Like a lot of late model F150 owners... I have never been pleased with the A/C in my 2004 F150 Scab... at best on a cool day it would blow only 49 degress with MAX A/C in Recirc mode... on FAN 4
Meanwhile my 2000 F150 will blow 37 degrees when its 110 out...

Ive done tons of research on this problem ... being that I live in Phoenix.. and it was 115 out today... and as Im driving around in my $30,000 truck beads of sweat are dripping out....

anyways what Ive noticed for a while now.... is that the heater core is always hot... there is no shutoff valve's on the heater hose inlet to disable the heater when you run the A/C..... so even though the airflow is bypassing the heater core... the heater core itself it still hot as hell inside your cab and radiating heat into cab....

so I went to home depot... bought a 1/2 ball valve... and a 1/2 x 6in long brass nipple..

I then cut the nipple right in half... making two pieces... ( one side without threads which I used as the hose side.. after rounding sharp edges off)


now thread your two halfs into the ball valve... and cut heater hose (inlet side) in a nice straight area out of the way .. and insert ball valve inline of heater hose.. add a couple hose clamps...


anyways .. I just did a road test

with a thermometer in one of the middle vents... the lowest temp it would read today was 50 degrees driving down freeway.. ( temp gauge on dash read 115 ).. and it would go up to as high as 60 in town.. stop and go...



now an hour later with shut off valve inline of heater hose... it is reading 39 degrees... dash temp still said 115 while driving down freeway... and in town it didnt go above 45...


That is much more like it!.... Why would ford design such a stupid system is beyond me... my ole 80 toyota pickup had an inline heater control valve... that is where I got the Idea... just baffled on why I didnt do this 3 years ago...

 

so do you have to close the valve for the summer then open it when you want heat? pics would be great

 

pics?

 

Very nice mod. Props to you for figuring something like this out and having awsome results.

Im not an A/C man, but for the guys that love to have it freezing in the cab this is a great idea.

 

Which one is the inlet side?

 

Pics!

 

oh please post pics. I am having trouble visualizing some of this.

 

yeah its been hot here in az lately....

id like some pics too

 

Man im still cruising in Phoenix with all 4 windows down and A/C off. Cowboy up!

Then again I had all 4 windows down all winter too, even at night when it was coldest.

Oh well, thats just me. A/C in my truck has been on 3 times since I got it last August :lol

 

Come down to Turlock Josiah and I can fix you up right. I did the same thing on my Bronco when I had it... it really is a simple mod. I may have to practice on your truck and then I can do mine.

 

Please , pics. Great mod.

 

Sounds like a great solution! I have a question though. Will stopping the coolant circulation through the heater core cause it to corrode or stop up sooner? Could that be the reason they kept the coolant flowing, or where they just cutting cost?

 

pics please i have no idea where i would find the heater core

 

Great mod, post pics!

 

As the others have said pics would be great.