96 blows cold air when stopped

[jsimmoms]

My Windstar will blow cool air from heater when stopped. I have replaced thremostat, radiator cap. Last year replaced water pump and that screwed up metal tube going to the lower radiator hose. Any ideas?

[ruggratt]

Originally Posted by jsimmoms

My Windstar will blow cool air from heater when stopped. I have replaced thremostat, radiator cap. Last year replaced water pump and that screwed up metal tube going to the lower radiator hose. Any ideas?

Can you clarify some? Do you mean that it blows cold air when the van is stopped (but with the engine running I assume, like sitting at a stop sign) , or do you mean that it blows cold air when the heater motor control is in the stop position? In any case, does it ever blow hot air? If so under what conditions?

[jsimmoms]

Originally Posted by jsimmoms

My Windstar will blow cool air from heater when stopped. I have replaced thremostat, radiator cap. Last year replaced water pump and that screwed up metal tube going to the lower radiator hose. Any ideas?

Just when stopped at light.

[ruggratt]

Originally Posted by jsimmoms

Just when stopped at light.

Well my first guess would be a partially clogged heater core. Have you flushed the coolant system since you made all the repairs? Check to see that when the vehicle is warmed up that the heater core area is getting hot. If you can't get to the heater core from inside try to see if you can reach the hoses on the firewall that lead to the heater core. If only one is hot then your core is blocked.

[LeSabre97mint]

Originally Posted by ruggratt

Can you clarify some? Do you mean that it blows cold air when the van is stopped (but with the engine running I assume, like sitting at a stop sign) , or do you mean that it blows cold air when the heater motor control is in the stop position? In any case, does it ever blow hot air? If so under what conditions?

What about traped air in the system? Just a thought from a far.

Regards

Dan

[denisb]

I tend to agree with Ruggratt. The Taurus (which is a Windstar under cover) is notorious for heater cores getting clogged. Easy enough fix. Disconect the coolant pipes at the firewall and flush with a garden hose in both directions.

Denis

[jsimmoms]

Originally Posted by denisb

I tend to agree with Ruggratt. The Taurus (which is a Windstar under cover) is notorious for heater cores getting clogged. Easy enough fix. Disconect the coolant pipes at the firewall and flush with a garden hose in both directions.

Denis

That seemed to do the trick. Thanks for all the help.
James

[wiswind]

FORD has a TSB out that states that you should do just that whenever you flush the cooling system......If you do not disconnect the heater lines and do the heater core separately, you run the chance of clogging the heater core.