Why doesn't my heater get hot?

[codyJDM]

Any suggestions? Thermostat, blockage, idk? I don't know where to start. My A/C is ice cold but my heater doesn't work. Most people have it the other way around haha.

Any help would be appreciated because it is starting to get cold out :nervous:

[Vanilla Sky]

How long have you owned the car? There's a really good chance that the heater core was bypassed by the previous owner if it started to leak. That's what the PO did to our Camaro. $30 and 4 hours later and I had heat again.

[codyJDM]

I've had it a year, bought it from the original owner. It could be, there is a gnarly kinked hose on my firewall that looks goofy as hell. I should check that out.

[markmdz89hatch]

...or it could be a stat that's in need of replacing. If you are stuck in traffic and idling/trolling for a while, does the temp ever go above dead level on your cluster?

That kinked hose could definitely be the cause too.

[russiankid]

Kink=no flow.

[codyJDM]

...or it could be a stat that's in need of replacing. If you are stuck in traffic and idling/trolling for a while, does the temp ever go above dead level on your cluster?

That kinked hose could definitely be the cause too.

Never ever changes. Never has run hot even while driving it cross-country.

[markmdz89hatch]

Never ever changes. Never has run hot even while driving it cross-country.

Ok, then in light of that.

...check out that crimped hose. Russian is right. Kink = No Flow.

[Catalyst]

Man I have the same problem in mine. I have been fighting with it for months. Pretty sure my heater core is just clogged as hell, I have checked everything else. I even took it to my mechanic and he said it was probably the heater core but he wasn't able to try and flush it out becuase all the water lines are frozen at his shop! :(

But, obvious things to check:

-First check out that kinked hose, and make sure someone didn't bypass your heater core.

-Check to make sure the cable that controls the hot water valve is functional, and when you move the COLD / HOT slider back and forth, the valve moves as well. (The valve is located in the middle of the firewall, on the bottom hose that goes to the heater core) It is common for the small cable to come loose from the slider, or where it connects to the valve, so check to make sure it hasn't slipped off.

- Make sure your coolant levels are correct, if your coolant is low, then your heat will most likely not work due to insufficient hot coolant flow to the heater core.

-There could be air in your cooling system, just to to narrow that down, bleed the system and top off your coolant.

-If none of those simple fixes, try flushing / back flushing your heater core. Just take a garden hose, detach both coolant hoses from the core, and attach the hose to one end of the heater core, and run water through it (don't let the pressure get too high, you can rupture your core this way), keep flushing it till the water comes out clean, then attach the hose to the other heater core end, and flush again till the water comes out clean. Repeat that 2 or 3 times.


Good luck man It's getting wicked cold here, and not having a functional heater sucks!

[codyJDM]

Man I have the same problem in mine. I have been fighting with it for months. Pretty sure my heater core is just clogged as hell, I have checked everything else. I even took it to my mechanic and he said it was probably the heater core but he wasn't able to try and flush it out becuase all the water lines are frozen at his shop! :(

But, obvious things to check:

-First check out that kinked hose, and make sure someone didn't bypass your heater core.

-Check to make sure the cable that controls the hot water valve is functional, and when you move the COLD / HOT slider back and forth, the valve moves as well. (The valve is located in the middle of the firewall, on the bottom hose that goes to the heater core) It is common for the small cable to come loose from the slider, or where it connects to the valve, so check to make sure it hasn't slipped off.

- Make sure your coolant levels are correct, if your coolant is low, then your heat will most likely not work due to insufficient hot coolant flow to the heater core.

-There could be air in your cooling system, just to to narrow that down, bleed the system and top off your coolant.

-If none of those simple fixes, try flushing / back flushing your heater core. Just take a garden hose, detach both coolant hoses from the core, and attach the hose to one end of the heater core, and run water through it (don't let the pressure get too high, you can rupture your core this way), keep flushing it till the water comes out clean, then attach the hose to the other heater core end, and flush again till the water comes out clean. Repeat that 2 or 3 times.


Good luck man It's getting wicked cold here, and not having a functional heater sucks!

Turns out the heater core is bypassed! Which probably means it leaks and I'm gonna be pulling my dash soon. It snowed the past 2 days very lightly in my area and driving without heat is MISERABLE! I am freezing everywhere I go.

Thanks for the suggestions man :)

[nswst8]

Get yourself a 12v power heater, until you get the heater core swapped.

[Rendon LX-i]

Its like me driving my 78 chev like that lol...SUCKS ASS no defrost lol my head out the window...

[89sei89dx]

u guys should check this outhttp://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp186/gettinthechewin/1217081337a.jpgrecently my friends hyandai whaatever heater broke so i modded a 3 g blower motor to fit hhis car cause he is a cheap ass BASTARD aand when i had it apart i seen this thing. it is like a toaster element in our heater. it reallly needs to be chhecked thhis one is out of one of my 89 coupes>http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp186/gettinthechewin/1217081340.jpghttp://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp186/gettinthechewin/1217081339a.jpgi was good with how hot my super heater,as my children refer to it,was. till i seen this. now im afraidhttp://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp186/gettinthechewin/1217081340.jpg

[89sei89dx]

those pics are after i cleaned some of the stuff out of the way to take pics of this thing inside and then when i realized what it was i lleft the rest for the pics. http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp186/gettinthechewin/minee.jpgthats thhe car this came out of. its hellaa dirty. with 16 205 40. so u know

[A18A]

oh cool!

[Oldblueaccord]

Thats the resistors for the fan. Thats what gives you 4 speeds on a DC motor.

wp

[nfs480]

Yeah, that coil is the blower motor resistor. When I lost the third speed on my blower I had to replace that to get it working again.