I have "86" Cougar with a 5.0 engine. The person I bought it from by- passed the heater core because it leaked. On the passenger side of the intake manifold, there is two metal coolant lines one on top of the other. One is slightly larger than the other. I tried putting a 90 degree hose and bending it over but it was too sharp a turn and the clamp cut the hose. The problem is that they are only about 2" apart and two different sizes. I know replacing the heater core is the best option, but I need my car for transportation right now. What to do?
Just run a standard 5/8 heater hose in a long enough loop that it won't kink, from the top to bottom. I have 2 EFI 5.0 cars with the dual heater pipe setup, and even though the one pipe is smaller than the other, it stills works well in a pinch, until you can either replace or delete the heater core/steel lines. Just don't over-tighten your clamps, and it won't cut into the hose on the smaller diameter pipe.
For some reason, I THINK I remember Autozone having a hose made for that purpose. Check them out. It may have been listed under an '86 to '93 Stang, same difference.
I'll call Autozone tomorrow and see what I can find out. Thanks!!
you need a "U" shaped tube so pick one up at lowes , cut as required.
or......like said....
hook up to one pipe , loop the slack down into the transmission tunnel and come back up into the other pipe. thats whats going on with my 20th right now.
I will add this. It's the 30th today, you posted this on the 28th. You could've spent a few hours and had the core swapped and finished. Winter is approaching, and you're going to need it. Just do the job and get it over with, and don't look back.
I'm already a month late getting my emissions done. Then I need to take my car in and have the front end aligned. Here in Arizona I still have some time before it gets cold and I will need my heater. I have the heater core sitting on my table right behind me, so I'll get on it soon as I get all that done. One other problem I have doing a job like taking my dash apart is my manual. Half the time all it does is give me a list of items to take off. I have to give myself some time because this will be the first time I have ever done this. I also want to group all the interior together because I plan on taking everything out. I want to clean everything (carpet ect.) and I have speakers, speaker wiring, electric window motors, all new set of gauges, maybe new seats, ect. to do. Tomorrow I will put the new intake gasket set on and hopefully the chassis and engine compartment are done for now. I've had 26 years to think about all this, I'll be retired 5 months tomorrow and I have spent about the last 3.5 months 6 days a week on my creeper (I need a lift!!!) working on my car. As you can see, I've spent more time with my car than with my girl. I even forgot her birthday because I spent about 8-9 hours that day working on my car. I'm just saying, I know and understand where your coming from, but I need to get my car legal, and take my girl out for her birthday and for being so patient, (before she decides to put me to the hospital).
I can relate to that.
Go here.......
http://www.coolcats.net/
The heater core can be done in two hours. I did it in less time, but, it can be done. Not a huge deal as most make it out to be. I hope you get the car done so you can sit back and enjoy it.
yeah but you have to dump your cooling and have it re-done.
cars with climate control are done a little differently and air box hardware forces you to take the air box out.
those pics look scary as hell, stewed over this all summer but was too busy with more important things.
good luck,
It seems obvious that 86Cougar has his priorities pretty well thought out. It isn't the destination, but the journey that is important. He can't take his girl out to celebrate her journey until he gets past the emissions test. If that means that she gets a bit of a chill between home and where ever she decides to celebrate, then she can snuggle up next to him... seems pretty well thought out to me. ;)
Enjoy your retirement and your projects, as virtually nothing has a time critical component any more. I am spending my vacation pulling the engine out of my Dad's Exploder, replacing the long block, thoroughly cleaning, stripping and refinishing virtually everything before it goes back in. I only wish that I had the time to get some of these things powder coated instead of painted... eh, maybe next time. ;)
Crazy88,
My Dad pasted away 6 years ago on my birthday. That was actually my present from him to me, after watching him suffer from cancer for 6 years. We talked about building a car, or truck together, but we never did. Your Dad must of did a pretty good job of raising you, or you wouldn't be spending your vacation helping him out. Enjoy!
Here's a quick fix. If the hoses are still attached to the lines just remove them from the heater core, get a metal pipe, and then insert the metal pipe between the two hoses. I did that a few years ago for a couple of weeks till I fixed my heater core. Worked fine.
I'd just go ahead and replace the heater core personally, instead of looping the lines. Like Vinnie said, it takes all of 2 hours to accomplish, even for someone who has never done it before. If you are mechanically inclined enough to do your lower intake gasket, you can do this as well. Just make sure you get a genuine Ford Heater Core, and don't make the mistake of going with a cheap parts store HC, as they end up leaking again in short order. Many other people will tell you the same thing.
Well not exactly a walk in the PARK. We do a good amount of cores on these cars mustangs birds cugars. We do them in 2 1/2 hours. And we have a lot of experience with them. Is it as hard as a LOWER ??? Much harder and if i am correct Ford does not have an OE core as we cant get them. If someone has a source for original cores i would like to know where!!! A lot of the cores are being replaced by aluminun units in the aftermarket and they are good QUALITY. Just saying!!!
:hick::hick:
Well your not saying much. :hick: Maybe you have that hard of a time doing them that it takes you 2 1/2 hours, but not everyone does.... I have very little experience doing them in fox body cars, but I have done 4 of them so far, and it never took me more than 1 1/2 hours of work to get the entire job done. They where some of the easiest heater core R&R's I have ever done in any vehicle. But then again I am young and full of energy, so I tend to get things done fast, lol. Maybe a little harder than doing a lower intake, but the same skill set still applies there, so there's no reason that the man couldn't do it on a leisurely sunday evening in his garage. Even if he doesn't know what exactly to do, he should still be able to get it done in a few hours. Pretty much all the aftermarket heater cores are . Literally 1000's of people on other forums have reported them as starting to leak after only 3-4 months of use, and on cars that only see low-rpm daily driving. So your comments hold no water there.
I am retired now, and like Crazy88 stated "nothing has a time critical component anymore". I'm not running a race. I was once young and full of.... but with time, I've learned to enjoy the few friends I have even more than my cars. For those of you who have reached out and helped me, thou we've never met..."Thank You"!
Thunderjet302,
Good thing I hang on to all the old parts until I'm done and sure I don't need them any more! I found the connector that went between the two hoses (one end smaller that the other, so it's a perfect fit), then I put two new hoses on, both about 6" long, (I did this when I had the manifold on my bench, so I could see what I was doing). Then after I installed the manifold, I pushed the hose against the firewall and shaped it into a square. It fits real nice.