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.

Reply to
treeline12345
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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

Reply to
Bob Shuman

You need to bleed the cooling system. My guess is you have a 4 cyl. or the

Reply to
jdoe

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)

Reply to
Thor

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.

Reply to
treeline12345

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 >

Reply to
NewMan

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

Reply to
treeline12345

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!

Reply to
Hachiroku

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

vaccuum-actuated

Reply to
Bob Shuman

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

Reply to
Bob Shuman

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!!!

Reply to
Hachiroku

I meant BAND! I now have a working BAND!

Reply to
Hachiroku

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