Heater blowing cold

[V-Cool]

Hi, I fired up the heater for the first time this fall and it is blowing cold air. It's not air conditioner cold but similar to vent cold. I'm a novice and can't afford a big repair bill. What things could it likely be? Anything I could do myself?

Thanks much

[dtackett]

Same situation with me and 99 Taurus. I took it in, and they replaced the thermostat and the coolant reservoir(after they informed me that they had detected a leak). Heat worked fine at the time(the weather was in the 80's), but now that it has gotten cold it only puts out 'cool' air. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

[fireman]

Originally Posted by V-Cool

Hi, I fired up the heater for the first time this fall and it is blowing cold air. It's not air conditioner cold but similar to vent cold. I'm a novice and can't afford a big repair bill. What things could it likely be? Anything I could do myself?

Thanks much

I have a 98 taurus and had same problem, and it was drving me CRAZY! The answer was very simple, back flush the heater core. You can access the coolant lines by following them up the fire wall from the heater core outlets. I used hot water thru a garden hose from my hot water heater. The job took me less than an hour, and my Taurus is toastie warm once again. Good luck!

[mikeemon]

The big question is where is the air coming fromm? Do you have any visible leaks? Do you keep the overflow full? In the 3.8l taurus that was usually a sign of head gasket failure.

[dadshere]

i also have same problem mechanic told me it wasnt the heater core but something else i forget what he told me but it was a butterfly like valve or something that directs the hot air and cold air to the heater or the vents this valve is stuck partially open how do i get at it to fix it i have a 98 taurus se any help would be great ty

[peruano34]

I had the same problem with my 98' taurus, it ended up being that my thermostat was bad and i had to replace my heater core because it was all clogged up with junk. i had my dealer do the job for me and now my heating works perfectly fine....

[bbrumlow]

I'm having this same problem with my 98 Taurus. I'd like to try the solution posted by FIREMAN but I'm not a mechanic. Can someone post a step-by-step for back flushing the heater core? Please include a description on how I identify the location of core.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!!

[lray]

I own a 1997 Taurus. Not enough room here to post all the problems Ive had with it. Currently experiencing a lack of heat from the heater. If the blower is on at all no heat is apparent but if blower is not blowing a small ammount of heat is noticed, not enough to defrost the windshield. Have had heater core changed, twice. Mechanic says its an unknown electrical switch..haha I will try back flushing the core myself but how do I get to the blend door if back flushing doesnt help? Also does the battery indicator light being on always mean a bad alternator. Two alternator replacements already.

[jamsonstill]

My 98 Tauras had no heat or a/c and temp gauge acting erradict. First thing I found was cracked coolant resevoir tank, replaced and found coolant to be muddy brown so I did a total system flush and hoped the problem was fixed, NOT , then I replaced thermostat and not a fix either. ,i was not happy. Well then I thought, screw it, I am going to change the water pump,cant hurt, after I found out it was only about $30 , I gave it a shot, not to bad of a job, a little time consuming but hopefully worth it. Well I was pleased to find that the pump was shot, fins that circulate coolant were gone and all that was left on the pump shaft was like a flat sharp disk . Fins totally erroded away. That explains why for a month or so that my temp gauge was erradict, fins were slowly rotting away. Got everything back together and now I had plenty of a/c, boy was I happy . Now winter comes and find that my heat aint too HOT ! . Now what I thought , figured, hell, I will bring to a Lube shop and have the coolant system flushed, maybe they would find a blockage or air in system, they use a high pressure backflush, any heat would be better than none. Well they tell me sorry , still no heat. their suggestion was to make an appointment and they could drop the dash and check the air/flow doors. My first thought was....expensive. Told them I'll wait. Went home and looked under the dash and not too hard to see the doors working, w/out taking the dash down. looked to be OK. Next day as a last resort, I looked at this forum and read about flushing the heater core, thought that would have been done at the lube place, I felt the lines going into the heater core, easy to reach and lines are steel so you can feel if the influent and effluent lines are both hot. In line was cold and out line was hot, well then I guess I will flush the heater core myself. Where I work we have a hot water hose so I flushed the heater core, both in side and out side, put all back together and to my suprise, HEAT !! Now I am HAPPY !! So I suggest if your Temp. gauge is acting funny, a/c not cold, heat not HOT, go for it, replace the water pump. They are known to errode early, so I'm told....

