1995 Ford Ranger Heater Core Mist

FORD RANGER
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DEBBIE COLLIER
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I have a 1995 Ford Ranger 4 cylinder manual drive pick up that has 225 thousand miles on it. Everything is original parts but the transmission. Recently my son drove my truck with a trailer hitched to the back and the trailer was loaded. He drove the truck too fast and it caused the truck to over heat to the point that the reservoir was boiling water and the cap blew off. Once the truck cooled down we replaced the coolant and added a little water to the reservoir. But ever since then my truck runs hot if I have my air conditioning on. The last couple of times that I have turned my air on, there seems to be a heavy, heavy mist coming out of the vents and it gets to a point that I cannot see to drive and have to pull over and wipe off the windshield. Today, the mist was so bad that it was coming out of the air vents inside my truck even though I didn't have the air on at all. And it seemed to be worse if I did turn the air on and had it on cold. I had to drive with my windows down just to be able to see. My clothes felt damp and there are places where it felt slick to the touch. What is causing this and what can be done to fix this and the fact that it is running hot when the air is on?
Jun 26, 2006 at 3:23 AM
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TAURUSWHEEL
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Antifreeze stink???? Overheat is the worst possible thing that can happen to your vehicle, right up there with running out of oil... possibly your heater core sprung a leak, that would be the mist, however you could smell the antifreeze...
Jun 26, 2006 at 10:57 AM
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DEBBIE COLLIER
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yes the smell is something that i cannot describe and the mist is slick to the touch. it is coming out from under the dash, the air vents even when i don't have the fan going and i have turned off the air all together. i have to keep a window down or the back glass opened in order to be able to see to drive. when i got home last night the reservoir had no water (50/50 coolant) in it at all. a friend checked the radiator and it was low but not much. will this hurt the truck if i don't get it fixed until next week? as long as i keep an eye out for overheating? I was afraid that i was smelling the freon or whatever that stuff is now that is put in air conditioning for cold air.
Jun 27, 2006 at 3:44 AM
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TAURUSWHEEL
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Well, if you're going to wait, I would loosen the radiator cap so it's only hanging on, you'll feel the detent, that way no pressure will build up in the system, might cut down on the fogging problem,, make sure your rad is not full though, it'll make a mess when it heats up and expands,, keep the level down a bit, you should be fine, careful with the overheat though,,, antifreeze has a sticky feeling, it'll smear easily, hard to clean up.. I don't believe it's freon, that'll exhaust itself in a second,,, check your a\c compressor, see if it's locking and unlocking,, with low freon it won't come on, designed that way to protect itself..
Jun 27, 2006 at 10:39 AM
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DEBBIE COLLIER
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I don't want to wait but finances is causing me to do so. i was thinking that someone messed up when they took the dash out to rewire and hook up a new light switch and signal switch. because this started happening right after that. should i worry about not having any water in the reservoir? yesterday i checked the radiator and it was low. it took half of gallon of water to cap it off. but this afternoon i will check it again and not cap it off and do as you suggested and leave the radiator cap loose. i drive in stop and go traffic for about 10 miles then it is pretty much okay as far as traffic is concerned. it's been pretty hot here and i worry about overheating and not finding a place to pull over. is a heater core expensive? is it something a 'shade tree mechanic' could do? since it ran as hot as it did that time my son had the truck should i check out the thermostat, too?
Jun 28, 2006 at 12:38 AM
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TAURUSWHEEL
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No prob with the reservoir, the purpose of the reservoir, or closed system, is to keep air out which in theory will prolong the life of the rad and associated parts, less corrosion.. a heater core itself is cheap, the real $$$$ are spent in getting to it,, not familiar with the logistics of working on a Ranger, however I can tell you that the price, from my local Ford dealer, to replace a heater core in a Taurus would probably be in the $600 range, due to the complexity of accessing it, it can be done by a reasonably competent person, but I would recommend having a service manual available so you can make sure nothing is missed, sometimes there's things hiding under the dash that need to be moved or a screw or nut that's hidden, plus you may have to dis and recharge the a\c also..
Jun 28, 2006 at 11:16 AM
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DEBBIE COLLIER
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I want to thank you for your advice regarding the radiator cap. that worked beautifully going home and coming into work, especially. i have my work cut out for me now in trying to get the problem resolved without it costing an arm and a leg!
Jun 29, 2006 at 12:23 AM
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Suggested Repair

A leaking heater core is the likely cause of the slick, strong-smelling mist after the severe overheat. Confirm coolant loss and residue, then replace the heater core using a service manual; the part is inexpensive but dash access is labor-intensive and the A/C may need discharge and recharge. Until repaired, leave the radiator cap loose, keep the radiator slightly low, and closely monitor coolant level and temperature. Low refrigerant is unlikely if the compressor does not engage.

Conversation Summary

A 1995 Ford Ranger overheated while towing, then ran hot with the A/C on and began blowing a heavy, slick-smelling mist from the vents even with the fan and A/C off, fogging the windshield and emptying the coolant reservoir. The expert identified antifreeze from a leaking heater core rather than refrigerant, advised loosening the radiator cap and keeping the coolant level slightly low to reduce pressure until repair, and noted that heater-core replacement is inexpensive in parts but costly in labor. The owner reported the loose-cap advice reduced the fogging.

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