2001 Taurus

I own a 2001 Ford Taurus 3.0 OHV V6. What would cause the heat to not work properly? The engine temp gets into the operating range as it should and the coolant flows well. I’m just not getting more than 10 degree above outdoor air from the heater.
It doesn’t matter where the controls are set,anywhere from defrost to vent makes no difference.

Is the radiator getting hot???

Could be a clogged heater core…or could just just a stuck blending door.

I was leaning toward the blend door myself. I can hear the coolant flowing through the core.

Is the heater’s fan working?

You should not be able to hear the coolant flowing through the heater core, which leads me to suspect that either

  1. the cooling system is low on fluid (DEFINITELY check this…in the radiator, NOT in the reservoir), or
  2. the valve in the heater hose is malfunctioning, allowing less fluid through than it should (very low probability IMHO), or
  3. the heater core is clogged up.

Check these items out and post back.

Check if the blend door actuator is functioning. Common problem on Taurus’s. Here’s how to do that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK7rP49gfio

Tester