97 Windstar Heater Core? Maybe?

I have a 97 Windstar that I think has a bad heater core. This happened last year but I dealt with it and drove it with back heat only. However, now it is getting cold again and my wife refuses to drive my big truck. So, I have to get it fixed. First I tried to backflush the system a few minutes ago. Although there was alot of rusty, yellow, gold liquid coming out during the process, I waited till the water was clear, I had the heat on full high, put everything back together, but, you guessed it. The front heater was still cold. Could this possibly be anything other than the heater core? The back works fine... oh, I said that already. I am willing to try to put in a new one. In fact, I had practically the whole dash out but the wife said no to driving it so I didn't go any further. Please , help. This fall!!! I have to solve it. No turning back now. Thanks in advance for your help.

Terry

Hi
Your blend door could be inop failed in the cool position. It is electrically operated and is immediately downstream of the evaporator core. Of course, the problem could be at the control as well, but I think you will find either way that the blend door is not operating. By the way, as you may well know, you have an additional heater core and A/C evaporator in the rear unit. Hence the "works in back not in front".

Good luck

Just re-read your post. I am assuming of course you believe the heater core is not clogged.

So what happens now. Can I go in and replace the blend door? How much work is that and how long will it take. I have ventured into working on my van in various situations and accomplished it. So if I can do it I would like to try. What do you think? Thanks again

Terry

oh btw when i turn the dial from red to blue and vice versa it makes a slow creaping noise like something out of The Munsters. A really faint sound but.... Not to doubt your word, but why don't you think it is the heater core? I went to a shop today and found gunk around the radiator cap and also in the overflow white canister I found like someone took an alien dump inside, greyish, blue gunk inside. So the people at the shop said it needed backflushed. They wanted 100.00 dollars for it. I went to auto store and got kit and 2 jugs of antifreeze for 17.00. ran it for 10 minutes or so until clear. and still no heat. do you think it flushed out the heater core? I hooked to system onto the hose going into the wall on the drivers side of the vehicle. the other side hose was coming off of the side by the belts, thus, probably where the water pump is. i was suppose to hook it to the other hose on the drivers side. does that make sense? confused me for a bit. anyway, thanks for the help. wife leaning on me for this one.. thanks

If you are able to run water through the heater core.....it is not clogged.
The coolant flows through the heater core anytime that the engine is running.
The Coolant path is from the water pump, through the " Cross over pipe ", which is the pipe that goes through the lower intake manifold. There is a nipple on the driver's side of the lower intake manifold, next to where the upper radiator hose goes into the engine.......that the heater "IN" hose connects to.
There is a slight narrow place at that nipple......which "could" have something lodged in it.
My best guess as to how to see if there a blockage in the coolant path....would be to run the engine until hot (take a drive), then, carefully, feel the heater "in" hose to see if it is HOT, like the upper radiator hose.

The ONLY thing that the Temp control on the dash does is adjust the position of the " Blend Door ".
I have not had to mess with my blend door, but there are many posts in here from folks who have.
If you do a search on " Blend Door " you should find some great information.
I seem to remember some pictures that showed detail of the door as well.

Not to doubt your word, but why don't you think it is the heater core?

Hi

I don't doubt that the heater core could possibly clog, I just thought from your post that you had flushed it and eliminated that as the possibility. Follow Wiswinds procedure to eliminate that as a possibility. Then I would focus on the blend door.