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NAT WHEATLEY
New User
Nov 22, 2008, 8:26 AM
Post #1 of 11
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I have a 2001 F-150 and the heater is dead. I don't want to put money into replacing the heater. Is there some type of external unit that I can use that plugs into the lighter, hooks up the battery or other? I looked quickly online and saw several, but all had poor reviews in terms of the units not producing much heat.
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Jeff Norfolk
Enthusiast
Nov 22, 2008, 8:30 AM
Post #2 of 11
(3934 views)
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Re: External Heater
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I n my experiance I would agree with the reviews you saw. I have tried these types of heaters in the past on a old cluncker and had poor results. It will give you a bit of heat but not the whole cab. Tom may have some good advice here. He is the local A/C and heat expert
Jeff
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Nov 22, 2008, 8:49 AM
Post #3 of 11
(3932 views)
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Re: External Heater
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First off -what's wrong with the existing heat?
Any electric 12v heater is VERY limited in possible BTU power - like 1250 max I think - which is diddle or perhaps just 2% of what you really need. I used a handheld one once just to help defrost windows in yard vehicle and it was almost useless.
The trouble is vehicle's exchange so much air all the time you are fighting a lost cause almost. Think of how fast heat is lost when you just shut down a working system - just seconds and cab goes cold again.
Depending on just what is wrong there are a few shortcuts to get some heat with existing system for small bucks.
Let me/us know what wrong with it now and we can suggest from there. Save your $$ on electric ones. Seriously - they can't make any more heat than using a cigarette lighter and you know that won't heat the thing,
T
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Loren Champlain Sr
Veteran
/ Moderator
Nov 22, 2008, 11:15 AM
Post #4 of 11
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Re: External Heater
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Tom; My '40 Ford Coupe had an electric heater mounted under the glove box. It was painted the same color as the dash. Still unsure if it was 'OE', but sure looked like it. Of course, it was a 6V system. So many years ago that I don't remember if it had defroster tubing. When I changed to Chev running gear and 12V, I removed it as it took up too much space (It was huge). But, as I remember, it worked quite well, at least for Oregon temps.
Loren
SW Washington
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Nov 22, 2008, 12:24 PM
Post #5 of 11
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Re: External Heater
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Hey - Loren - we're giving away our "old fartness" here! No problem that 6 or 12 volts COULD do it. The upgrade of alternator and battery alone would outcost just fixing this almost no matter what's wrong with it.
The ones sold now that I've noticed are either volutarily or mandatorily limited to what could be expected power from normal power ports/cig lighters. Kind of like the household electric heaters are limited to just ~5,000 BTU as that's about what a 15 amp circuit could handle without burning up wires and they still do at that.
I had thought of all kinds of tricks like the rear heater box and fan that sits under a seat in busses and large perhaps now older passenger vans - and just wire up the fan to a switch. It all adds up to too much effort and it would be missing "defrost" which here and many places is no luxury - it's needed desperately or you don't drive!
Funny - Just came in from freezin' my keister off putting tire slime in my '48 Tractor as it has a slow leak and is 80% calcium chloride water filled in tire with 250# weights to boot so that wheel ain't coming off too easy for me anyway! Dry weight on that sucker is close to 3 tons without the water and weights! 6V pos ground system would blow most folks minds too! Cool as it's OE electric start but still has the crank hole to do by hand!
Still waiting to hear what's wrong with this truck. If it needs a heater core and all that work is too much for someone than most can be sealed and just zero pressure the cooling system if it's a yard junker it would work. If core is the problem I wouldn't waste time on a used one to save a buck but any other stuff wrong with dash should be in salvage yards and fairly cheap........
T
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Guest
Anonymous Poster
nw@coastlinecabinetry.com
Nov 22, 2008, 12:40 PM
Post #6 of 11
(3917 views)
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Re: External Heater
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Thanks for the replies. I'm not entirely clear what's wrong with the heater(I know nothing about anything under the hood...)I've brought in several times to try to have the issue fixed. Each time the mechanic has said that the heater was clogged, that he unclogged it, changed the antifreeze, etc and its working fine.
