No hot air

turn the temperature up to the hot to blend the hotter temperature

Personally I woulod get rid of any van,I wouldn't take
a brand new on for free

I think you have you know we can't guess at much & you
most like have the start of a head gasket issue

The transaxles on those are the worst ever made,the failure
rate is real bad

Have it diagnosed & don't get put any money into it

It's a van,15 years old,Ford Product with issues

You got nothing going there

Heater core sounds clogged take the two heater hoses off (usually easiest on eng side) just put garden hose pressure thru both sides till comes out clear reconnect hoses top off antifreeze... Hope this helps!!!! Good luck!!! Remember if the car is hot there will be pressure on the hoses!!!!

Sure the engine coolant will be warmer than the outside temperture and if the car has been sitting a long time in cold weather and the outside temperture warms up it could be the other way around. The coolant temperture sensers aren't real accurate as they are a relaitive senser beween hot and cold and the numbers reported don't have to be real just the change from hot to cold and the reching of the coolant to the operating temperture. Noe it the senser doesn't read the opertating temperture coprrectly you'll have all kinds of problems. The therostaste will try to set the temperture of the water to it's set temperture and can open or close completly to get 195 degrees F. Many times if it's too cold then the stat is bad and needs to be replaced This shows up in alot of cars first thing after winter and the first onset of cold weather when the daily tempertures vary the most from day to night.

replace your thermostat - it's stuck open

it could be the cold air blend door or the thermostat is the engine temp up to the middle of the gauge or close to it if so then thermostat is ok if not then go ahead and replace it.

Heater control valve malfunction will not cause engine to overheat unless coolant is leaking externally...Overheating going down the road can be the result of a few different things...Partly clogged radiator...Insufficient air flow due to possible fan problem...External coolant leak...Make sure fans are operting properly and have cooling system pressure tested for leaks...Gaining and losing heat on the inside of the vehicle usually means system is low on coolant but you must find out where coolant is going

first, you need to check if you have coolant in the reservoir, if it is very low or none, then you need to top it up and bleed the system by undoing a hose clip, preferably a heater hose, and pull it away slightly so it starts to leak, you should see air come out, when its just coolant , refit and tighten the hose clip. run the engine and see if it blows hot. You should also check to see where the water leaks are and rectify them.
Hope this helps

There are four sensors for ambient tempurature and they work in unison to provide information to the temp reading on the dash, the heater control head ( where to direct air, blending of warm/cold/outside/inside air flapper controls) depending on the ambient temp and the inside air temp sensor located just above the radio as well as the sun sensor on the top of the dash as well as the a/c compressor head.

When you start your car, the body control module takes the readings from all sensors, outside air temp located in front of the radiator, air temp sensor located in the airbox ( senses temp of air being drawn in from the outside into the air box), coolant temp, inside air temp sensor and the sun sensor on top of the dash (this is why it takes a few seconds for the climate control system to begine when you start the car). The intake air sensor is 1st priority, inside air second, coolant third, ambient 4th and sun 5th. For instance, if the sun sensor reads the sun is hot but the interior sensor reads cold, the inside akes priority. The goal is for the system to achieve a tempurature inside the car that matches the selected temp. It uses all of the sensors to set the system up to achieve that goal as quickly as possible.

Example; Its mid afternoon, sunny and 40 degrees outside adn your in stop and go traffic. The intake sensor reads 40 degrees, the outside sensor reads 60 degrees (heat from radiator...engine heat protrudes into cabin) and the sun sensor reads high (sun is strong). The system is set for 72. priority one sensor reads 40, inside sensor reads 65, ambient reads 60= system will blow hot air to the floor out put, dash outlets will lightly flow 65 degree air so the sun doesnt roast you yet your feet are cold(if it blew hot air from all outlets, your upper body would be hot but your legs/feet would be cold). as the interior sensor reaches desired temp, air will be distrubuted through thee dash, defrost and floor with the warmest air coming out the floor and defrost, coolest air out the dash vents. Its a complex system!

The two sensors that will screw the system up the most are the intake and interior sensors. the system will function reasonably well with just those two sensors though it wont blend air temps between outlets if the sun sensor isnt working. If the outside sensor fails, it simply uses the intake sensor, if the intake sensor fails it will rely on the front sensor. However, since the intake takes priority over the outside sensor, if the intake sensor sends incorrect resistance info rather than failing, it will take priority and cause the unit to malfunction such as in your case.

The intake air sensor can be changed from the outside with patience. If it where me, I would pay the two hrs labor and let the dealer do it right.

Kevin,
Kevins Small Engine service,
South Berwick ME. 03908

Ok, judging from what you've said it sounds like a vacuum issue. The temperature controls are activated by vacuum which is produced by the engine. Look for small hoses that lead from the intake manifold to the firewall, check them and make sure they are not broken, disconnected, or leaking.  The vacuum directly controls the doors inside your dashboard which push the air to the heater core. Also make sure that the coolant hoses going to and from the firewall are hot.  If all that checks out, then the controls inside the car may have gone bad, or may have become disconnected from the vacuum supply, or the actuator door inside the dash is stuck or broken.