I have a 2011 Ford Taurus with 32k miles. I'm having a problem with the heater where when I accellerate I can feel the heat come on strong and when I come to a idle the heat turns to cold. IIf I drive on the freeway I get contastant heat until I come to a stop at the off ramp then the heat turns noticeably colder.

Just had the car at dealer and the following was reported:
* Coolant Reservoir showing proper coolant level and is Green
* Temp at block was showing that the thermostat was opening
* Temp Gauge in Car remains in middle. No fluctation
* No visible leaks around water pump
* Oil shows no signs of coolant contamination on dipstick
* Upper Radiator hose is hot
* Lower Radiator hose is cold
* Upper Hose at firewall going to Heater Core is warm
* Lower Radiator hose is hose at firwall going into Heater Core is hot.

Was advised by Tech that this is normal behavior and that there wasn't anything he could do. Was told he would contact Ford for any possible solutions.

Figured I would post this issue here to see if anyone else had similiar issue and what they did to fix it.

Any help would be appreciated as my other Ford puts out hot air regardless if I'm sitting idle or on the freeway. Literally no difference.

 

some system designs do indeed have better heat output at higher engine rpms due to the water pump circulating more coolant than at idle. That being said; it is also a symptom of low coolant level or air in the cooling system.
The best for a dealer to confirm this would be to try another taurus of the same year, engine and compare.

 

Thanks for the reply. If the coolant level is in normal operating range in the reservoir tank is it possible that the coolant in the radiator is low? I don't see a radiator cap on the radiator.

If there is air in the cooling system is there a procedure for how to remove air in the system?

Thanks again for the advice.

 

was the car like this since new or is this something that just occured?...maybe after the cooling system was opened during service ie water pump replacement, fixing a coolant leak

some new products have heater hose lines that are high up and air will always migrate to the highest part of the system. This cannot be seen when looking at the coolant reservoir level. When these systems are filled with coolant; vacuum filling is the best option to ensure air is not trapped in the system.

Chevy U-vans and W-body cars were bad for this. I would drain the rad and vacuum fill the system only after confirming that this symptom is not typical for this model.

 

We are the second owners of the car. We did have it serviced last summer as the air conditioning was not blowing cold air. Discovered there was a bent air conditioning line that we had to replace. Tech advised that maybe the car was in a accident or hit something as the radiator seemed new compared to all other parts on the car. So maybe during this repair there was trapped air in the system.

The coolant reservoir line goes to side of radiator about 1/2 down. So if there was expansion to the top of the radiator then maybe there would be air there. The coolant is bright green and is at the normal level marks on the tank. I took the cap off the reservoir and can squeeze top radiator line and there is air pushing the coolant as I can see it moving in the spare tank.

How can you vacumm fill these systems? We are at a lost for words as everything checks out at the dealer and I'm not into just replacing parts to replace parts.

The water pump looks original and not replaced.

Symptom again is: Start car and let is idle for 5-10 min. Once operating Temp is in middle, turn heat to 80 degrees with blower fan on highest setting. Air is cold coming out of vents until we begin to drive the car in which it blows out hot air. Once vehicle comes to a stop at light, cold air comes out again. Once we leave start our decent the vehicle blows our hot air again. If we are driving on the freeway then the heat blows constant hot air. This may be the way it is and I guess we'll have to live with it. Just doesn't seem normal.

 

maybe other 2011 taurus owner's here can confirm if this abnormal.

If yes, I would have the system drained and vacuum filled. A manual fill and thermocyle will not fix it. A $200 vacuum filling tool is required.

 

Ouch! $200 to refill the coolant system. Hopefully there is someone with a 2011 Ford Taurus that confirm this heat issue for me before I start pouring money into this.

 

I don't have a 2011, but this is not normal. I have a hunch it is not a coolant issue, it may be a 'blending door' issue. For some reason the blending door or valve, that is what mixes the cold outside air to give you the right temperature of air comming out the heater vents is changing position with changing engine speeds. I don't know if this particular car has a vacuum controlled or electronic controlled system. The vacuum may be changing with changing engine speeds, or the electical system charge may be changing with changing engine speeds, thus the blending door is moving with the changing engine speeds.
Do you have this problem if you select 'MAX' ? since 'max' does not bring in any outside air. If the air stay's constant hot on 'max' you have a 'blending door' problem.

 

Hmm. thanks for this update. Never thought about it being a electrical issue.

The car is not set to "Auto Climate Control" it is on manual mode with all air directed through dash vents.

STEPS
I set the Temp to 90 degrees.
Turn fan all the way up on high.
Once Temp gauge is in middle I take it for a drive.
When driving the vehicle and foot is on the gas I get very hot air.
When car comes to a stop at light or stop sign I can feel the air get colder.
When I take off again I get a lot of hot air.

Now once vehicle has been running for quite some time and I come to a stop I do get hot air coming out of vents but it is not like the hot air when I put my foot on the gas. This air I can barely keep my hand in front of the vents its that hot.

Not sure what this can be. The tech at the Dealer didn't know either and was going to send a email to Ford asking for direction on what to do. Not sure how long this takes but hopefully it can be resolved. I guess if they can't fix I will have to live with it.

The cars these days are so sophisticated and complex that I'm finding the tech in the garages check the basic things and if they don't know they have to ask the Manufacturer.

Could be a vacuum issue if this blend door is controlled by vacuum. Would explain the variances in the temp when foot is on the gas and not.

Where I would even start to look is beyond me. Not even sure where the blend door is.

 

Update: received call from service manager who stated that Ford could not provide any info. Was told that the engine idles very low at 600 rpm and since the water pump runs off timing chain that there isnt enough rpms to force the hot coolant through heater core thus thats why you feel cooler air. When engine rpms go up then there is enoughvolume to force the hot coolant through the heater core. I guess this makes sense but isnt a good design.