Got HEAT?

[12Ounce]

Is your front heat unit on the blitz? Often a problem on '99's or later ... either broken blend doors or door actuators.

Now that some cold weather is creeping in, I thought it would be a good time to repost some old information about how to "make the best of it" until you can make repairs on the broken items. The following will help you keep from freezing ... I've had to use them myself while repairs were made.

1. Dis-able the AC compressor. There are many ways to accomplish this. Unplug the compressor itself. AC Fuse. OR, on the '99 and later you can just unplug the ac-clutch-relay. Relay #204 methinks. Refer to glove box manual.

Now the ac will not come on if you happen to use the "defrost" selection.

2. Place controller on "max ac". This closes the door that lets outside air into the cabin. Use this position at all times that you are not "defrosting" the windschield.

3. If you have rear heat, turn it on full heat and full fan speed. By using both the front and rear fans, you will eventually have a fairly warm cabin.

[mad2]

I was wondering if anyone has had their heat disappear when they have added a remote starter. From all my reading, it sounds like the doors may be stuck, but this was not a problem until I had a remote starter put in. I would rather start the car the old fashioned way then have to pay the dealership lots of money to replace the heater.

[busboy4]

Originally Posted by mad2

I was wondering if anyone has had their heat disappear when they have added a remote starter. From all my reading, it sounds like the doors may be stuck, but this was not a problem until I had a remote starter put in. I would rather start the car the old fashioned way then have to pay the dealership lots of money to replace the heater.

I would go back to the installer. I am researching adding a remote starter, and there is a connection to accessory/heater blower. Could they have wired it incorrectly? Sending a close signal to the blend door? Stranger things have happened. If you are sure you have adequate coolant and that the heat was a clear consequence of the install, I'd go back. Just my two cents.

Good luck. Starting my install tomorrow, on my son's hand-me-down Sable.

[ponchonutty]

12ounce, you sure unplugging the AC is a good thing? That is to run so to dry the air as much as possible. With that not running, you could have more of a problem with fogged up windows.

As far as no heat when RS is activated, yes please contact the installer. This should not happen. Think about it, the main purpose for the RS is to mimic you starting the car with the key. On most Windstars there are 2 accessory wires. Neither one is needed to get the car to start but BOTH are needed to get the heat to work. They are yellow and also black/lt. green.

[12Ounce]

Remember, the premise is that there is "NO front HEAT" because of some malfunction ... under these (hopefully temporary) conditions, disconnecting the ac should cause no problems.

Most of you are not old enough, but I can remember when ac in a car was the exception, not the norm. If the rest of the heating system was functioning, we old-timers managed to see through a fog-free windschield.

[road_rascal]

Yup- my first car was a 1974 Datsun 210. No A/C, and the windshield defrost vents worked great.

[huskerdooo]

Not sure myself, but I'd keep the AC going to get some kind of defrost action with the AC's dry air. I found the AC useful when my heat went out in my winnie to at least defrost (actually, defog) my windshield. Obviously this situation won't defrost but will defog.

After putting in a blend door actuator on my winnie (the new type that doesn't break its gears), the next weak link was the binding blend door itself which broke.

After looking at what it takes to rip out the whole plenum from the dash, I decided to use the old drywall screw approach for the last 2 years. Others may wish to glue theirs, but at the time, my winnie had 120k on it.
In October I drop the bottom cover under the heater core (not all the way, just so I can stick my hand in there). I push up on the broken door with my hand and then screw in a drywall screw to hold the door open. Around May, I back the screw out and let the door fall open again. Its my bi-annual ritual now.

I also thought about placing a coolant valve in like my old 60's and 70's type vehicles. I believe you can not dead head the water pump in this model, so one would need to use a system that allowed the coolant to be bypassed instead of turned on and off. After looking at where the heater hoses were, I decided to keep with the drwall screw.

I refuse to pay Ford any money to fix their design issues.