Help a senile mind

LAFF

Enough to make my old Nipples hard
Jul 2, 2019
363
321
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Chillicothe, Missouri
I was sitting here drinking, and thinking.
Trying to finish stuff up replacing the V6 with a 302 on my 83 Mustang.
Last night when I went to get heater hoses I was wondering what controlled the water flow to the heater core if you don’t want heat.
Looked at the old V6 sitting on the floor in a tire, and it has a pipe that looks like it has some sort of vacuum doowhacky on it.
Before you judge me—I’m just an old retired Railroader trying to do as much as I can to get this right.
My Friend has done all the heavy lifting, and has the engine sitting in the car looking pretty.
He has a business to run, and has done me a great favor for doing what he has.
Just would like to have this explained.
Please don’t be too technical.
Thanks :)
 
Damn, drinkin' & thinkin' is dangerous stuff, I know, doin' the same thing myself. Anyho, I'm not 100% sure about a 83, but I'm pretty sure the water flows constant thru the heater core, and the temp. is controlled by which way the air is directed
 
Damn, drinkin' & thinkin' is dangerous stuff, I know, doin' the same thing myself. Anyho, I'm not 100% sure about a 83, but I'm pretty sure the water flows constant thru the heater core, and the temp. is controlled by which way the air is directed
Damn I hope it is that simple.
Want this done, and finally go to bed for once, and not be thinking what I need to do next.
Thank you :)
 
I’m not familiar with exactly what equipment came on an 83 Mustang but the part you described sounds like a “heater control valve”. If the climate control head in the dash has vacuum lines connected to it, one of those lines would go to the heater control valve. When you move the temp selector to the cold setting, a vacuum closes the valve and stops the flow of hot coolant through the heater core.
 
There is always coolant flowing through the heater core. There is a door in the heater box that separates the hot side airflow (heater core) from the cold side airflow (ac evaporator) The heater core is always warm/hot inside the heater box. When you turn on the ac, the blower motor blows over the cold side and cold air is blown out the vents. When you switch to heat a vacuum door in the heater box closes the cold side airflow and opens the hot side airflow and now warm air gets blown through the vents.
 
Both description s are correct, it would depend on which system was used in 83. Lets see :chin where do we go when we need answers.
Among the many choices Google offered, several references where made to an electrical valve that regulated flow to the heater core. This may be different between the AC and non AC models.
Note : this is based upon a search engine and not to be confused with an actual gas/diesel engine.
 
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At Rock Auto they show a heater control valve for an 83 6cyl Mustang but it’s electronically controlled, not vacuum as the op described he saw.

 
There is always coolant flowing through the heater core. There is a door in the heater box that separates the hot side airflow (heater core) from the cold side airflow (ac evaporator) The heater core is always warm/hot inside the heater box. When you turn on the ac, the blower motor blows over the cold side and cold air is blown out the vents. When you switch to heat a vacuum door in the heater box closes the cold side airflow and opens the hot side airflow and now warm air gets blown through the vents.
Thank you
 
I’m not familiar with exactly what equipment came on an 83 Mustang but the part you described sounds like a “heater control valve”. If the climate control head in the dash has vacuum lines connected to it, one of those lines would go to the heater control valve. When you move the temp selector to the cold setting, a vacuum closes the valve and stops the flow of hot coolant through the heater core.

Thank you
 
Both description s are correct, it would depend on which system was used in 83. Lets see :chin where do we go when we need answers.
Among the many choices Google offered, several references where made to an electrical valve that regulated flow to the heater core. This may be different between the AC and non AC models.
Note : this is based upon a search engine and not to be confused with an actual gas/diesel engine.

Google is what has led me to drink :D
 
In all the Foxes that I have, 79 to 93 the coolant flows through the heater core full time. The air doors close it off so no air flows through it unless you call for heat. There are not water control valves.