Well, after a few 6,000rpm blasts...BOOM...instantly huge, billowing clouds of thick white smoke starting coming out from under my hood...after a quick sniff I new exactly what that problem was...my new Auto Zone heater core(GDI) went ka-BOOM with no warning signs of any sort, the heater box drain was shooting a nice stream of antifreeze on my headers...lovely. It's only been about 2-3 months...WTF...I'm picking up a new Ford unit from my local Ford dealer tomorrow....
Question...I heard somebody on one of the mustang forums talkin about putting restrictors of some sort in the heater hoses? I've never heard of that...anybody know what the deal is?
Thanks,
Don
The restrictor is necessary to reduce the pressure in the heater core as they are only designed for 20psi max. IT is basically a bolt type slug (no threats) jammed in the "hot" heater hose, before the junction with the core. If your heater hose doesn;t have the restrictor, go to your junk hardward tin find a bolt you can jam in the hose and secure it with a clamp, loosly around the hose.
I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, but a cheep heater core + no pressure reducer + water pump turning 6000rpm = your situation exactly. For the replacement I strongly recomend the Ford OEM core, avaliable only from a dealer.
Thats not a good sign. Considering I bought an Auto Zone heater Core. I have yet to put it in. The reducer what exactly does it look like? I wanna do it right the first time.
Most heater cores come with that restrictor.I bought one from a radiator shop and it had the little plastic restrictor in the box and even had directions on how to put it in.Its just a round piece of hard plastic that fits in the inlet of teh heater core.
Thanks,
Chris
Ford sells the restrictors, and they are always equipped that way from the factory on Police-package vehicles. I guess the assumption is that a police car will probably see a lot of full-throttle and high RPM operation.
Definitley a good idea to have one installed.
Collage: the restrictor (metal case with rubber washer inside) that comes inside heater hose #E7SZ-18472-A
Picture: Metal (or plastic) slug in the heater core inlet pipe that does pretty much the same job.
.
I asked the guy at ford about the restrictors today and he looked at me like I had 3 eyes. Perhaps a new radiator cap would help also...they're cheap enough.
cougrrr302...take it right back to autozone for a refund and get a ford unit...only cost me 49.02 after tax from Echelon Ford in Stratford, NJ.
I've bought an Autozone, AC Delco, and Motorcraft core...none of them came with a restrictor.
Sick88Tbird, just give them the part # MasterBlaster gave out. I gave them part #E7VY-18D358-A, but they said it was discontinued.
PPI caries them too. http://www.performancepartsinc.com/engine.htm
I just did this project in October and the core I received from Ford did not have the restrictor. Since my hoses were jacked up, I also purchased new molded hoses. The large hose came with the restrictor already installed and the parts guy had no idea that it came with the restrictor. Dont install without one!!!
I need to check to see if it has a restrictor. Can you buy just a restrictor?? I might take it back, but thats and hour drive. Autozone isnt too close to me.
Your AutoZone core will not have a restrictor in it. You can't buy one at local parts stores. You need to go to a Ford dealer or order from PPI.
Under no cirspoogestances should you put in the AutoZone core, unless you want to redo the job again.
Well I must have lucked out then, but I didnt buy it from any of the places you stated.Maybe they throw it in the box but it had insturctions on how to put it in.
Thanks,
Chris
...which is for the hose that has the restrictor in it, not the actual restrictor.
Any wreckers in your area? Take a small knife, and get one out of a car there. It will be inside the large heater hose at the back of the engine, just past where the hose clamps onto the engine's pipe. You'll be able to feel the bulge. That half of the hose may still be attached to the engine, if they remove them all first. Slice it out, then go pay for it. Don't just put it in your sock and stroll out, you naughty boy!
.
Didn't Tom once say he used an old socket as a restrictor?
Uh oh I don't know if my mechanic put one of those in when he did mine earlier this year. I'm going to go check mine to see if it's there.
Again, just jam a bolt or socket or some object with a hole in it in the "hot" heater hose.
Yeah, again the ford guys at the dealership thought I was off my rocker. I just got a brass pipe thread adapter...internal and external threads...it's nice because it's a perfect fit and the hex end is just big enough to keep it from going all the way in the heater core but still small enough to get the hose over. It was $2...woo-hoo...The AutoZone part number for that piece is 321106...if anybody needs it. It's supposed to be around 50* here tomorrow so we'll see how she goes....hell the project is still fresh in my head since it wasn't that long ago that I replaced it.
I used a cable stop. It's an aluminum plug with a 1/4" hole in the middle, and the 11/16" outer diameter allowed it to fit perfectly in the inlet pipe of my aftermarket heater core. Granted, it was just too big for the oem core, but even so, it will fit in the 5/8" hose. It was under $2 for two from Ace Hardware.