Winter is here and the temperatures are hitting the 30s at night in Athens, Georgia. Few things are worse than getting in your car, turning on the heater, and having cold air blast through the vents. Car Doctors Auto Repair can find out why yours isn’t working and fix it. Here are common causes of heater problems.
Low Coolant
We know it sounds strange, but your vehicle’s heater relies on engine coolant to warm and defrost the interior cabin. If you have low coolant in the cooling system, there might not be enough hot coolant to warm the air before it blows into the car. It’s a good idea to check your engine coolant levels on a regular basis. If the coolant is low, you might have lukewarm or cold air blowing out of the vents.
Heater Core Problems
To explain this further, the heater core has a series of tubes through which hot engine coolant runs. When you turn on the heater, the blower motor blows the air over the tubes to heat it up so that it’s warm when it flows into your vehicle’s cabin. The core also warms the air when you turn on the defroster. If the core is clogged or leaking, cold air will blow through the vents instead.
Heater Control Issues
If you also smell a sweet, musty smell blowing through the vents, your car’s heating problem is likely a heater core leak. You might also have an issue with your heater’s controls. If you drive an older automobile, your heating problem could be something as simple as broken dashboard controls. You may also have a broken heater control valve, which is the part responsible for turning the heater on and off.
Malfunctioning Thermostat
Another culprit could be the cooling system’s thermostat. Basically, the thermostat keeps track of the engine’s temperature and releases coolant into the cooling system once the engine gets too hot. If the thermostat is not working properly, it might not release coolant because it thinks the engine is too cold. Consequently, the heater core will not have hot coolant flowing through it to warm the heater’s air.
If you turn on your car’s heater or defroster and it doesn’t work, or if you have cold air blowing through the vents, don’t panic. Give Car Doctors Auto Repair a call to schedule a service appointment. We don’t mean to brag, but we are the best auto service shop in Athens, GA. We can find the source of your heating problem, fix it, and get you back on the road toasty warm.
