Cabin Heater Question
11-19-2007, 01:25 PM
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
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Cabin Heater Question
Let me start by saying that;
a) I'm a new member
b) This is not only my first F150, but my first truck. I come from a long line of diesel VW's that I've happily wrenched on my whole life.
Here is the skinny on the truck.
F150, 1999, 150K km, 2WD 5.4L Tri-V8.
This is the problem.
When I crank up the heat after warming up the truck all I get is a very mild warmish (can't even say its warm) push of air. The fan works fine, I can hear the switch working fine as I cycle between def, floor, floor def, panel etc. Engine temp gauge shows normal. I assume this isn't normal for these trucks and that they do produce heat for the cabin. SO what should I troubleshoot first?
Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
P.
a) I'm a new member
b) This is not only my first F150, but my first truck. I come from a long line of diesel VW's that I've happily wrenched on my whole life.
Here is the skinny on the truck.
F150, 1999, 150K km, 2WD 5.4L Tri-V8.
This is the problem.
When I crank up the heat after warming up the truck all I get is a very mild warmish (can't even say its warm) push of air. The fan works fine, I can hear the switch working fine as I cycle between def, floor, floor def, panel etc. Engine temp gauge shows normal. I assume this isn't normal for these trucks and that they do produce heat for the cabin. SO what should I troubleshoot first?
Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
P.
11-19-2007, 05:31 PM
#2
Senior Member
Hi, Paul - let me be one of the first to welcome you to the site. Bunch of great guys and gals here.
Yes, you're right - the truck does have a heater and it should be able to just about run you out of the cabin, even up yonder where you are.
Since you've done some wrenching, I assume you've checked the coolant level. Have you also checked the heater hoses?
Both the inlet and the outlet hoses should be hot when the engine is at operating temperature, with nearly identical temps since you're not pulling much heat out of the heater core. If the hoses are cold/mildly warm, suspect a blockage.
All that aside, what I would suspect happening is that the heat control damper isn't working. Not sure how things are set up on your generation truck - mine has a cable for the temperature lever, the Heat-A/C-defrost are controlled by an assortment of vacuum operated motors.
Could be a cable adjustment issue (or a vacuum motor / vacuum leak if used for the temp control on newer models), or the damper door could be flat stuck.
If you haven't already, consider getting a shop manual - Chilton's, Haynes, Motor, etc. It will come in handy down the line as well as for this issue. This manual should show the damper arrangement, or perhaps one of the other members more familiar than me with your setup will chime in here as to locate where exactly it is.
Good luck, and let us know what you find.
Yes, you're right - the truck does have a heater and it should be able to just about run you out of the cabin, even up yonder where you are.
Since you've done some wrenching, I assume you've checked the coolant level. Have you also checked the heater hoses?
Both the inlet and the outlet hoses should be hot when the engine is at operating temperature, with nearly identical temps since you're not pulling much heat out of the heater core. If the hoses are cold/mildly warm, suspect a blockage.
All that aside, what I would suspect happening is that the heat control damper isn't working. Not sure how things are set up on your generation truck - mine has a cable for the temperature lever, the Heat-A/C-defrost are controlled by an assortment of vacuum operated motors.
Could be a cable adjustment issue (or a vacuum motor / vacuum leak if used for the temp control on newer models), or the damper door could be flat stuck.
If you haven't already, consider getting a shop manual - Chilton's, Haynes, Motor, etc. It will come in handy down the line as well as for this issue. This manual should show the damper arrangement, or perhaps one of the other members more familiar than me with your setup will chime in here as to locate where exactly it is.
Good luck, and let us know what you find.
