Ford Fiesta Heater Problem

Neil_Brae

I just "inherited" a 2000 Ford Fiesta and the heater doesn't work. Thought it might be the control valve so I temporarily bypassed it with a couple of short pieces of copper pipe. Didn't work. Thought it might be the matrix so I flushed it through and it still doesn't work. So then, I got a bit of hose and bypassed the whole lot....water should come out of the engine, through the pipe that went to the control valve, through my bit of hose and back in again. However, the hose doesn't get hot. There is hardly anything flowing in and out of the engine. However, the radiator gets hot and everything else is working fine. I'm at a total loss. Any ideas?

consumers_revenge

head gasket?

Neil_Brae

I genuinely can't see how it could be the head gasket.

Ganga

Pull the hose off the copper pipe and get someone to start the engine,see if water comes out,might be air locked.

Neil_Brae

Some water comes out but it's not exactly gushing. Moe than a trickle, but not gushing. I took the drain out of the radiator.and fed a hose from a tap down into the block through both of the pipes connected to the heater valve and it pours out of the drain no problem. It's as if whatever is pushing the water through the loop isn't doing so with enough force.

knightstyle

Sounds like the water pump isn't pumping, is the belt OK? If it is look inside the pump.
The radiator can get hot due to water thermosyphoning but could be the thermostat is jammed part open as well.

Ganga

knightstyle wrote: »

Sounds like the water pump isn't pumping, is the belt OK? If it is look inside the pump.
The radiator can get hot due to water thermosyphoning but could be the thermostat is jammed part open as well.

Could be waterpump but not the thermostat as when the engine is up to temp the thermostat opens fully and the heater still works.

Noree

Quite common from my experience. It is normally either the control valve at the scuttle area or the actual heater control panel/dial inside the vehicle. Had a few with that issue and all have been one of the two.

People I know who have worked for Ford or still do have told me this as it is a common problem for those Fiestas.

Also worth double checking the thermostat and obvious symptoms.