell in the vents. Is it safe to say the heater core that was probably just leaking is now completely plugged and shot?

I guess I want to be sure before committing the next 2 weekends to working on this thing.

Thought/suggestions welcomed.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[lorraine1]

heater core,i used stop leak in mine before changing core,never seemed to hurt it though.

 

[fropiler]

Halfway there.

Well, I got the old core out (It was leaking for sure) and the new one in, but I'm far from finished. I have a new radiator and thermostat to install but that will have to wait for a day or two. I fired it up to see what would happen and the first thing I noticed is that the vent selection switch has no effect. It's blowing out the top and bottom but won't switch from that.

I'm thinking it's a vacuum thing but I'm not sure. Putting things back together and not breaking/forgetting anything else in the process is proving to be more difficult than the actual repair. I have about 10 hours into it so far.

Any pointers on why the vent positions aren't changing?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[BrooklynBay]

In the event of a lack of vacuum, the default setting for the vents is from the top defrost vent.

 

[fropiler]

In the event of a lack of vacuum, the default setting for the vents is from the top defrost vent.

That is good to know. Now to figure out what part of the process caused the problem. It was working before I started.

 

[BrooklynBay]

You might be able to hear a vacuum leak noise from the hose or connection which is unplugged.

 

[fropiler]

I found This: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192842&highlight=heat+selector

Looks like the right tree. Let the barking begin...

 

[fropiler]

I found This: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192842&highlight=heat+selector

Looks like the right tree. Let the barking begin...

As I suspected, one of the lines from the globe that goes to the firewall (bottom of the fan box) got severed about 4 inches from the connector in the process. That whole assembly had to come out again. Not sure if I can even get the part, so I'm looking into a way to splice the line back together.

This is tedious and time consuming work, to be sure. But not insurmountable. Still not done, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The auto parts store sells rubber unions for hard plastic tubing.

 

[fropiler]

The auto parts store sells rubber unions for hard plastic tubing.

Heat shrink tubing did the trick. The vent controls now work!

 

[fropiler]

Well, I got the old core out (It was leaking for sure) and the new one in, but I'm far from finished. I have a new radiator and thermostat to install but that will have to wait for a day or two. I fired it up to see what would happen and the first thing I noticed is that the vent selection switch has no effect. It's blowing out the top and bottom but won't switch from that.

I'm thinking it's a vacuum thing but I'm not sure. Putting things back together and not breaking/forgetting anything else in the process is proving to be more difficult than the actual repair. I have about 10 hours into it so far.

Any pointers on why the vent positions aren't changing?

Thanks,
Ed

It has been one thing after another. Received the wrong thermostat and didn't know that until I went to tighten the housing down and broke it. The housing listed for this engine at most auto parts stores is wrong as well. Turned out to be a Mustang part. FOZE 8594-AA. NAPA has a cross reference that works, but they would have given me the wrong part as well if I hadn't given them the Ford part number right off the part itself.

Also, unless you enjoy doing things twice, do not skip the rtv in addition to the gasket. (Permatex red)

The new radiator is in. It leaks transmission fluid from the bottom cooler line. I've come to understand that no amount of teflon tape or expensive thread sealant matters here. Still wondering how I will fix that leak.

Thus far: Camshaft sync and sensor, plugs and wires, EGR valve, heater core, radiator, thermostat and housing, new sound system, tranny fluid and filter, new synthetic 75-140 in the rear differential.

Labor at the dealer would be approaching 3k for the above listed repairs, maybe more. I'm not done yet though. The power steering is sticky when cold...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Heat shrink tubing is usually used on wiring connectors. I've never seen it used on vacuum tubing as a connector. Let us know how it holds up over the next few months.

 

[fropiler]

Heat shrink tubing is usually used on wiring connectors. I've never seen it used on vacuum tubing as a connector. Let us know how it holds up over the next few months.

I used two sizes. First one fit snug before heating and the second one shrunk over that. Then the repaired area got dipped in rtv silicone. We'll see.