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Message |
Rick Heckbert
Guest
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 Posted:
Fri Dec 09, 2005 2:16 am Post subject:
Taurus low heat problem |
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Hi,
My 98 Taurus is giving me a problem with putting out heat. The heat comes
on but it seems to take much longer than it used to and it takes forever to
get the car really hot, even at high. The heat coming out of the dash feels
only lukewarm. My 2002 Taurus is like a blast furnace compared to the 98.
I have a certain point on my morning commute where I used to be able to turn
the heat on and start getting heat but I need to drive several miles more
now to get any heat out. The higher I put the blower speed the cooler the
air comes out (warm, but not hot)
The temp gauge climbs normally to the center of the range and stays there
after several miles of driving so I suspect the thermostat is okay? I
checked the coolant level and that seems to be at the correct level. I do
not have any smell of coolant when I turn the fan on so I don't think I have
a leak in the heater core. Any ideas? Given the cold days we have been
having this is really getting to be a problem.
Thanks,
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Jim P
Guest
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| Posted:
Fri Dec 09, 2005 2:20 am Post subject:
Re: Taurus low heat problem |
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Thremostat is stuck open
"Rick Heckbert" <rheckber@tufts.edu> wrote in message
news:Pw0mf.1367$No6.32249@news.tufts.edu...
| Quote: | Hi,
My 98 Taurus is giving me a problem with putting out heat. The heat comes
on but it seems to take much longer than it used to and it takes forever
to get the car really hot, even at high. The heat coming out of the dash
feels only lukewarm. My 2002 Taurus is like a blast furnace compared to
the 98. I have a certain point on my morning commute where I used to be
able to turn the heat on and start getting heat but I need to drive
several miles more now to get any heat out. The higher I put the blower
speed the cooler the air comes out (warm, but not hot)
The temp gauge climbs normally to the center of the range and stays there
after several miles of driving so I suspect the thermostat is okay? I
checked the coolant level and that seems to be at the correct level. I do
not have any smell of coolant when I turn the fan on so I don't think I
have a leak in the heater core. Any ideas? Given the cold days we have
been having this is really getting to be a problem.
Thanks,
|
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Sharon K.Cooke
Guest
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| Posted:
Fri Dec 09, 2005 2:26 am Post subject:
Re: Taurus low heat problem |
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Rick Heckbert wrote:
| Quote: |
Hi,
My 98 Taurus is giving me a problem with putting out heat. The heat comes
on but it seems to take much longer than it used to and it takes forever to
get the car really hot, even at high. The heat coming out of the dash feels
only lukewarm. My 2002 Taurus is like a blast furnace compared to the 98.
I have a certain point on my morning commute where I used to be able to turn
the heat on and start getting heat but I need to drive several miles more
now to get any heat out. The higher I put the blower speed the cooler the
air comes out (warm, but not hot)
The temp gauge climbs normally to the center of the range and stays there
after several miles of driving so I suspect the thermostat is okay? I
checked the coolant level and that seems to be at the correct level. I do
not have any smell of coolant when I turn the fan on so I don't think I have
a leak in the heater core. Any ideas? Given the cold days we have been
having this is really getting to be a problem.
Thanks,
|
Probably need to flush the system, paying special attention to the heater core.
It could also be that the temperature blend door is on the way out.
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Rick Heckbert
Guest
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| Posted:
Fri Dec 09, 2005 3:09 am Post subject:
Re: Taurus low heat problem |
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Thanks for you input everyone.
I forgot to add that I can hear the blend door slam shut when move the temp
control back and forth from cold to hot and viceversa.
Also, I may be imagining it but the electric cooling fan (radiator fan)
seems to run a good amount.
Wouldn't a stuck open thermostat tend to keep the temp low? ie the
temerature gauge would tend to always be on the low side especially in the
cold weather? Also, the gauage is rock steady at midpoint and wouldn't a
stuck thermostat tend to keep it fluctuating depending on speed?
Thanks! |
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Backyard Mechanic
Guest
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| Posted:
Fri Dec 09, 2005 3:22 am Post subject:
Re: Taurus low heat problem |
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"Rick Heckbert" <rheckber@tufts.edu> wrote:
| Quote: | Thanks for you input everyone.
I forgot to add that I can hear the blend door slam shut when move the
temp control back and forth from cold to hot and viceversa.
Also, I may be imagining it but the electric cooling fan (radiator
fan) seems to run a good amount.
Wouldn't a stuck open thermostat tend to keep the temp low? ie the
temerature gauge would tend to always be on the low side especially in
the cold weather? Also, the gauage is rock steady at midpoint and
wouldn't a stuck thermostat tend to keep it fluctuating depending on
speed?
|
yes, it would.... your thermostat is fine.
And some caint read too good, neether!
Scroll back through the posts here.. you are one of many.
A FULL cooling system FLUSH might take care of it... maybe, sometimes
what it really probably is is the result of Ford's new improved not-
green-colored antifreeze
--
Yeh, I'm a Krusty old Geezer, putting up with my 'smartass' is the price
you pay..DEAL with it! |
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Ernest Scribbler
Guest
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| Posted:
Sat Dec 10, 2005 7:55 am Post subject:
Re: Taurus low heat problem |
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"Rick Heckbert" wrote
| Quote: | Also, the gauage is rock steady at midpoint and wouldn't a stuck
thermostat tend to keep it fluctuating depending on speed?
|
Maybe, but it's probably not your thermostat anyway. Besides the fact that
thermostats rarely stick open, doing so wouldn't keep the engine from
getting warm enough to operate the heater. I'd guess you've either got
sediment blockage in the heater core, or more likely your water pump is bad.
And before you say it can't be the water pump, let me tell you that I
recently replaced one on a 97 Sable that ran fine except for the heater not
working. Take a look here: http://blizzard.zmm.com/waterpump/ Despite the
fact that the impellor on that pump was deteriorated into something
resembling a small, thin circular saw blade, the engine did not overheat.
The temp gauge was rock solid in the normal range. The only symptom produced
by that pump was no heater output. |
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