How do you replace a heater control valve 2005 Lincoln ls?

Answer 1

Replacing the heater control valve is surprisingly easy. First off, the engine needs to be cold or you'll burn yourself. Second, get a pair of pliers. I used 6 in. needle nose pliers...the cheapest I could find. In retrospect...I would have used better pliers, preferably the type that lock.

Make sure to get coolant from the store, because you're going to lose quite a bit when you take out the valve. You should drain your coolant completely since it's toxic and sweet tasting to animals that come across it and drink it up. I didn't drain mine...but I should have. I did however wash it away.

Disconnect the wiring harness that goes into the valve before you start.

I disconnected the hose running to the radiator first. It's in the way, so go ahead and save yourself some sanity and move it. After that, go to work on the top two hoses that are going into the valve itself. I used pliers to open the clamps and worked them back far enough to pull the hose loose. This is where, if you are like me, the engine coolant starts to pour out.

At this point, in order to make the draining process faster, remove the cap from the coolant reservoir tank. It's in the top and to the right of the engine compartment.

Now that you've done that, go ahead and remove the second of the two top hoses going into the valve. If you still have coolant pouring out, wait until it's finished to proceed.

Once the coolant has stopped draining. Get a small ratchet with an 8mm socket to remove the bolt that's holding the valve in place. Yes, you're doing this before unclamping the third hose. Reason is, at least on my car, the clamp was upside down and I couldn't loosen it from the top.

With the valve unmounted from the engine compartment, disconnect the third and final hose.

When installing the new valve, just work backwards from the way you removed the old one.

I only had to add a little less than a gallon of coolant back into my engine. Add it slowly to avoid air bubbles in the line.

Replace the fuse, if it blew in the first place, for the valve. It's in the fuse box in the engine compartment. It's the 10 amp fuse on the top left...the very first fuse. As soon as I replaced the fuse, I heard the valve click.

Congratulations! You have just saved yourself an untold amount of money by doing this on your own. I am no mechanic, I'm not great with cars. If you can change oil, you can install this part.