Heater fix experiment

97 taurus 3.0. Heater problem. I back flushed the heater core on three different occations but it still pluged up with junk. So im doing an experiment . . . First i have very good flow thru the core (after back flush) then I bought a black plastic high volume filter which has a 6"x1" cleanable round cartrige screen filter. (Home depot $10 in the water drip system department) each end of the filter has 3/4" male pipe, bought two brass fitings 3/4" female X 5/8" hose. Cut the hose open at the engine side removed about 3" of hose and installed the filter (between the engine out and the T bypass). It fits by moving the T behind the trans dip stick. Before I did the install . . . I tested the filter screen in 215 degree water on the stove to be sure it could take the high temp . . it worked. The filter box states it holds 100psi so im good on temp and presure. Last i made a sadle clamp to pinch the flow in the bypass hose (Home depot electrical ground clamp) So fare its working very good. O . . that 3/4" brass fiting couldn't find a 3/4" female to 5/8" hose so I used a 3/4" female pipe to a 1/2" flar then machined the flar down to a 5/8" hose (machine . . 12"x42" metel lath at Harbor Freight $2,000) If it false Ill post what happen.

Sounds like an interesting approach. I have also had to flush my heater core a couple of times in the last 2 months to keep the heat going in my 99 Taurus 3.0. Let us know how it works out.

Follow up 10 days later and 250 miles the heater works better than ever. Here is another suggestion to others. In the event you install a filter as I did, try reversing the core in and out at the core to push any junk back out the core throught the engine and into the filter. If theres a half pluged core over time with the in our reversed it might clear the core 100%. Forgot. . . I removed the bypass hose sadle clamp I talked about my original post . . . heater works perfect. will post any changes.
1/8/07 small leak at the filter inlet, need to tighten . . . . still blows hot.

1/9/07 Update on heater experiment with filter. Heater is working perfect its hot hot hot. I took the filter apart for the first time since intall. I had lots of junk in it some big chunks 3/16" many small chunks. Did have a problem . . . when I removed the fillter bottom to clean it I lost some anitfreeze which flooded the connect to the O2 sencer (bank1 sencer1) which caused a "slow responce" & CEL Im hoping if I clean the connector that will fix it, maybe? Anybody that tries my filter fix . . . move or cover the O2 sencer plug and after a day of running the brass to plastic fiting will have to be retighen because they can leak on the O2 sencer plug unless you move it.