wtf do you mean cracked heads?!?! i said i had no heat!!!

Ask technical questions about your Ford Bronco II here. Technical write-ups on your axle swaps, engine swaps, chop tops, etc. are encouraged.
DBrown
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Post by DBrown »

here is a trick I used to do to a buddy's blazer every few months....he had problems with his heat going away. the problem was a clogged heater core, and on newer blazers the heater core is a pain to replace...unlike a BII. so I got the bright idea to reverse the pressure in the core to see what happened. so, I pulled the heater hoses and cranked up the air copressor. shot 120psi threw there reverse and you should have seen the crap comming out of that thing. long story short his heat would work for a few months and saved alot of disassembly.

the first thing you should always do is check the collent when your heat goes away. that is a sign of no coolent in the system. also watch your temp. if your temp stays good them more then likely your hearer core is bad. also if you smell antifreeze or have fog on your windows like my BII did for a little while you have a leak there.
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Bob Myers
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Post by Bob Myers »

bower100 wrote:Is there an air purge tap somewhere in the heater core circulation loop? Or on the top of the engine somewhere?
I just figured the water pump pushes the coolant in the core and air basically can't be trapped in it.

dave
As best i remember the inlet/outlet is on the side of the core, there are rows of fins above what would be the most direct path to the outlet and that is where the air gets trapped therby reducing the amount of water in the core available for heat.
If you could prefill the core with water or mix and cap it prior to install then getting it full would be easy. Probably not near as easy to do as to say though.
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ranger5.0
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Post by ranger5.0 »

Bob I like to use a 50/50 mix. I believe the problem may be with the aluminum radiators. I have seen this problem in other makes as well with the aluminum radiator. It is just a theory. ;)

BTW the heater core is in a plastic box, so how was it to be properly grounded :confused:
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Post by Bob Myers »

With the aluminum rad there are a total of three different metals to contend with. I'm not sure the engineers thought that far ahead when they spec'd an alum rad, a brass heater core and cast iron block.
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Post by ranger5.0 »

Very true. Cars and trucks are disposible now-a-days anyways.
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tekatlarge
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Post by tekatlarge »

ranger5.0 wrote: BTW the heater core is in a plastic box, so how was it to be properly grounded :confused:
The core is brass or copper. The box the core is in is the plastic.

It is the core that needs to be grounded, Not the plastic box.. Hmmm how would you ground a plastic box. :wtf:

Remember I said solder a lug to the core assy. Kinda hard to do with plastic.

When you place a lug on the core try to find a place Inside the box close to where your lug is where you can pick up a ground. If there is no metal like mounting bolts or such in the box near your lug, then drill a small hole in the plastic box and run the wire through and ground it to the metal of the firewall with a sheet metal screw. You might also look and see if you can put that screw through the inside of the box to the firewall. I was lucky with the last one I did I was able to solder a lug on near the inlet tubes and bring the wire into the engine compartment through the inlet and outlet connections. Next a quick sheet metal screw and I was in the Biz.

The whole exercise is aimed to ground the core to the body and to keep the wire as short as possible. :cool: :usa:
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Post by ranger5.0 »

I knew that you couldn't ground the plastic box. I was pointing out that if the heater core was intended to be grounded then they would have put the core in a metal surrounding that would have grounded it.

If it works a wonder for you then more power to ya. :wtf:
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tekatlarge
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Post by tekatlarge »

ranger5.0 wrote:I knew that you couldn't ground the plastic box. I was pointing out that if the heater core was intended to be grounded then they would have put the core in a metal surrounding that would have grounded it.

If it works a wonder for you then more power to ya. :wtf:

Ok if the factory meant for the B2 to have a v8 they would have put one in using your mentality.

You know I don't care one rats ass weather you care or not!

Whatever :flipoff:
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Post by Bob Myers »

Tek, I hav ebeen studying on your theory about the electrolysis. I just happened to have a BroncoII and an explorer sitting out back that are destined for the crusher next week. So, the Bii gave up its heater core in the name of science. And yes it appears for all to see that it is an original Ford unit, complete with the FoMoCo in the oval and all. There is a bit of corrosion happening inside of it(we sliced and diced it), some pretty bluish colored stuff growing and a color or two I cannot describe. BUT! There is no evidence whatsoever of any electrolysis, any where. I was absent from the physics class my senior college year the day that they explained that phenomenon but, from what I remember reading and knowing on this, there has to be something steel moving inside of something steel to set up the propensity for a static charge to seal the steel surface from becoming "whetted" by the coolant. In the core i cut apart there is nothing in there to cause this inductance related phenomenon. Plus since this core is made of brass it is impervious to electrolysis any way.
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BDEUCE
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Post by BDEUCE »

this is kind dumb, isn't it?

with both sides considered, i have to agree with mr myers. one fact keeps jumping out at me - the core is only attached to rubber hoses on one end, and a plastic box, which ranger 5.0 outlined the non conductive nature. if a piece of metal completely isolated from other metal is in a fluid transfer loop, how would it be affected my electrolysis? know this tek, i'm not being cocky, i just don't understand; if i/we are wrong, please enlighten us all, as we are probably all here to learn, yes? IMHO, i think electrolysis would be a problem if there was current being released into the coolant - which i question the conductive properties, or if you had metal lines to connect all cores rads, pumps, and water jackets. while grounding the core couldn't hurt, i don't understand how it would help.

bottom line, i don't think i need to ground my core, as the topic starter, i had an issue, took it to a shop, and now it is way resolved.
BDEUCE
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Post by BDEUCE »

Repeated heater core failures. Ford wants you to know that just about every one of its 1985-2002 cars and trucks is susceptible to multiple heater core failures. The cause, says the carmaker, is electrolysis, a condition whereby an ion exchange takes place between the aluminum cooling system parts and coolant, causing excessive voltages to be introduced into the system. It's these voltages, says Ford, that lead to the repeated core failures.

To check for electrolysis, grab your DVOM and set it on the DC scale. Next, connect the negative lead of the meter to ground and immerse the positive lead into the coolant in the radiator, making sure the lead tip doesn't touch the radiator neck. Now start the engine, keep it at 2000 rpm with a throttle-holding tool and observe the voltage reading on the meter's display. If it's more than .4 volt, you've got an electrolysis issue to deal with.

Your first course of action should be to flush the system and put in a fresh batch of coolant, followed by a retest with your meter. If the voltage drops below .4 volt, you're done; if it's still too high, start checking for inferior grounds at the engine, battery and body. Pay particular attention to any aftermarket electrical devices that may have been installed. Clean up all grounds that have excessive voltage drops, then retest the coolant.

If the meter reading remains above the voltage threshold after the existing grounds have been checked/serviced, start adding redundant grounds to the engine and heater core. At the core, Ford recommends a 16-gauge copper wire attached to the inlet tube with a hose clamp, with the other end secured to an existing fastener on the body sheet metal. Additional engine grounds should terminate at an exist- A ing fastener also. Verify the integrity of all added grounds, then check A the voltage in the coolant one more time. If it's still too high, Ford recommends adding a restrictor (Part No. F1UZ18D406-A) to the inlet hose of the heater core. When installing the restrictor, make sure it's as close to the engine as possible, and that its arrow is pointing toward the core.
i got this off the website "lemon detectors".

I stand corrected.




sorry tek











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tekatlarge
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Post by tekatlarge »

BDEUCE said it the best!!!

I wasn't going to say anything more on this subject but I was out in the shop and copied this part of the bulletin from ford. I hope you can read this copies..

Image

Image

That is all I am going to say. Believe it or not I really don't care!
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Nobody
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Post by Nobody »

Very interesting :hmmm:
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Post by EBSTEVE »

tekatlarge wrote: Believe it or not I really don't care!
Yes you do LOL :cool:
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ranger5.0
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Post by ranger5.0 »

I have been beat up again by another internet bully. :rolleyes:

BTW when are you going to build one???
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