2003 Steam in cabin after DCCV repair | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models

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2003 Steam in cabin after DCCV repair

J

Joe Serpico

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Thunderbird Year
2003
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Sup TBird guys
looking for maybe some free advice
Fairly new to the scene
Got a 03 Bird
Love it. Had a no heat issue and diagnosed a bad DCCV
I did the DCCV job. Not terrible, and it solved the problem. Heat is good now. However….
I am getting some steam in the engine compartment ( very little, and so far cannot locate the source) everything is dry. No obvious leaks, double checked my work and all is good. Also my gauge has not moved from very center ( safe zone ).
The smell of AF is a little more obvious in the car when the heat is on. But I don’t think it’s a heater core. I have no steam or fogging in the car and nothing on the floor.
Also if the core was bad, would I have steam in the engine compartment?
I feel I didn’t properly refill the coolant system, or burb it. I understand system in these cars are difficult to bleed ?
Your thoughts?

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Why did you title your post "2003 T-Bird" ? Nobody will know what your post is about. Moving forward following the posting prompts seen below. Your title has been updated to reflect what your post is about.
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That is a unique problem. But I think you are correct in making sure to get all the air out of the coolant system after doing any repairs that open the system. These cars are very sensitive to air in the coolant system, thus the detailed "burping" procedure in the shop manual. There are also some detailed youtube videos on the subject for both the retro T-Bird and the Lincoln LS. ( same system).

 
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Steam and the A/F smell suggest that you're having a leakage problem and not just a failure to purge air. Have you done a pressure test? The'plastic' cooling components on these cars are notoriously prone to small hairline cracks; they can be difficult to find but allow small amount to coolant to be lost and then for air to seep back in. This can make it look like the system wasn't properly purged, when in fact it's just the hairline leaks that are letting air back into the system. How many miles since the 'plastic' cooling components were replaced? Sounds like you may be due for a proactive replacement of all the usual culprits; when one goes bad, the others aren't likely far behind. The usual suspects for your 2003 include the white plastic 'degas' bottle (at the cowl) and the black plastic components at the front of the block, including the upper and lower hoses (rubber ends but plastic in between), the crossover assembly, thermostat cover, black fill cap, and the 45 degree tube that runs between the crossover assembly and the top of the block (which is a bear to replace, and likely requires removal of the intake).
 
Update👍🏻
After some research and input from the Thunderbird forums, this morning I set out to purge the system. At first I went to buy the vacuum / neg pressure kit but it requires a compressor capable of 90psi (constant). My compressor is not capable so I bit the bullet and called the local rad/heat/ac shop. 2 weeks for an appointment 😳. So I did it the old fashioned way. Started the car in the driveway. Both rad caps off. Heat on , both sides full blast. Slowly filled the reservoir. The cap by the t-stat started to spill out so I closed it. Continued to fill the reservoir while occasionally squeezing to rad hoses, until it was 2 1/2 inches from the top. System took about 3/4 gallon. Took about 30 minutes total. Problem solved. I did a visual inspection of all the components that were mentioned, plastics, reservoir, hoses and connections. All looks exceptionally good. Drove to DYI car wash to wash off undercarriage, and clean the car. Then about 50 mile round trip ( errands ) heat on , heat off , starts and stops. No more steam, no odors.
👍🏻
 
Joe Serpico said:
So I did it the old fashioned way. Started the car in the driveway. Both rad caps off. Heat on , both sides full blast. Slowly filled the reservoir. The cap by the t-stat started to spill out so I closed it. Continued to fill the reservoir while occasionally squeezing to rad hoses, until it was 2 1/2 inches from the top. System took about 3/4 gallon. Took about 30 minutes total. Problem solved.
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As previously posted, this is how to do it correctly for this engine.

 
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