97 Heater Core Question

[pkr505]

Dad has a '97 Ranger and I know the heater core is bad. Spilling water all in the passenger footwell. For some reason though he has a hangup about it being hooked up wrong. I believe I've read the 2 hoses that go to it from that valve can't be hooked up backwards correct? My real question is though I see a nozzle under the hood sticking out of the firewall just under where the heater core hoses connect. Nothing is connected to it though and if there is something that is supposed to be I have no clue where it would go. I figured it was just an overflow drain or something, but I wanted to verify this. Thanks.

 

[MAKG]

I can only guess, but there should be an evaporator drain somewhere around there if you have A/C.

The way to tell a plugged evap from a blown heater core is the smell. Heater cores smell distinctly sweet (unless the owner is a few cards short of a deck and uses only water in the cooling system), and plugged evaps often smell musty.

About the only way "hooking it up wrong" could cause a heater core to leak is by severely overtightening the hose clamps. Even then, it will usually leak to the outside.