Monday, March 03, 2014
1996 Ford Ranger has no heat just Blows cold air?
I have a 96 ford ranger 4 cyc standard trans. I bought it back in the summer and didn't have a ton of background on it about I got it as a steal and it was running. Now that winter will not leave MI I have found it has problems with the heat. It will be luke warm going down the highway at 65 but at 35 all that blows is cold air. I changed out the thermostat back in January and thought this solved the issue but as we've re-dipped into temps that make the Arctic seem like a vacation spot I'm once again freezing in my own truck. I have checked my anti-freeze levels and they are fine. Thoughts anyone before I have to leave it in the shop for days.
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Is your heater core plugged?
ReplyDeleteit needs a flush, the small passages in the heater core and radiator are too restrictive of the hot water that must circulate in the cooling system. I used to do my own heater core and radiator flushes by adding a cup of white vinegar to my radiator, just like cleaning out the ol coffee pot
ReplyDeleteHow long did you leave the vinegar in the radiator before you drained it?
ReplyDeleteI usually drain it a day if put a lot of vinegar in but it keeps flushing for weeks, even the residue. every time you take the radiator cap off, you see lots of rust in the radiator
ReplyDeleteHow easy is it to do it yourself?
ReplyDeletesounds like clogged heater core or blend door not fully closing
ReplyDeleteI would think one would remove the thermostat before using any cleaner and then make sure the heater is up on high.
ReplyDeleteThat thermostat took 3 hours to pull and put back in.
ReplyDeleteA thermostat in a ford ranger should take about a half hour to remove and put back in both. Removing the thermostat will make the heater colder, not hotter, as the thermostats main job is to bring the engine up to operating temperature as fast as possible.
ReplyDeleteIn theory yes but the fan and shroud also needed to be removed to get to the hose to get to the thermostat to change it. It seemed like the easiest place to start which is why that was done.
ReplyDeleteI've owned 40 some vehicles from 1954 until 4 years ago when I gave up on drivimg.. I changed anti freeze every 2 years. I always bought one of those flush kits, where you tee into one of the heater lines, which had a garden hose thread on it. Plus a spout that replaced the radiator cap with.. I would put a tablespoon of baking soda in the radiator, open the heater line, and let it idle for an hour or so. Then turn on the hose and watch the water come out of the radiator. When it was clean enough to drink, you know you were done. It always worked for me.
ReplyDeletecleaners dont hurt the metal parts of the engine including thermostats which are metal too so yes we leave them in
ReplyDeleteThe main reason for pulling the thermostat is to promote a good flow-through
ReplyDeleteYou may want to check the two heater core hoses at the firewall and see if they are both the same temperature when the engine is hot. If you can get your hands on a laser temperature probe you can use it to measure the in and out temps. Of the two hoses one will be slightly smaller than the other. The large one is the input and smaller the output, but both should be very close to the same. If not then you may have a blockage.If they are the same you may want to look for air flo issues in the dash . One of the baffles may not be opening properly
ReplyDelete