96 Heater Problem - Difficult?

Hi, My girlfriend has a 1996 Explorer Eddie Bower V6 and the heater has stopped working. I would like to try and fix it for her, but don't want to start the job if it is going to involve buying a bunch of specialist Ford tools or if there is a chance of accidently deploying an air bag. I am told that the heater core is probably the problem and that to fix it involves taking out the dash. I am pretty handy, but I will definately not score any points if I start the job and can't finish it!

Any advice (other than change girlfriends) would be appreciated! Thanks Alan

Alan,
I have a 96 Explorer and had a heater problem. It turned out to be the thermostat. My temp gage seemed to work but the thermostat solved the problem.

Check heater hoses to see if they are both hot. If they are, it could be the notorious blend door problem. Think this started in 96. This is about $1,000 at dealer and you have to trar out the whole dash to do it. Many have electrical problems after, even when done by a dealer. The plastic door cracks where it mounts to the actuator. There is a way to remove the actuator and put a pin in it. That requires a certain skill level. Or you could do the following to get basic heat.


Blend Door - So you're cold, cheap and lazy
This has been discussed before but I was never able to find the exact information needed for a quick temporary fix for my 97. I wanted to find the best point of entry to physically move the blend door. So consequently, I had to turn my plenum box into Swiss cheese. The black plastic plenum box is located directly behind the glove box door. The glove box is held in by a plastic tab on each side. Pressing these in will allow the box to swing down. Removal is not necessary. The plenum box has a vertical and horizontal seam. The heater core is located to the right of the vertical seam. Do not drill any holes to the right of the seam. Easiest entry is to the left of this seam and above the horizontal seam. This space is deep and the only thing you have to worry about is cutting into the external control hoses. It is possible to cut away enough plastic to get your hand in. I drilled some large holes and cut away the rest with a razor knife. You have to reach in about six inches and then bend your hand to the right behind the heater core to get to the blend door. Mine was stuck in the AC position even though the rotary control was set to max heat. The door wouldn't budge when I grabbed it. So, I set the temperature control to cold. After I heard the actuator motor stop, I grabbed the door and then set the temperature back to the high heat position. As the motor turned, I was able to move the blend door to the heat position. The door seems to want to stay where you put it using this method. Used a small 5/8 inch hose taped to a shop vac to reach through the opening and suck up the plastic chips. I sealed up the hole that was made in the case with aluminum (actual metal) furnace tape that is very strong and has glue that gets even better with heating. Temperature regulation is now a function of the OFF, fan speed control, and window opening, about the same as in my old F110 pickup. This might help you get through a tough spot and since you get a new plenum box when the final repair modification is done, you don't have to worry about the hole .

I have a 95 Ford Explorer and I had the same problem. The thermostat was stuck open which made the cars coolant never warm up, consequently I never got heat. It was very cold outside like 30-40 degree weather. Installed a new "QUALITY" thermostat and I have never had trouble since. Who is to say. If you have a heater core problem it is albeit more expensive than a thermostat replacement. I would try the thermostat first.

Later

If it's a heater core problem you would have coolant in the passenger floorboard area and you would smell collant and the inside of your car would steam up. Your coolant level would also be low. Like cf3232 mentioned, I would start with thermostat first, it's the cheapest fix, don't forget to replace the o-ring seal. Unfortunately as Operahouse mentioned the blend door seems to be a major problem. Good Luck!

Show her how smart you are by finding someone who knows what they're doing to diagnose the car and fix it for a reasonable price.