Very little heat on 92 X

[knob]

Hi all, I have a 92 X sport and live in Colorado where it has been COLD all winter. The heater fan works fine on all settings, A/C works great (not that I need it), Coolant level is up full, new thermostat and the heat coming out from under the dash is barely warm if at all. Temp is fine on the dash (1/4 of the way up from the peg). Is this typical of 1st gen X's or is everybody else getting plenty of heat? Any suggestions?

 

[DeRocha]

Hi all, I have a 92 X sport and live in Colorado where it has been COLD all winter. The heater fan works fine on all settings, A/C works great (not that I need it), Coolant level is up full, new thermostat and the heat coming out from under the dash is barely warm if at all. Temp is fine on the dash (1/4 of the way up from the peg). Is this typical of 1st gen X's or is everybody else getting plenty of heat? Any suggestions?

Sounds like your heater core is plugged which would prevent HOT coolant from the engine from passing through it when the temp slide is moved to warm/hot..

• How does the coolant look?
• Have you had any leaks?
• How often do you flush the coolant?

I would flush the coolant and clear out any crap that could be clogging things up.. You could bring it to a shop, or get a Prestone flush kit at the auto parts store for cheap money..

 

[cloaked_chaos]

Maybe its the blend door?

 

[Jarubell]

Maybe its the blend door?

That just happened to me but all I got was just heated air

 

[knob]

I'm going to pull the heater core tomorrow and clean it out. Fresh coolant installed a month ago. I'll also check the blend door. Thanks for the replies!

 

[mikeinri]

From what I've read, the blend door problem doesn't apply to Gen 1 Explorers.

There is the heater control valve under the hood that could also be causing this problem. It is located on the passenger side, near the firewall. It is black plastic, and the heater hoses are connected to it.

It acts as a bypass so the coolant doesn't go though the heater core except when the heat is turned on. I believe it is vaccuum actuated, so if there's a vaccuum leak, it may not be engaging. The part itself might also be bad. They are fairly cheap (under $40 at the dealer), and easy to replace.

Mike

 

[TedJ]

There is the heater control valve under the hood that could also be causing this problem. It is located on the passenger side, near the firewall. It is black plastic, and the heater hoses are connected to it.

Out of all the possibilities, its the easiest to check. Check the vaccum line going into it and check it for operation. When the selector is on off or MAX A/C, there should be no vaccum to the valve, and when you go to any of the other positions there should be vaccuum and the vlave should send coolant through the core.

Basically, look at the lever and vaccum motor on the bottom of the valve. With the engine running, and lever in the off position, note the position of the lever. Then turn the heat on and it should move to the other position. Vac motor should move as far as it can the opposite way. Make sure its moving in its full range of motion. Otherwise, check for a blocked heater core, etc as others have mentioned.

If you take the hoses off, be careful with them. The plastic nipples like to snap off. You're better off cutting the hoses off then trying to force them off and breaking the nipple.

-Ted

 

[knob]

My 92 doesn't have a HCV! Did all the X's of 92 come with these?

 

[knob]

All fixed and good heat now. Turns out the heater core was plugged. Replaced it for $21 at Autozone and heater works great!

 

[DeRocha]

All fixed and good heat now. Turns out the heater core was plugged. Replaced it for $21 at Autozone and heater works great!

Glad to hear its back in action...

 

[vrytired]

My 92 doesn't have a HCV! Did all the X's of 92 come with these?

no. they were standard with 93+. they were installed by the dealer in 91 and 92 if you brought it in and complained of poor A/C performance. they have there own TSB

 

[shamaal]

All fixed and good heat now. Turns out the heater core was plugged. Replaced it for $21 at Autozone and heater works great!

You may have seen these.

 

[Makahveli]

Another colorado guy needing help, I was wondering when removing the heater core as far as the interior what all do I take apart, or does the dash have to come out to get the core out?

 

[TedJ]

Its really easy, honestly some guy at Ford deserves a bonus or something.

On the pass side under the dash there is this kinda fuzzy thing that feels like industrial carpet. It's held on with those pop type fasteners, just pop out the pin in the center and you can pull the whole thing out. There are a few including one in the back where its hard to see it.

Once you get that out, take all the junk out of the glove box and squeeze in on the sides, allowing it to pass the stops and flip all the way down. This will expose two small bolts holding the hinges to the dash, take them out and remove the glove box.

Then go under the hood, loosen up the clamps and remove the hoses from the heater core, make sure the engine is cold and take the cap off to release any pressure. Siphoning out a gallon or so of coolant will make spillage much less likeley.

Now just take out the 4 screws holding the bottom of the plenum on, and wiggle the core out. Stick the new one in and reverse the process. It's really that easy...

-Ted

 

[SirWil]

Your description sounds exactly like my problem. I installed a new t-stat(although the temp gauge still swings up and down between the line and the R). Within the past 6 months I have put in a new water pump and replaced all 4 hoses(after they one by one burst). I took out the heater core today to see if it was pluged, but when I put it under the faucet the water ran right through it. I checked both directions to make sure. I also do not have a heater control valve. So I guess I'm just wondering if you know how to check if the core is pluged. Or is what I did good enough? Or any other comments?

 

[Altaman]

Sir Will: See my post:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201373

I had the same issues as you. The heater core was the solution, as strange as it seems. And it's an easy fix.