The only way to check it is when it is not running and it does spin free as it should. What is not known is what happens when it is running. How do you test or evaluate under a running condition?? Could replace at a cost but do not have any evidence that I should do that.
Thanks,
Les
Econoline vans are cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Thatās just the nature of the beast. I have owned several. Hanging a curtain behind the seats can improve the situation considerably. And keeping the dog house properly situated and held tightly in place will also help.
As for the fan clutch and the performance of the radiator, they have no way of overcoming the operation of the thermostat to make the engine run cooler.
No, but it would if the heater core were undersized.
RKās comment above is a good thing to consider. The heater core recirculates the air, heats it a little more each pass, and in a van (as compared to a pick-up) thereās a lot of air to recirculate, so thereās a lot of passes to get the whole interior heated up. The heater core can only heat the incoming air a certain number of degrees each pass. In the van, the incoming air to the heater core may just be too cold for the heater core to heat it up to the same temperature as in the OPs truck, even tho the coolant temps are similar.
Hi George,
My understanding is to the contrary, that the outside air is a one pass or is being pulled through the heater core all the time. By what pathway would the air be recirculated??. If it is to be recirculated and is not then that would explain a lot.
Actually I thought on Max Cool A/C it was recirculated as opposed to being one pass.
Sorry, please advise.
Thanks,
Les
Yes, max cool is generally recirculated air. At least thatās how it is on the typical vehicles Iāve encountered. In fact, on many cars, when you put the system into max cool mode, you can see the recirc symbol appear on the display, or the recirc led will light up, even though you didnāt press it
On most vehicle Iād guess the hvac system recirculates the air in standard heat mode too. Thereās probably settings where it allows more or less fresh air in, but for the mode where you want to get as much heat as possible, it is in recirculate mode. ārecirculateā, not to be taken that literally, w/either cooling or heating, thereās always some fresh air coming in.
George,
After viewing many diagrams and looking at the hardware the āoutside air/recirculate doorā only functions on my E-150 van when the āMax Coolā switch is on and the vacuum line is activated. Otherwise it is always pulling in fresh outside air.
If a fan clutch is stuck in the engaged position, would it not make the engine run cool? Admittedly, I havenāt seen this very often, but I have seen it, and I have seen it keep a vehicle from getting up to operating temp.
@able_1
a way to check the fan clutch (and otehrs may have a better way,) - reach in and give it a spin with your hand when the engine is off. it should spin pretty freely when the engine is cold.
then take it for a drive, get the van up to operating temp, shut it off, and then wait 30-45 minutes and give it another spin. it should be fairly free spinning.
No. A stuck fan clutch cannot cause the engine to run cool any more than driving faster would would cause the engine to run cooler. Cooler being below the threshold of a functioning thermostat.
I think I have found the reason for some confusion on whether this van needs a round rubber O-ring or not.
I donāt recall th OP saying which engine it has, it came with a V6 or 2 V8s. The V8s use a round O-ring, the V6 does not.
hmm ā¦ well if thatās the case, it seems an unusual design, especially for a van, to require the heater to have to bring in 100% outside air ā which might be -20 degree F in the winter ā up to a comfortable temperature of +72 deg F, all in one pass. Then send it immediately back outside. My Corolla has a separate control for recirculate or fresh air, independent of heating vs cooling mode, which works, very similar to the first (mechanical) design shown in the following link.
Even in recirculate mode of course there is always some fresh air coming in. Required for safety reasons, so gas fumes canāt build up.
This van as the 4.2L V6.
That set-up doesnāt seem to be an unusual hvac control design for a modern car. Most newer cars have something similar from what I observe in rental cars, riding in other peopleās cars etc. I think there is more heat-mode recirculation going on than may be shown in the diagrams in your manuals tho, They probably focus more on the functionality of the non-recirculate mode for the AC, where that is critical to the AC systemās performance, and skip over exactly what happens in heat mode. The following link tho tends to confirm what you say, there is less recirculation done in winter-time heat mode, due to window fogging problems otherwise. So the amount of winter-time recirculation is a compromise between faster heating and window fogging.
http://worldclassautoservice.com/use-cars-recirculation-button/
Well, Iāll second the stuck engaged fan clutch resulting in overcooling. Not all designs may succumb to this but Iāve had one on a GM truck do that. Stuck engaged, roaring away, engine below operating temp until clutch replacedā¦could have been due to a combination of factors including ambient temp, amount of work the engine was doing i.e. heat being produced etcā¦
Maybe taking a poll can decide what the truth is.
Iāll leave that to you. Thought you might be interested in someone that had actually experienced something different than what you thought might be possible.
Mine was in an International truck.
As I said earlier that the fan does rotate by hand (as in not locked) when engine is off. With no physical way to test when running I am left with assuming it is ok. I have checked others and they seem the same.
Just to confirm. It rotates by hand but does not free spin as a motor fan would do.
There is some resistance to some degree.
IF it is to free spin then that would not what it is doing.
Most of this is opinions of normal.
Since there is no real normal in this world, we can only hope to get as close as we can. 
Thanks,
Les
