1997 Ford F-150 Heating

Tiny
DONSTER 008
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 FORD F-150
  • 4.6L
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 165,000 MILES
The problem I have has to do with "no heat" coming from any of my ventilation ducts on the dashboard. The air volume and AC works great. After work from a certified mechanic's shop was performed including; replacing the dampener door, the door frame, the door actuator control solenoid, and the engine thermostat, the situation remains the same. Even after ten minutes of running idle in a warm 65 degree climate, their is still no heat coming from any of the vents. I personally tested the heater core hoses with an IR thermometer and found the hose from the engine block was 124 degrees and the hose returning to the engine block was113 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon returning the mechanic's shop for a reason as to why all of his efforts have not worked, he replied to me that the compressor was not working and that was why I was not getting any heat even after 30 minutes of the engine running. Could you please elaborate to me what the compressor has to do with the dashboard heating functions, and advise me of the next steps to further my solution to my problem.
Thanks Don Stewart
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Thursday, October 9th, 2014 AT 5:32 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,754 POSTS
Sounds to me like you have a plugged heater core. I never checked one the way you did so I don't know what normal is, but 124 degrees seems way too low. Feel the upper radiator hose after the engine is warmed up. It should be too hot to hold onto for very long. If it is, feel the heater hoses. They should be just as hot. If they aren't, pull the hoses off the engine, then try running water through them from a garden hose.
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Thursday, October 9th, 2014 AT 5:42 PM
Tiny
DONSTER 008
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This was a question that I had asked the shop mechanic as to what he did while solving this problem and he said that they were able to blow air through the system to make sure that it wasn't clogged meaning the heater core and hoses. However, you do bring up a good point about the heat level. I noticed that when I took my IR thermometer readings on the radiator hose that connects to the engine thermostat that it was reading 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Some my next question would be why wouldn't the hose from the engine block to the heater core have a similar reading. What could possibly make it drop by a 36 degree variance.
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Thursday, October 9th, 2014 AT 6:01 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,754 POSTS
Blowing air through the heater core is something I would never try. If there is something plugged, anything over 15 pounds could rupture it. Also, just because some air flows, that still doesn't tell you a lot. You need a lot of water volume because the heat in it is being drawn away very quickly by the high volume of air going through the fins.

Next, 160 degrees at the thermostat is not hot enough. For an accurate reading, I would look at the reading for the coolant temperature sensor on a scanner. That's the reading the Engine Computer uses in its fuel metering calculations and will be much more accurate than the sensor for a dash temperature gauge. It needs to be near 195 degrees.
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+1
Thursday, October 9th, 2014 AT 6:19 PM
Tiny
DONSTER 008
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thank you for all of your input. So I guess my next step would be to take my truck to a more credible garage for temperature diagnostic and proceed from their.
Again I sincerely thank you for your help. Do you have a follow up number or code that I can use, should I still need your help in following up with problem or just reapply again.

Don Stewart
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Thursday, October 9th, 2014 AT 6:33 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
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Nope. Just don't delete the e-mail message with the link back to here. We can continue this conversation anytime, even months or years later. If you do delete it, you can find it again by doing a search for your make and model, then scroll down the list until you find yours.
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Friday, October 10th, 2014 AT 11:43 PM

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