1996 Taurus Heater now works !

[bluesdude]

Wife said her Taurus heater "did not work very well". I immediately suspected a stuck thermostat but decided to troubleshoot before spending. I let the car warm up in idle and no warm air from the heater vents so I checked the hoses for warmth and found the upper radiator hose to be hot (thermostat o.k.) but both heater hoses were cold. The heater core was then flushed but seamed unobstructed yet rusty. Still no heat. Could not find any valves that may be frozen so resorted to the internet and found this sight. After reading all threads related to heater problems in Taurus's, a few mentioned the water pump vanes wearing from corrosion. I ruled out the blending baffle since the heater hoses were not even heating. To test the water pump theory, I revved the engine to 2500 rpm and held it there for one minute. Sure enough the heater hoses got warm. Removed the water pump and found the vanes to be worn almost totally away. Surprised the engine wasn't overheating. Replaced water pump and now have heat. This sight saved me time, money and frustration. Thanks to those that got me in the right direction. Just wanted to post because a lot of folks seamed to be going after the blending baffle which is fairly major. Remember to check the heater hoses for warmth. If they are not warm the blending baffle has nothing to work with. Great site!