Heater isn't getting hot

[Anonymous]

Maybe you guys can help me out, I'm more of a reader than a poster. Anyways I've got a 61' Falcon with the 144. I've put a new heater core, all new hoses, redone the whole box with new seals and vent tubing. Had a 180 t-stat but changed it to a 195 figuring it might help out. The motor is blowing plenty of air, and both heater hoses are very hot when you grab them, you can even feel the heat when the grab the box were the core sits, but it only blows out semi-warm air. T-stat seems to be working because all hoses are hot to the touch. Was wanting to drive this thing this winter, but I'm not sure I want to without heat.
Any ideas?

Thanks,
Sean

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe there is some air trapped in the core that's keeping it from heating completely? When I rebuilt/reinstalled my heater box I read some posts about burping the core to get all of the air out of it. Once I had everything reinstalled, I hooked up my garden hose to the uppermost heater hose going into the core. I ran water through it until a nice fat stream of water was coming out of the bottom hose from the core. Then I reattached the heater core hoses to the block/water pump.

Hope this helps.

 

[fordconvert]

Can you confirm how hot the coolant is getting? One of those IR temp guns would be the best. If the issue is its just not getting hot enough your only option is to restrict the air getting through the radiator. If you can remember back to the old days in cold climates it was common to see people driving around with cardboard held on the grill by a coat hanger in the winter. You still see that sometimes on big diesels, sometimes you see them on trucks that have a zipper so the driver can easily adjust it as they go through the colder parts of the country. A temp gauge would be a good thing if you go that route so you can make sure you dont over do it.

 

[Anonymous]

I was going to try the cardboard next, I'll try burping it also. If that don't work I'll check the temp, I know it's getting hot enough you can't hold the heater hoses but just for a second.

Sean

 

[woodbutcher]

Might want to check the plenums and core box to make sure that nothing has gotten in there to block airflow.If BOTH heater hoses are hot to the touch,the core is flowing just fine.
Don`t be surprised at what you find in the core box or plumbing for the air to flow through.Working on heater systems for a friend of mine who has a radiator shop,I have found leaves as big as your hand,money,pencils,socks,cloth handkerchiefs.You name it,its probably been found in the air duct system in a car or truck.
Leo

 

[Anonymous]

I think Thunderguns71 said he had rebuilt his heater box with new seals... etc... I assume he cleaned any debris out of it. He also said he was getting plenty of air flow... so I doubt he has an air restriction. If burping doesn't fix the problem then I'd begin to suspect that the new heater core has an internal blockage. I know that the core on my Mustang has the inlet and outlet pipes on the same side/tank of the core... if there were an internal blockage, the coolant could be bypassing the core altogether.

 

[jamyers]

My heater is pretty much the same. New core, lots of air flow, nice clean heater box with new foam seals on the doors, both heater hoses scalding hot - and just warmish air coming out.

I noted that the only heater core I could get was 2" thick, and the original one was 2.5" thick. I used foam insulation on the edges to take up the slack, surely that missing half-inch wouldn't make that much of a difference...

Last year I ended up blocking off the cowl air inlet, opening the passenger vent door, and putting the heater knob in the middle - so it pulled air from inside the cab. Helped a good bit, but then I didn't have any fresh air so the windows would fog up easily.

I'm open for any ideas. I *know* this thing can blow blistering hot air.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I tried the cardboard. It helped some, but it wasn't much. No debris in the box or hoses. Also I'm not sure if I got the heater hoses routed correctly. Anyone know were the top hose then the bottom hose runs to out of the firewall? I may have them backwards. Like the last post said, I'm sure this thing has some heat hid somewere. I know Ford sold these things up north back in 61'

 

[jamyers]

3" of snow outside, along with a layer of ice from the freezing rain last night.

Ugh.

I'm going to put cardboard in front of the raddy, just for fun.

I'm not sure how Ford did it, but I've got my heater hoses routed so that the water enters the lower one and exits the upper one, my idea being it'll push air bubbles out.

 

[Alvor315]

Ok, this might sound really stupid, but on my 60 falcon you have to pull both knobs, one that says pull for heater, and the other that says pull for temp. If you look at the doors on the box, the pull for temp opens a door going to the heater inside the box. Then behind the fresh air vent on the passenger's side the pull for heater knob opens the door to the vent. If pull for temp is closed then the heater is not drawing any air through the core.

I had the same problem you are talking about when I first installed a new heater core. Luke warm air and scalding hoses everywhere. Once I found out that tid bit my car turned into an inferno.

Allan

 

[ludwig]

Then behind the fresh air vent on the passenger's side the pull for heater knob opens the door to the vent. If pull for temp is closed then the heater is not drawing any air through the core

Ding ding ding. Yatzee!!! Gotta push BOTH head AND temp to get it warm.

 

[jamyers]

Then behind the fresh air vent on the passenger's side the pull for heater knob opens the door to the vent. If pull for temp is closed then the heater is not drawing any air through the core

Ding ding ding. Yatzee!!! Gotta push BOTH head AND temp to get it warm.

Umm, you gotta *pull*, not push.

I know you gotta have the heater and heat knobs out, but it's still not blowing hot like it oughta.

Seems like I'm going to have to pull the heater box out, then hook the heater core up and see if it's actually getting hot or if the coolant is bypassing it somehow.

Anybody ever open their heater box up with it still in the car? It'd be nice to leave the heater core hooked up and be able to get to it.

 

[ludwig]

If it is anything like the mustang, there is an outside shell and the back shell attached to the firewall. The box is plastic and held together with little black clips that have to be SPREAD open on both sides, not pried off with a screwdriver. If you lever them off, the plastic seat will break off and you have to get another box because you cant seal it again.

Spread the clips with a flat bladed pliers or hemostat or two slotted screwdrivers or something else that ends in narrow blades. There you will have the whole array and the core will be in place. Don't be surprised if you find a rag or a pair of blue jeans or something in there. Or the core itself could be plugged.

 

[Anonymous]

Well jamyers, I guess dissasembly may be my option too, but I coulda swore that I was feeling heat on the outside of the box were the heater core lays. I can't remeber if I can take the box apart in the car though.

 

[addo]

What I am wondering, is if the heater core tank at the hose end is supposed to be internally baffled - but isn't.

 

[jamyers]

What I am wondering, is if the heater core tank at the hose end is supposed to be internally baffled - but isn't.

That's what I'm wondering as well. And if I get in there and find out it isn't, I'm going back to the parts store and put my size 9-1/2 somewhere special. :x

 

[woodbutcher]

From everything that I have learned at my friends radiator shop,heater cores are NOT unidirectional.The hoses can be hooked up in any fashion.Also,IIRC it was mentioned that BOTH heater hoses were getting VERY hot,So coolant is flowing through the heater core.
Look for blocked air ducting.Or an unhooked air duct.
Leo

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

cables properly adjusted?

 

[Harte3]

If your car is anything like my truck it's possible you have 1. A broken cable/wire or 2. one of the cable/wires has slipped off the end of a shaft that operates the vents?

 

[jamyers]

I looked, and I think it's possible to get the heater box apart with the front half still attached to the firewall, but I'm not going to try until I've got the time to end up taking it all out anyways.

I stuck my hand in there up/over/past the heater/vent door, and I can feel the "Pull for Heat" door going from stop to stop, and I can feel where the weatherstripping I put around it's sealing edges is creased from seating, so I'm confident that the diverter door is doing its thing.

Now if I could only get my hand back out, I'd be able to type a lot faster. :roll: