where's the heat in my voyager 94?

after i put in a new thermostat, the heat has been searingly hot in the
1994 Voyager, simple model, no ATC, so most likely not a problem with
the computer or controls.

the gauge registers in the middle for temp, between hot and cold, the
same as in the past.

i have not checked the hoses because this problem is intermittent now.

i noticed i had left it on for a year in the feet or floor/vent
position for heat.

but after changing it to floor or feet only because not wanting to
damage some equipment i was using on the dash from the heat, suddenly
at times the heat disappears.

is this a door thing, the baffles or doors?
is this an ominous sign that the core is going? don't smell anything,
just cold air instead of heat.

if i shut off the engine and turn it back on, usually the heat returns.

since we're half through with winter, this is not as big a problem it
would have been in november, fortunately.

any ideas? the manual give as (c) on page 24-6: "Blend-air door
binding." I guess that sounds most likely if the hoses would be hot? My
switching from vent to floor only, maybe it was just a little too much
for a minivan with 203,000 miles on it. Darn.

 

Could be the blend door, or (more likely in my opinion) the heater valve
which is in the hose to the heater core on the firewall. You need to feel
the two hoses going into from the heater core and post what you feel (are
both hot, one hot/one warm or cool, etc.) Also assume you checked the
coolant level and it is good.

Bob

 

You need to bleed the cooling system. My guess is you have a 4 cyl. or the
3.0. Both are notoriously hard to bleed correctly. I use a vacum setup from
Snap-On but you describing classic symptos of air lock.
Larry

 

Right on Larry, these systems are notoriously sensitive to being
bled and burped correctly following any drainage of the system.
(The infamous headgasket leaks will also drain a system and cause
heater behavior like this)

| You need to bleed the cooling system. My guess is you have a 4
cyl. or the
| 3.0. Both are notoriously hard to bleed correctly. I use a vacum
setup from
| Snap-On but you describing classic symptos of air lock.
| Larry
| | > after i put in a new thermostat, the heat has been searingly hot
in the
| > 1994 Voyager, simple model, no ATC, so most likely not a problem
with
| > the computer or controls.
|

 

The coolant level was not good. Low about a gallon. Not good.

Feel very bad that I did not have the coolant cleaned out and
refreshed. A mechanic had warned that old coolant can damage the water
pump?

The hoses were cool. Not hot when heat not coming out. Both hoses. Not
much difference between the hoses.

"My" mechanic said he thought the problem was a leaking water pump.
It's okay for the time being. Not gushing out.

With almost a gallon of fresh coolant, maybe a quasi coolant change,
the heat is quite hot for the time being. Probably cleaned out some of
the crap in the bad coolant by accident this way.

So if a water pump, then also change the timing belt and a plastic hose
or something that often breaks so replace that too. Anything else?
Belts, pulleys, or stuff to be replaced.

That's about $750, tax not included, I was told.

Or can I do it myself? 3.0 Mitsubishi, plain small 1994 Voyager, 2
wheel drive, overdrive tranny, A604 which seems to be good now.

Wonder what I would need? Have floor jacks and some ramps somewhere
which were used once for an oil change and some bottle and regular
jacks. Don't have a floor jack or a torque wrench or 1/2" drive socket
set or a breaker bar. Do have a shop manual for this particular vehicle
which has 202,800 miles on it.

Do I need to work under and from the top for a timing belt? Probably
take me a few days if I were lucky and did not break anything. Used to
do brakes and tuneups and alternators and belts. Once replaced the
hydraulic lines and took apart a dash but my few skills are very rusty.

I guess it's just a matter of time. I think I might buy a little time
with finally doing the coolant change and flush. I went by the pH last
time but that does not take into account the particles that are
circulating. The pH was acceptable for corrosion prevention?

Your suggestion of checking the coolant was good. I had stopped doing
that since it was always full.

On a car this old with high mileage, I think I have been negligent this
past year in letting the oil change go too long, not changing the
oxygen sensor immediately, not changing out the coolant last year, and
putting in 30 weight oil into a 5W-30 semi-synthetic blend. Maybe all a
coincidence since high mileage can mean anything can go wrong. These
were relatively low cost maintenance options so just no excuse. No way,
no how.

A shop foreman suggested just driving the car out, since it has such
high mileage and just see what happens. I like the vehicle a lot. But
it needs now, all told, with the front wheel bearing too, about $1000
in repairs minimum. Can't buy vehicles for that now or is it possible?
Car before this was only $450 and that was a great buy but that's rare.

 

I used to have a 94 Acclaim with the 3.0 l Mitsubishi and the A604
4-speed.

All I can say is that the A604s of that vintage were not good, and -
IMHO - there ought to be a LAW against those damn 3.0 l engines! IME,
VERY high maintenance (even more so than my ex-wife

If I were you, I would not put a single dime into that 3.0 l. Mine
puked oil like a sieve. Problematic conventional distributor, bad oil
seals, timing belt (even worse to try and change in a van!), etc....

If your tranny has been rebuilt, and you really love the car, then
think about swapping a good 3.3 or 3.8 engine. They are reliable work
horses that will last the life of the van - and beyond!

My bet is that you can find a used engine (and matching computer) for
not a whole lot more than you are going to have to spend now. It will
give you a very reliable and hardy vehicle.

Just my opinion.

 

That's a good opinion and you gave me some great ideas.

 

Actually, the engine has nothing to do with the heat. I don't know what
does. But here's a suggestion or two:
Replace the radiator cap.
Keep the radiator FULL!
"Bleed" the system: Open the cap, start the engine and wait till it gets to
Operating Temperature and the thrmostat opens. You may see the coolant
'burp' a few times. this is air coming out of the system.
And, if you really don't care about the vehicle, remove the vaccuum-actuated
valve in the left-hand heater hose!
I don't know what this piece of junk does, except to restrict flow to the
heater core, even when it's open! I removed mine and the heat temp went up
about 10 degrees! IT's still just barely warm enough, but it *IS* warm
enough!

 

If you remove the in line vacuum activated heater hose valve, then you will
indeed get better heat, but will undoubtedly find that you now have a new
problem come summer when you attempt to use your A/C.

Bob

Suggestions removed for brevity

 

If you remove the in line vacuum activated heater hose valve, then you will
indeed get better heat, but will undoubtedly find that you now have a new
problem come summer when you attempt to use your A/C.

Bob

Suggestions removed for brevity

 

LOL! *WHAT* A/C???!!!!

I paid $400 bucks for the van, AWD. Ticks like a Time Bomb. You know what
they say about a Time Bomb, right? You're OK until the ticking stops! I
drive it primarily in the winter since it is AWD. But I also now have a
working van and will be using it more and more year round.

I'm looking at a newer one (95) this week, but it's not AWD. If you see
another of my posts, can the AWD system be put in a FWD van? The tranny in
my AWD is the only thing that WORKS properly!!!

 

I meant BAND! I now have a working BAND!