ghost30
Member
- Joined
- January 24, 2014
- Messages
- 36
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Minnesota
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1995 Ford Explorer EB
Hey all, I'm a new member who decided to join the forum because my wife just acquired a new (to us) 1995 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition, with several problems. Being a backyard mechanic with little funds but the forums to help me, I figured this would be a good community to join. Now, on to this problem, and how I fixed it.
When we got this truck, we knew off the bat that there were several problems with it, first and most importantly the fact there was no heat. Here's what I figured out:
1) I checked the coolant (obviously) and the coolant was fine, with no leaks to be made aware of or concerned about.
2) The blower motor speeds all worked, so I knew it wasn't a bad switch or blower motor. Likewise, the airflow from various selections was good and strong (eg., defrost, vent, foot, etc) so I knew that wasn't the problem. This led me to believe that it was possibly the heater core.
3) I would have gone to replace the thermostat, but the engine clocked in at a healthy 190* to 210*F. Both feeling the engine after running and watching the dashboard gauge led me to understand the thermostat was good.
4) I next went to replace the heater core, and actually went so far as to purchase the new part, which set me back $50. However, when I went to check the hoses, I noticed both hoses were good and warm, so the core was not blocked or corroded. That meant the core went back.
5) Finally, I narrowed the problem down to being a problem with either a vacuum line leak, or a valve that had broken. I noticed that there was no hiss however, so the vacuum was good. This all boiled down to it being a faulty valve. I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Four-Seasons-74809-Heater-Valve/dp/B000C2QSVQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1390600266&sr=1-1&ymm=1995%3Aford%3Aexplorer&keywords=heater+valve+1995+ford+explorer">this</a> part from my local CarQuest for just a bit more than listed there, about $15.50 with tax.
The fix itself couldn't have been easier. The only hard part for me was doing this all in the cold and dark; I had no garage, and no choice but to do the job as soon as I got home because having a 2-month old daughter in the truck meant I absolutely had to have heat.
The only tools I needed were a flashlight and a pair of pliers. I would have preferred to use a pair of vice grips but being in a pinch I used what I had on me. All I had to do there was just adjust the pliers to the wider grip and use them on the hose clamps.
What I did was to first remove the vacuum line from the largest part, then take the two hoses coming from the heater core and removed those first, tucking the first one up to not spill antifreeze. Once I disconnected the bottom hose I simply plugged that into the matching nipple on the new valve, then moved the clamp into place and repeated with the top hose. The other side, the front side, ended up being a bit more of a challenge because I started getting cold and my flashlight kept dying. Once I got the two front hoses connected, the vacuum hose slipped right in place on the heater.
I turned the truck over and let it run for ten to fifteen minutes to get the antifreeze through the new valve, and voila. We have heat. All told, with the proper parts, preparation, and work space, this fix should take no more than fifteen minutes.
I've included a picture for those who don't want to open an internal link; the front of the valve is on the bottom and the back of the valve, facing the heater core, is on top. The vacuum line is the round block found on the back of the valve. It should be noted that there are no bolts or screws holding this part in place, it is only held in place by the hose clamps and hoses. Here's the picture:
I hope this will help anybody else (this is apparently a very common problem with '95 Explorers) and prevent anybody else from having frozen feet and hands.
When we got this truck, we knew off the bat that there were several problems with it, first and most importantly the fact there was no heat. Here's what I figured out:
1) I checked the coolant (obviously) and the coolant was fine, with no leaks to be made aware of or concerned about.
2) The blower motor speeds all worked, so I knew it wasn't a bad switch or blower motor. Likewise, the airflow from various selections was good and strong (eg., defrost, vent, foot, etc) so I knew that wasn't the problem. This led me to believe that it was possibly the heater core.
3) I would have gone to replace the thermostat, but the engine clocked in at a healthy 190* to 210*F. Both feeling the engine after running and watching the dashboard gauge led me to understand the thermostat was good.
4) I next went to replace the heater core, and actually went so far as to purchase the new part, which set me back $50. However, when I went to check the hoses, I noticed both hoses were good and warm, so the core was not blocked or corroded. That meant the core went back.
5) Finally, I narrowed the problem down to being a problem with either a vacuum line leak, or a valve that had broken. I noticed that there was no hiss however, so the vacuum was good. This all boiled down to it being a faulty valve. I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Four-Seasons-74809-Heater-Valve/dp/B000C2QSVQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1390600266&sr=1-1&ymm=1995%3Aford%3Aexplorer&keywords=heater+valve+1995+ford+explorer">this</a> part from my local CarQuest for just a bit more than listed there, about $15.50 with tax.
The fix itself couldn't have been easier. The only hard part for me was doing this all in the cold and dark; I had no garage, and no choice but to do the job as soon as I got home because having a 2-month old daughter in the truck meant I absolutely had to have heat.
The only tools I needed were a flashlight and a pair of pliers. I would have preferred to use a pair of vice grips but being in a pinch I used what I had on me. All I had to do there was just adjust the pliers to the wider grip and use them on the hose clamps.
What I did was to first remove the vacuum line from the largest part, then take the two hoses coming from the heater core and removed those first, tucking the first one up to not spill antifreeze. Once I disconnected the bottom hose I simply plugged that into the matching nipple on the new valve, then moved the clamp into place and repeated with the top hose. The other side, the front side, ended up being a bit more of a challenge because I started getting cold and my flashlight kept dying. Once I got the two front hoses connected, the vacuum hose slipped right in place on the heater.
I turned the truck over and let it run for ten to fifteen minutes to get the antifreeze through the new valve, and voila. We have heat. All told, with the proper parts, preparation, and work space, this fix should take no more than fifteen minutes.
I've included a picture for those who don't want to open an internal link; the front of the valve is on the bottom and the back of the valve, facing the heater core, is on top. The vacuum line is the round block found on the back of the valve. It should be noted that there are no bolts or screws holding this part in place, it is only held in place by the hose clamps and hoses. Here's the picture:
I hope this will help anybody else (this is apparently a very common problem with '95 Explorers) and prevent anybody else from having frozen feet and hands.
