Heater dosent work

[Dave84]

my heater dosent work, it was chilly this morning and i turned my heater on and it constently blows cold air even after 20 mins, everything is hooked up and you can hear all the vaccume flaps working in the dash. any idea's how to fix this?

[gabegt90]

is the heater core good?

[Dave84]

it should be good its all hooked up and not leaking,,, could it be cloged?

[gabegt90]

it could be? let me check my shop manual and back to you

[gabegt90]

it should be good its all hooked up and not leaking,,, could it be cloged?

hey dave84 I checked my shop manual and yeah if it's clug it woun't heat also the hoses might be clogged I would back flush everything or put new heater core in. you said everything is working right so that's most likely the problem

[87mefull]

Couple of questions first, did you change the thermostat out with a 160* one or was it replaced recently? 160* t-stats will result in poor gas mileage and will take awhile for your heat to warm up. Hook up a temp gauge if you can for cheap, they are easy to install and a great tool since there is only an idiot light to let you know the car is overheating.

Is the climate control lever set to heat and the temperature lever is in the red, I forget to move the temperature lever sometimes. Were you using the AC during the day, the AC clutch might not be disengaging properly or you have a faulty AC switch, leaving it stuck on. One more, do you have automatic climate control or the standard setup?

If the heater core is clogged badly, it would probably leak or it would cause a big pressure buildup in the cooling system. Could cause your car to overheat if its bad enough. To check if the heater core has failed, first check for leaks. The insulation under the carpet on the passenger side will stay damp if a heater core is leaking, so if its wet, its bad.

Try flushing the system out like gabegt90 said, you can buy a prestone or another brand cooling system flush kit for less than $10 at an auto parts store. Check the condition of your hoses and replace if you need to if you flush out the system

[N A]

How "cold" was it up in Canada this morning? It's still August! You don't need your heater on yet.

We know it's September in Boston, MA because the morning is full of female college freshmen nipples poking out through their shirts on the way to classes.

[Grandma91quis]

Easy way to check your heater core is to take the 2 hoses off the fire wall on passenger side that go to the heater core, and run some water through it with a garden hose. If it sprays back in your face and doesent go through its cloged. Mine got cloged and i put about 3 cans of carb cleaner in the heater core and hit it with compressed air. Blew some nasty s**t out and put the 2 hoses back on and mine works great. I wouldent recomend it. But i was willing to try anything, because i didnt feel like taking the dash out.

[Dave84]

well my heater works now the problem was the flap to the heater core wasent opening so i had to on hook the vaccume line and as soon as i did that it started working so now ill have to try to fix it propper.

How "cold" was it up in Canada this morning? It's still August! You don't need your heater on yet.

No shit, it was just cool enough that i thought i would try it to see if it worked before fall came so i wasent stuck trying to fix it then..

[N A]

well my heater works now the problem was the flap to the heater core wasent opening so i had to on hook the vaccume line and as soon as i did that it started working so now ill have to try to fix it propper.
No shit, it was just cool enough that i thought i would try it to see if it worked before fall came so i wasent stuck trying to fix it then..

I was playing with you.

[gabegt90]

well my heater works now the problem was the flap to the heater core wasent opening so i had to on hook the vaccume line and as soon as i did that it started working so now ill have to try to fix it propper.
No shit, it was just cool enough that i thought i would try it to see if it worked before fall came so i wasent stuck trying to fix it then..

it's good to get in working now then to not have it working in 30 degree weather

[Mercmarquis]

Dumb question but, do you have ATC "climate control" in your car? I remeber reading somewhere that sometimes there is a vacuum leak or something which causes the blend door not to open. Which gives you no heat...

[AOD]

Merq beat me to it, if you have ATC there is a sensor under the dash cover / above the glovebox that controls a vacuum switch just behind the glovebox. I used to have to unplug that vacuum line to get heat in the winters on my old car. I believe the sensor was bad, but I never replaced it.

~Adam

[Dave84]

ya thats the same with me un pluged that sensor and instant heat. i work at the wreckers so ill get a new senser,,

[Mercmarquis]

Cool, glad it was an easy fix for ya.

[gadget73]

My car was doing this garbage too, but it would wander back and forth from cold to lukewarm. Popped the hose and it roasted me out. New sensor installed and my heater works wonderfully again.

[AOD]

The 'roast' method was interesting on my 1.5 hour commutes from my college town to near O'Hare Chicago everyday one winter. I'd either dress warm with gloves and such and keep the heat off, or turn the heat on and end up having to use the windows to keep cool!

I used to joke you could bake bread in the car, heh.

[boXman]

Damn ATC...

[89GrandMarquis]

ya thats the same with me un pluged that sensor and instant heat. i work at the wreckers so ill get a new senser,,

Did you unplug the air temperature sensor or the servo that operates the blend door?

[AOD]

Unplug the vacuum line that goes into the bronze canister looking thing behind the left side of the glovebox.