It does seem to work fine each time...for about a day. The last time we agreed that this routine wasn't working, and that the heater needed to be replaced. I made an appt, left the truck for the day. When I came back, he hadn't replaced it, but did the same 'unclogging' routine, though he said he did it much more throughly this time (and I'm sure he did, I do actually trust him). The heater worked...for about a day. Its an old truck, and after sinking money into having it serviced each time, I can't drop more money on it at this point to replace the heater. But I am cold...
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way2old
Veteran
/ Moderator
Nov 22, 2008, 1:09 PM
Post #7 of 11
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Re: External Heater
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Has anyone looked at the blend doors? Or the flow of coolant? Just wondering.
Being way2old is why I need help from younger minds
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
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Nov 22, 2008, 1:32 PM
Post #8 of 11
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Re: External Heater
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There could be a couple things causing this.
I'll bet first that the system is so full of sealer that it clogs and needs a whole system flush out but beware because if it had a leak somewhere that sealer did seal up it probably will return.
The other thing is to make sure that coolant is staying full. I'm pretty sure the Ford Trucks still use a pressure radiator cap on the radiator and not just a cap on a remote tank which is a "recovery" tank. It needs to be known full at the radiator.
** There are assorted reason it may drop from full there and might show OK at the see thru recovery tank. The condition of the radiator cap itself allows for coolant when it expands to be put to that recovery tank and when it cools (contracts) draws just coolant back to the radiator and hence the whole engine's cooling system including the heater which is part of it.
If that cap is faulty it tosses out the expanded coolant and just draws back air. If it does that a few times the system is actually low and many will quit with the heater first - then later you may have troubles overheating - maybe not.
If there's a gasket (head) problem it could be blowing combustion gasses into cooling system and that won't allow for heater to work same as low coolant level but that would usually blow coolant over the top of that recovery tank and you'd have other complaints.
The heater core is just a mini radiator but it would be the "catch all" for debris in the system and clog early if the case. If there's sealer or plain junk thru the system it just keeps stopping at the heater core. Gotta get all of it out and it should stay working. If just the core is being flushed and that works it indicates there's more junk still in the system to remove.
I'm not judging your mechanic but this should be fairly routine. You said it does work so core isn't clogged with "calcified" junk that won't flush out but rather regular junk that does. Get it all out and it will work is my suggestion.
Again - I'm not there to pass judgement but replacing the heater core right now and leaving junk in system will just clog again.
AgainII: Flush out whole system. Removal of thermostat and radiator hoses - even block plugs (they are like bolts "drain plug like" down low in water jackets) on lower sides of the engine and really flush this thing out and it will last,
T
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Loren Champlain Sr
Veteran
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Nov 22, 2008, 3:41 PM
Post #9 of 11
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Re: External Heater
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I had thought about putting a heater in our boat, at one time. Actually would've been quite easy. It was an I/O, and I was going to run heater hoses from the engine (5.0 Chev) to under the jump seats that were on each side of the engine cover, then just add a couple of fans. But, we didn't do much winter skiing. LOL.
Old fart-ness? LMAO! Yeah, those were the days. Had that '40 for 23 years.
Loren
SW Washington
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Anonymous Poster
nw@coastlinecabinetry.com
Nov 23, 2008, 7:11 AM
Post #10 of 11
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Re: External Heater
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I'm concerned that the system flushing sounds like what he has done each time already. I also can't keep rolling the dice thinking that this time it will fix it for good.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
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Nov 23, 2008, 8:58 AM
Post #11 of 11
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Re: External Heater
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This isn't "rolling the dice" ----- when flushing worked, then junk coming out should have been noted - it not then you would question something else alltogether like some funky blend door problem but that doesn't explain to me anyway why it worked from flushing if even for the day or so??
There's more junk in there than is being flushed out is my call from the history so far. I'd bet it's loaded with the sawdust style sealer unless you can be sure it's never been used that's about how that stuff will behave when more than a spoonful is used.
The flush will probably take a solvent to flush not just garden hose and water which would normally suffice. There may be evidence of goo in the recovery tank or under radiator cap - take a look,
T
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