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99 taurus heater problem - mileage 93k

15K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Charleydog01 
#1 ·
I have a 99 taurus with a reoccurring no heat problem.
About 3 months ago I had no heat. I pulled off the hoses going into the firewall and flushed out the core. Was working ok until this week. No heat at all now.

Heater core, thermostat and water pump were replaced at 66k.

I read in another post that if the hose is hot going in and cold out the core is plugged? Can this be after only 3 months.

Should I try and flush again?
What is the bypass hose I have read about and where is it located?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
If one hose is hot and the other is cold then there is a restriction.

I have read of people using Castrol Super Clean to flush out the core. Thats the purple stuff in the purple bottle you can get at wal~mart.

Remove both hoses try and get as much water out of the core as you can, then get as much of the super clean as you can in there and let it soak for a little while then flush it out real good with water.

You must have a bunch of crap in the cooling system to stop up the core that fast. You might want to do a complete system flush as it will probably stop up again.
 
#3 ·
jwko said:
If one hose is hot and the other is cold then there is a restriction.

I have read of people using Castrol Super Clean to flush out the core. Thats the purple stuff in the purple bottle you can get at wal~mart.

Remove both hoses try and get as much water out of the core as you can, then get as much of the super clean as you can in there and let it soak for a little while then flush it out real good with water.

You must have a bunch of crap in the cooling system to stop up the core that fast. You might want to do a complete system flush as it will probably stop up again.
I got heat.... Flushed out the core and got heat again.
Thanks again!!!
 
#4 ·
FYI, here is some information that I've gleaned from various sources over the years of Taurus ownership.

Th 3.0L vulcan engiine is an inherently durable engine (one of Ford's better ideas), however it was not built without some flaws. There were quite a number of them that didn't get properly cleaned out after the blocks were cast. This left casting media (silica, basically sand), in the water passages. This ends up turning into a sort of brown, abrasive "soup" that circulates through your cooling system (not one of Ford's better ideas!). Often it takes a couple of flushings to remove all of the grit from the system.

This "soup" will cause premature failure of the water pump impeller (basically your sand blasting the vanes everytime you run your engine).

The sediment in the cooling system also tends to accumulate in the heater core, plugging it, and eventually rendering it useless, or worse, causing it to leak.

Once plugged, the coolant follows the path of least resistance (the heater core bypass), and you get no heat.

My advice: Isolate and flush the heater core, then run some type of radiator flushing aid (there are several out there), for about a week. Now flush the entire system one more time. With 90,000 + miles on the car, if you haven't replaced the water pump yet, this would be a good time to do it. If you have recently, you should be all set. Either way, the total cost of the above steps should not be too prohibitive. It amounts to cheap insurance. I lost a 2000 Taurus because I was not educated to the cooling system issues. A leaky heater core, combined with lack of comunication (my daughter failed to inform me that the car was hissing when she parked it at school), roasted the engine at 96K.

BTW, I'm relatively new to the forum, but I've owned a '98, a '99, an '00 and an '02 Taurus. I'm pretty familiar with their trouble spots.


p.s. I haven't even touch on the blender door issue, but that doesn't sound like your problem.
 
#5 ·
marquis99 said:
FYI, here is some information that I've gleaned from various sources over the years of Taurus ownership.

Th 3.0L vulcan engiine is an inherently durable engine (one of Ford's better ideas), however it was not built without some flaws. There were quite a number of them that didn't get properly cleaned out after the blocks were cast. This left casting media (silica, basically sand), in the water passages. This ends up turning into a sort of brown, abrasive "soup" that circulates through your cooling system (not one of Ford's better ideas!). Often it takes a couple of flushings to remove all of the grit from the system.

This "soup" will cause premature failure of the water pump impeller (basically your sand blasting the vanes everytime you run your engine).

The sediment in the cooling system also tends to accumulate in the heater core, plugging it, and eventually rendering it useless, or worse, causing it to leak.

Once plugged, the coolant follows the path of least resistance (the heater core bypass), and you get no heat.

My advice: Isolate and flush the heater core, then run some type of radiator flushing aid (there are several out there), for about a week. Now flush the entire system one more time. With 90,000 + miles on the car, if you haven't replaced the water pump yet, this would be a good time to do it. If you have recently, you should be all set. Either way, the total cost of the above steps should not be too prohibitive. It amounts to cheap insurance. I lost a 2000 Taurus because I was not educated to the cooling system issues. A leaky heater core, combined with lack of comunication (my daughter failed to inform me that the car was hissing when she parked it at school), roasted the engine at 96K.

BTW, I'm relatively new to the forum, but I've owned a '98, a '99, an '00 and an '02 Taurus. I'm pretty familiar with their trouble spots.


p.s. I haven't even touch on the blender door issue, but that doesn't sound like your problem.
Hi,
Thanks for the info, I will watch for your posts.
I had the water pump, heater core, thermostat replaced be the dealer under warranty at 61,500 miles.

How difficult is it to replace the water pump by myself on the vulcan (99)?

I also have a 96 with duratec engine (117,000 miles). Had alot of work done on it recently and she is running really well. I know this one is a tough one to work on.
 
#9 ·
99 for taurus with little heat

my taurus is 99 with only 88,000 and for some reason it doesn't want to put
out heat it will blow luke warm air and cold. if i have the heat off for a while then turn it on while the car is on it will blow out heat for like 3 seconds then will go to cold ? i have changed the thermostat any one have the same problem that could help???
 
#11 ·
I am finally giving up my 1998 Taurus wagon because of the heating problem. I had the heater core replaced two years ago, the core flushed last year (heat lasted about a week, and because it is winter here in Eastern Canada, it is COLD. The car has 278,000 km and has been maintained since the day I bought it. Must say that I love that Taurus so am now looking for another one with a working heater.
 
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