[RMK]

Originally Posted by V-Cool

Hi, I fired up the heater for the first time this fall and it is blowing cold air. It's not air conditioner cold but similar to vent cold. I'm a novice and can't afford a big repair bill. What things could it likely be? Anything I could do myself?

Thanks much

I was having the same problem with my wifes 99 taurus! Every one I talked with said to flush and replace the coolant system fluid (quick lub places can do this fairly quick for about $75). The stuff they flushed out was nasty!
The heat was better but stil not hot.
Then I was told to flush the heater core and found the below instructions at www.taurusclub.com. With the main system flushed already, I skiped to the heater core flush instruction.
Have good heat now!



"Coolant system/heater core flush instructions for the 1996-2004 Taurus and Sable

This procedure is especially helpful for cars equipped with the 3.0l OHV (Vulcan) engine. These engines tend to turn the coolant brown, and plug the heater core, making the core appear to need replacing. Before paying the high labor of replacing a heater core, I recommend trying this.

-Remove the radiator cap, it’s located on the degas tank (expansion tank).
-Drain coolant per repair manual instructions.
-Remove thermostat and reinstall water outlet without thermostat
-Fill degas tank (expansion tank) with water and cooling system cleaner/flush.
-Start engine and add water to degas tank as necessary to fill system.
-Let engine run per instructions of the cleaner/flush you’ve chosen.
-Let the engine cool (about a half hour or so).
-Remove the rear rubber tube on the degas tank and point downwards to a bucket.
-Start the car, keeping a hose in the degas tank to add water as necessary. This is the flushing process.
-Once water is running clear through the tube, shut the car off.
-Remove the heater hoses from the engine. There are two, one is on the water pump on the passenger’s side of the engine bay, the other is on the block on the driver’s side of the engine bay. These hoses are about one inch in diameter, and run back to the firewall where they attach to the heater core. At this point of the process, they should be warm. If in doubt, consult the repair manual.
-Using the tees in the flush/fill kit you purchased, and rubber caps, we will now flush and backflush the heater core. Find the proper size tee to fit in the passenger’s side heater hose. Block one end with a rubber cap and install it in the hose. Point the other heater hose toward a bucket. Connect your garden hose to the tee, and turn the water on. You should see water and sludge coming out of the other heater hose. Keep water running until it runs clear.
-Repeat this process on the other hose.
-This procedure may take a few cycles of running water through each hose until the core runs clean water through it.
-Install the heater hoses, and a new thermostat and gasket.
-At this point, the rear hose is still disconnected from the degas tank. -Start the car, keeping the degas tank hose disconnected and running into a bucket.
-Begin to fill the degas tank with coolant. I’d recommend using premixed 50/50 coolant, whether you mix it yourself or purchase the pre-mixed type.
-Watch the degas hose, and when coolant starts running out of it, shut the car off. -Reinstall the degas hose, and start the car. Once it’s warmed up and the thermostat opens, add coolant to fill the system.
-Once the car cools down, check the “cold level” on the degas tank, and add coolant as necessary."

-Enjoy your newfound heat!

[jpinterp]

I have the same problem with my '97 wagon. My mechanic friend (Service Manager at local for dealer) said that the antifreeze will get cooked turning brown and very corrosive eating the water pump fins. This has happened to me twice so now I believe there is a problem with the radiator fan not switching on early enough.

Has anyone found a solution to the antifreeze cooking problem?

Thanks in advance.

[jimh123]

Did you enver figure out what the problem was here
a valve?

Thanks, jim

[fancieryu]

I had a same problem on my 98 Taurus. It turned out that my water pump was out. The blades were FLAT! I don't think they are pump much coolant. After the replacement, everything is fine. Hopefully helpful to you guys.

[armstrong97527]

These problems could be caused by a few things. Let's go from simple to difficult. (1) Air in the coolant line. You need to "burp" the line by removing the pressure cap from the expansion bottle and running the engine for a few minutes. Put the top back on and run the engine warm for a few minutes. Let cool and repeat the process a couple of times. (2) Stuck actuator switch. Look under dashboard behind glove box. There is a small white box on the heater assembly, with an actuator arm coming out of the top of it. Turn your heater on and off, and see if the arm moves. If not, tapping might free it, or you might need to replace it. (3)
Dirty, clogged, or bad heater core. Watch this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsZoFoiJsdw