Heater problem

Hi All,
new to all this.
Have to look at my daughters 97 escort today, she has cold a/c but no heat.
blowers work fine in all speeds, any sugestions? on what to look for first

Welcome to AF!!

Make sure you have proper coolant level. Also check the thermostat as it may be stuck open and not allowing the water to warm properly. If this is correct check the hoses to make sure you are getting flow through the heater core it is possible that the core may be blocked from corrosion if that is the case you will need to replace the heater core. Good Luck.

Wait until the engine is cold.
Start it up and then feel the upper radiator hose. There should be no pressure on the hose and you should not feel water going through it. After the car warms up, when the thermostat opens you should feel the hose warm up as the water comes through.

If there is pressure, or you feel the water coming through the hose when cold, then you can count on your thermostat allowing coolant past when it should not. Replace it. I am not sure about the 97, but earlier models have had problems with the housing that holds the thermostat. The housing contained valves that allowed the coolant to escape around the thermostat. If you get symptoms of a bad thermostat, change it, and the problem continues, then consider the housing if it has these same kind of valves.

As mentioned above, if the thermostat checks out, move to the heater core. On the inlet hose you should feel the warm coolant. If the outlet side is not equally warm (make sure the heater is on), then count on blockage in your core. If unsure about flow through the core, unhook the heater hoses and hold a garden hose up to either side of the core. If flow through the core seems restricted... bummer dude :P

All that said... if you know the thermostat has never been changed... which you didn't say and I am assuming... it is probably due. Maybe worth doing even if not the problem.


Quick edit.... when you say no heat, do you mean NO HEAT, or just a little heat? If there is really nothing, your core is likely plugged.

Also...
Check to make sure that when you move the temperature thing, that it is actually moving the thing so it goes to the heat, and it's just not stuck on the cold.. If that makes any sense at all.. Mine's broken, I just reach under the dash and push it up.

The thing that Scott is refering to is called the blend door.

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/13/c4/77/0900823d8013c477.jsp

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/15/65/7a/0900823d8015657a.jsp

Another thing about '97's, ... at least most of them: There is no switch for turning off the ac! If you only have the rotary switch, and not a separate ac switch, you will have to pull the fuse in the panel near driver's left foot. (The ac is on for all positions of the rotary switch except "off".) Refer to fuse panel cover for fuse location. A good practice for winter months anyway.

I believe this is a design defect in the rotary switch that Ford never corrected ... not even on new ones you might get at a dealership.

The A/C helps dry the air, comes in handy in damp weather.