Heater Issues

Additional notes:

Oh, the first thing I did was check the fluid level.

It was topped up (when cold) with the red stuff.

Did a search here, but doesnt seem to apply.

Just comparing the heat (warmth) from last week to this week, the heater is not working well...

The vehicle is an '02

thanks.

tdk

sticking mix door, blockage in the heater core, binding cable.

does the car have a temp. gage? if so, where does the temp. gage normally run? it should run in the middle. if not, most likely a thermostat issue. otherwise, have you added stop leak? (this is a common heater core plugger)

otherwise, the other comments may apply.

aaron

There also might be air trapped in the heater core or the hoses leading to/from it. I'd be more inclined to think the problem was some other kind of blockage in the heater core, or the mixer door not operating correctly, as others have posted. But it never hurts to check.

I know how you're feeling. All last winter I had no heat in my dodge dakota, and when I finally got pep boys to replace the heater core, they did so much damage to the truck I'm still fixing it all. And it took me several days to get consistent heat, since they neglected to reconnect the linkage to the mix door causing it to flap all around and be hot then cold then hot, etc.

Your corolla is 4 years newer than mine, so I would expect it to have similar warmup times. This week the mornings have been in the 10 to 30 degree (F) range, and I've had the heater start putting out heated air (still chilly, but warmer than outside) in less than a mile, and usually up to operating temp within 3 to 5 miles. By the time I get to the other end of the commute, I've usually got the mixer knob set to the white range almost back to the blue range because the heater is almost too good. I do appreciate it though.

It might be worth it to you to have a trusted mechanic look at it. It just isn't safe to be driving your car without heat when it gets so cold. A trusted mechanic is worth their weight in corolla parts.

Good luck, and stay warm!

jim

Definitely sounds like a heater core or blocker door problem.

One thing I like best about my car is the fact that the heater gets hot within two minutes and really toasty after the car reaches normal operating temperature. Within a few minutes, I have to start reducing the heater setting.

How do I check for a blocked door or heater core?...

Is this going to be a big dismantle?... Its too cold...

tdk.

easiest way to check for a blocked heater core is check the heater hoses on the engine side of the firewall. one should be hotter then the other, but not a bunch of diff. if the heater core is restricted, one will be hot, the other almost cold. (ask me how i know this.....)

good luck

aaron

How to fix your heater? Come to Florida... it's 86F today... sorry for the off-topic

easiest way to check for a blocked heater core is check the heater hoses on the engine side of the firewall. one should be hotter then the other, but not a bunch of diff. if the heater core is restricted, one will be hot, the other almost cold. (ask me how i know this.....)good luck

 

aaron

Does the air blow out of the vents?

If it does and air just isn't warm enough:

- Faulty thermostat...a lot of newer cars now fail in the open condition so you don't fry the engine.

- Faulty temp control valve...if your car has one. Have someone move the temp control on the heater display. See if a cable is trying to move a valve near the heater hoses where they enter the firewall. I saw a Corolla do this. The cable was moving and the lever on the valve was moving but the shaft of the valve was not moving. This how the gen 7 is set up.

Hey,

Recently the heater stopped working...

Actually, it didnt completely stop. But it takes about 30min for the heater to start working... and even when it does, it does not work well.

The engine warms up as normal, but warm air does not come through the ducts... and it has been DAMN cold this last couple weeks (and is supposed to continue for at least a week or 2) here!

I am guessing that something is wrong with the heat exchanger in the cabin.

Has anyone had any heater issues? What did you have to do to fix it?

Thanks for the help.

tdk.

Is that why we were in your Saab yesterday??

I didn't think you owned a Corolla...*confused*

(I thought he said he owned a truck)...

Please help TDK w/his car problems, because I'm planning on hiring him as my mechanic

Thanks for all the input.

Its so damn cold, i dont even want to go outside.. let alone work on a car.

I dont think its electrical... the blower is working fine... nice and cold.

Its taking about 10min to get the temp up, so I am guessing (for now, that the thermostat is good)

I will try touching the pipes...

The temp control valve, is this inside the cockpit, or in the engine compartment?

The last time I look apart the a/c area was quite a few years back (one a camry/solara), but i dont rem how/where it was connected.

Thanks Fish... for some reason, i cannot see the photos in photobuckets.

I will try again later from home.

Thanks for all the help, and I hope to be able to give a progress report later this week.

tdk

You should buy a warm coat.

Also, Motorweek showed there is an electric blanket that you plug into the cigarette lighter. You want wrap that blanket over you while you drive.

Well, Thanks for all your help.

Its working... not exactly sure what I did though.

Finally spent a few min at lunch checking it out. (It was a warm 14F (-9C)!!)

I thought I would start off by making sure I knew where the hoses were (where they go into the fire wall), squeezing them and such. Plan was to try touching them at the destination to see if they are warming up.

Got in drove 2miles and played around with the heater settings...

Turned the heater on. And warm air was blowing!

My guess is something was blocking the flow and when i squeezed, it was enough pressure to break it free.

Lets hope that it (the debris) doesnt block someplace else (esp someplace more important).

I guess I will have to do a through flush when it warms up.

Oh, I have a small heater to plug into the cig lighter. My old saab sometimes has heating issues. Since it died, i am removing some of the parts I can still use (rest in pieces).

Once again,

Thanks for all the ideas!

tdk.