97 Ford Ranger-no heat


  #1  
Old 02-11-03, 08:07 AM
landmvc
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97 Ford Ranger-no heat

Hi, I,m freezing to death up in WI. and am hoping for some help. My 97 Ranger,5-speed,4 cyl., 2WD has no heat. The temp gage on the dash reads just below normal range but with the fan on I just get cold air. I replaced the thermostat myself and the gage now reads a little lower and doesn't come up to that temp. as fast but I still get cold air out the vents. Hoses to the heater core are all the same temp: warm but not too hot to grab with your hand. Looked up 3 ford service bulletins: 01-15-6 heater core repeated failure, 99-16-2 Cooling sys. lack of heat/MIL ON/DTC PO125 set, 97-19-11 heater core on car pressure test but am unsure about going to a dealer and asking for these. Seems pretty bold. From other posts it looks like there are some preety smart folks on the forum so I have my fingers crossed! Replaced OEM stat. with NAPA one,maybe I should re-replaced with Ford one?
 
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Old 02-11-03, 08:28 AM
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Your heater hoses should get as hot as your radiator hoses.If they feel cooler then i'd check for a blockage as you've alluded too with the service bulletins on the heater core.If all hoses are the same temp and never get hot to the touch then i'd try a motorcraft thermostat,your new one could be stuck open.
 
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Old 02-12-03, 09:54 AM
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Fordtech- does this year Ranger have a heater control valve? I ran into the exact same problem with an Olds. Replaced the tstat, no effect (other than a frustrated owner). Process of elimination I wound up replacing the HCV and it blew nice, hot, dry air. The valve was only ~$20, much cheaper than most any heater core related stuff. One can be hopeful...
 
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Old 02-12-03, 10:00 AM
Joe_F
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Yes it probably would have an HCV, but it seems as though this one has a bad stat
 
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Old 02-12-03, 12:47 PM
landmvc
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Thanks for all the help! I'll pick up a OEM stat tonight but can't put it in till Sunday. I'll post the results on Sunday night!
 
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Old 02-13-03, 06:53 AM
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I got lucky on mine- my heater went out and I live in Charleston SC, where the main low temp MAY be around 30ish, often in the 40's. We had one snap where it got down to about 10, but that's pretty unusual. WI would be a nightmare, not to mention trying to keep ice and such off the windsheild if it snows.... sheesh.


Good luck- tstat failure is a pretty cheap and easy fix most of the time, that means a lot coming from a know-none-of-it-all like me.
 
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Old 02-14-03, 08:00 AM
landmvc
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Hi! The new stat. didn't do it so I twisted the heater control valve upside down and played with the link between it and the vacuum can. Sure enough if I pulled it all the way out the hoses stiffened and I started to get heat to the inside of the truck! I guess a new HCV is on for the weekend. I guess the biggest problem with diagnosis is that all the hoses are down low next to the exhaust manifold so you really couldn't tell if they were hot from the coolant or from the exhaust. Also I never realized there was an external link on the HCV. It's also hard to reach let alone see the underside of the valve and since it's a plastic valve and can, I assumed it would be linked internally and not exposed to the elements. Anyway, Thanks everyone for all the help and that's all the news that's news!
 
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Old 02-14-03, 09:30 AM
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Feel lucky. I had to get a shop to drop the transmission dipstick out so the HCV could be replaced. I don't have the tools necessary to do all that so they were much obliged to tack on some labor, but was worth it.

Keep toasty....

Matt
 
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Old 01-18-11, 12:33 PM
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landmvc


I hate to be a pain but is there a way you can take a pic of that and e-mail it to me? I am having same problem with my truck. I have went as far as changing water pump, stat and both sensor/sending units up by thermostat. If you can I can give you my e-mail.
 
  #10  
Old 01-18-11, 09:56 PM
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take a piece of cardboard and place it in front of the radiator, covering maybe half of it.
mine was VERY time taking to warm up. i drove around with radiator air flow completely blocked by cardboard, w-out any trouble.
our cars back in the USSR had manually operated "blinds" in front of radiators, so that driver could manually adjust air flow through it. same principle. block air flow, heat goes up.
 
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Old 02-02-11, 06:10 PM
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I replaced the Tstat, flushed the core, did the cardboard thing today on my 96 dodge ram 1500. Got warmish air with each vent setting. But when I switch it to recirculate it really heats up. Have to keep switchin to defrost to clear the windows and then back to recirc for heat.
 
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Old 12-17-11, 02:55 PM
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my 97 ranger has no heat checked all hoses they are hot temp gauge normal what to look for next
 
 

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