Better heat

[kyle7683]

My heat has kind of been lacking since I got my truck 3 years ago. It doesn't get super hot or really pump out a lot of heat, does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this? Could it be a bad blower motor? It still heats up the truck enough to be comfortable while driving but if I crack the window I'm screwed for the next 10 minutes til it warms back up
Thanks
Kyle


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[CrazyBRONCOguy]

Not the same year but I had a blend door break on my bronco which made it so the cool air was always coming in, might be worth checking. I would think you could tell on the blower motor, does it work at all the speeds?

[Steve83]

Your description is so vague, it could be anything. Open the hood & start checking things. Is the coolant full? Does it flow? Is the heater core connected? Is there flow in its hoses? Is the blower running? Is its fuse melted? Is the cowl full of leaves? Is the evaporator blocked? Click this & follow the links in the caption:



Keep following the links in the other captions for more.

[kyle7683]

Yes the blower motor works on all 3 speeds, yes the heater core is new I changed it last year, yes coolant is full and flowing but I do need a coolant flush soon, would doing that cause my heat to work better?


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[rpeters549]

Possibly. The heater core is nothing but a mini-radiator and if it is corroded or partially blocked you will get a lot less heat out of it, just like a radiator that is going bad (leaking or not) will not cool the motor as it should.
When you do it flush it good and look at the crap that may well come out of it. It may then work better.

[kyle7683]

Ok I'm gonna try a coolant flush and take apart the blower motor box tomorrow


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[Steve83]

Don't take the box apart. With the engine cold, disconnect the heater hose from the FRONT of the engine (to the WP), aim it out of the engine bay, and briefly start the engine. It should shoot a stream of coolant. If not, there's a blockage - disconnect the OTHER hose from the intake and backflush ONLY the heater core with your garden hose until it runs clear.

When you're sure the heater core is flowing coolant, pull the blower motor and inspect it for cleanliness & free movement. Reach in toward the (SHARP) evaporator fins & check for debris.

[garymunson]

It gets really cold up here in Northern Nevada and even here a Bronco heater should feel like a duct to hell. You must either have a plugged up core or something going on with a blend door.

[miesk5]

yo
Here is an excerpt from TSB 93-24-08 for 84-94 Bronco, F Series, Aerostar, Econoline & many others
Poor heater/defroster performance Coolant level Check level in radiator and coolant recovery reservoir.
Leakage Check for leaks using pressure test.
Thermostat operation Check Thermostat. Refer to "Thermostat Diagnosis" procedure.
Blend door operation Check blend door for binding and proper operation.
Mode door operation Check mode door for binding and proper operation.
Blower fan operation Check blower fan for proper operation and control.
Heater core plugged Flush cooling system.

Thermostat.
FEEL heater water hoses. If the heater water hoses are too hot to hold, the thermostat is OK. If the heater water hoses do not get too hot to hold, REPLACE the thermostat. If only one heater water hose gets hot while the other remains cool, a plugged heater water hose or heater core is indicated.
Heater water hoses.
CHECK condition and routing of hoses.

[kyle7683]

The blower seems to work fine. If I change the heater control to cool it starts blowing hard. But when I go back to heat it doesn't blow as hard.
(That's what she said)


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[hopp150]

I had a similar problem. All it took for me was a good flush.

[kyle7683]

I just did a coolant flush and the heat is even colder now than it was when I started, how could this be?


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[kyle7683]

....


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[miesk5]

yo KYLE, Again, try this simple test.
With Engine at normal operating temp. Be careful when touching HOT hoses and beware of fan.
FEEL heater water hoses. If the heater water hoses are too hot to hold, the thermostat is OK. If the heater water hoses do not get too hot to hold, REPLACE the thermostat. If only one heater water hose gets hot while the other remains cool, a plugged heater water hose or heater core is indicated.

[kyle7683]

Which heater hoses though? The ones that connect to the heater core or the ones coming off the water pump?


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[AFBronco235]

There should be a line coming off the thermostat housing going into the heater core. That line carries water into the heater. The other carries it out. There should only be two water lines coming out of your heater. If both lines are hot, your heater core is good. If the line coming off the thermostat is hot, or at least significatly hotter than the other line, then your heater core is blocked.

Better yet, just go to your parts store, buy a new thermostat, thermostat housing gasket, and high temp gasket silicone and replace the thermostat. Make sure you buy the high temp thermostat. The 195* degree one I believe.

PS, drain the water out of your radiator using the pet-cock on the bottom of it before you take the thermostat housing off. And make sure you drain it into a clean tub so you can reuse it. You may want to get some rubber hose to fit on the pet-cock so you can avoid a mess. Do NOT USE allow oil to mix with your coolant if you plan on reusing it.

[kyle7683]

Both lines get hot just not super hot


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[mettler]

Its a 302. they dont generally have a cooling problem in these trucks cause they get a great radiator. try putting a T fitting in the heater hose and hook your garden hose to that to do your flush. Dont take it to Jiffy Lube. They do not do a proper flush. They put a vacume on the system till it sucks all the old coolant out then switch over and the vacume in the system draws in the new fluid. That is not a flush. Try what miesk5 was saying, to the letter. The man is a walking encylopidia.

[kyle7683]

Now Ive realized that my radiator is leaking a little bit somewhere. Could that cause the heat to be acting the way it is?

[TheUnforgiven]

does the engine reach proper operating temperature? seeing as NEITHER hose gets hot, leads me to believe the engine isn't getting warm enough in the first place.

And it's a 195* thermostat.