Heat Troubles?

Heat Troubles?

Posted on October 4, 2019

Have you turned on your heat this fall only to be surprised to find a lack of wonderful warm air? It’s possible that you are having some heater core troubles. The heater core is part of the cooling system, as coolant circulates through the engine, some of that hot coolant passes through the heater core in the dashboard which connects to the blower fan, providing you with the feeling of being somewhere a little bit warmer. Here are some indications that your heater core may be to blame and what you can do.

Little or No Heat When Turned On

Rule out blower fan malfunction by fuse checking
Check the vents
Check defrost and floor settings
Check cabin air filter
You may have a clogged heater core. It might be possible to flush out the heater core’s, but many modern heater cores have plastic lines and tanks so this is not always ideal.

Sweet Smell Inside Your Vehicle

Possible early sign of heater core failure
Refrain from using stop-leak products (only temporary solution)
Have this taken care of before it gets worse.

Foggy Windows

More extreme version of the coolant smell situation
Coolant spraying forms a mist coating your windows
Roll down windows to clear it up to drive
Breathing ethylene glycol is harmful to your health
Get your vehicle in for repairs immediately.

Visible Coolant Leak

Low coolant level can cause your engine to overheat
Car will lose a significant amount of coolant
Check your coolant leveland top it up as necessary
Engine running hot/coolant level dropping
Top off your coolant and take it in right away.

If you are having any troubles with heat this fall, we welcome you to bring your vehicle to our trained technicians, we are always happy to help!