Well I found ou someone has removed the heater control valve. Would that cause my symptoms? I guess the bigger problem right now is getting the thing driveable again. It's over heating and not taking coolant. I pulled the top radiator hose and coolant runs out but you can squeeze the heater cor lines and other cooling lines on the engine and they are empty. Should I pull the thermostat and fill from that point? I have never had one that acted like this once I drained the radiator. I really appreciate your help.

 

The hoses may be squeezable if the system is not under pressure from running the engine and heating up the water to get it to pressure.

 

The heater core hoses were dry on the inside. I could hear steam hissing for a couple seconds when I shut her down.

 

I think I had coolant in all along and I had another issue that shut her down. I have been running it non stop after getting home at noon and it seems to be cooling fine. That being said it has shut down on me three more times. When I bought it it needed the R303 relay replaced or the fuse panel replaced. I soldered in a new R303 relay and she has run fine for a month and a half. Now it died like it did when I bought it so I wonder if that relay is getting hot again. I know it's warm to the touch but all the others are that's around it as well. I am trying to get it to die as we speak so I can listen for the fuel pump with my stethoscope. If fuel pump doesn't come on I know that's what it is. It always starts back up after it cools down. I'm just scared of it now; it's my wife's vehicle.

 

I wasn't aware that it's supposed to have a control valve - I thought temperature control was controlled by blend doors?

 

It regulates the flow of coolant to the heater core.

 

If equipped, that's not what its for.

It's there to cut off coolant flow to the heater core when the system is set to the MAX AC setting. The valve's vacuum line is tee'd into the line to the recirculate door vacuum motor so that hot coolant flow is cut off when the control is placed in that position.

Getting rid of a 190+F source of heat in the plenum can lower outlet vent temps by at least 5-10F in the summer.

If it's missing, it ain't the cause of poor heat...