Why doesn't the car heater heat up well?
Insufficient heater performance can be blamed on:
- Air conditioning control unit dampers. Modern cars do not have valves that shut off the circulation of coolant to the heater radiator, as in older models. Here, the coolant constantly circulates through the heater radiator, and the temperature is regulated by dampers that block the air flow through the heater radiator. If they are broken or incorrectly adjusted, then cold air will enter the cabin.
- The heater core is clogged. Therefore, the coolant circulates poorly through the heater radiator and, accordingly, the efficiency of the heater decreases
- The thermostat does not close properly. Therefore, coolant constantly circulates through the cooling radiator. Because of this, the engine does not warm up to operating temperature and, as a result, the heater gives off little heat.
In our case, the thermostat is the first to come under suspicion. Because, according to the owner, the heater heats up the worst on the highway.
It can be assumed that the thermostat does not close and the coolant is constantly circulating through the cooling radiator. And the higher the speed, the more the coolant in the radiator is cooled. And, naturally, it becomes colder in the cabin.
The stove does not heat up after replacing the antifreeze ~ VIVAUTO.RU
The stove does not heat, six main reasons
Today a very relevant article (especially in winter) is that the car’s heater does not heat, or heats very poorly! Why does this happen and what are the main reasons for this? After all, a normal working car should warm up the interior within 10 - 15 minutes (unless, of course, you have a turbocharged engine, there is a partial solution for that here ). If after 15 minutes you have barely warm air (or not at all), and all the glass inside is frozen, then this is not “good”! Read my tips below...
First, let's think about how a car warms up? As we all know, during operation the internal combustion engine heats up very much, this happens from the friction of the pistons against the cylinder walls, as well as from the combustion of the fuel mixture. If you do not cool the engine, it will quickly fail (the pistons will simply jam). A whole cooling system has been made from pipes, pipes and radiators, which prevents the power unit from overheating. So one of the radiators is located inside the cabin, under the instrument panel. Without going into complex technical details, this heater radiator (warmed up by engine coolant) warms up your interior. And in order for the heating efficiency to increase significantly, there is a fan nearby (which has several operating modes, faster slower) that blows on this radiator, due to which warm air flows intensely into the cabin (both onto the windows and passengers). And if something disrupts this work process, then cold air enters the cabin, that is, the stove does not heat. Now let's talk about the main reasons
There are about five reasons for poor warming up.
Fan doesn't work
The most common reason is that the fan does not work, it simply does not blow, and therefore warm air does not flow well into the cabin, or rather does not flow at all. Of course, the heater radiator will heat up, but for heating the entire cabin, this is extremely insufficient.
The fan or the electronics that control it need to be replaced. Or look at the fuse, often it simply blows and needs to be replaced .
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Insufficient coolant level
This is now unlikely, because many modern cars have antifreeze level sensors. However, such cases do occur (say, in cars of previous generations). Imagine the antifreeze or antifreeze (maybe due to leaking radiators or pipes), the heater does not receive sufficiently heated liquid, and it is practically cold, the fan is blowing, and the air is cold (it simply does not heat). You need to add coolant to the level ( read how to do this here ). Also, if radiators or pipes are leaking, then the leak must be eliminated.
It is worth noting that if the cooling compound leaks, “air plugs” may form, so even if you add antifreeze - antifreeze, you need to wait a while for the air to come out.
How to remove an air lock
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Heater radiator is clogged
There may be several reasons:
The first is improper mixing of antifreeze and antifreeze . For example, in G13 you filled in, say, G11 or even antifreeze, then a sediment may appear that will quickly clog all the thin radiator pipes.
Secondly, they poured water. Water not only causes rusting of metals in the system, but also forms scale on the walls.
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Third, they eliminated leaks in the heater radiator or main radiator using all kinds of sealants. On the one hand we heal, on the other we cripple. The passages in the radiator can be clogged with excess of this sealant; the liquid cannot circulate normally in it, and, accordingly, heat it up, which means it will not really heat it. True, your engine may show high temperatures, at the limit level (the main thing is not to overheat it). You need to either flush the system, clean the radiator, or simply replace the radiator.
Engine thermostat faulty
Now about more complex breakdowns. If everything is fine with the stove itself, the fan works, but does not heat well, then the problem may be in the engine thermostat.
The thermostat serves to regulate the so-called “cooling circles”. When we start the engine, the coolant circulates in a “small circle”; the engine and the interior heater are involved here. Thus, warming up occurs much faster. After the coolant has warmed up, the thermostat opens a “large circle” and the heated liquid has already flowed to the main radiator, which is located under the hood. This is done in order not to overheat the motor if there is excessive overheating.
BUT, depending on time or the quality of the coolant, the thermostat may fail and not close the “big circle”, but always drive around it. Sometimes an absurd situation even happens when the small circle is (even) slightly blocked and weakly heated antifreeze flows into the stove (which should warm up the interior). It is blown to the maximum (maximum speed), but the air flows cold or barely warm. And since at -20, -30 degrees it takes a very long time to wait for the “big circle” to warm up (and it may not warm up thoroughly at all), the interior will not warm up.
The only solution is to replace the thermostat! Moreover, the faster, the better; nevertheless, the glass in your cabin will also not thaw, which is fraught in winter, because visibility deteriorates.
Engine pump faulty
A pump is essentially a mechanical (sometimes electric) engine pump that pumps hot liquid through the system. That is, from the power unit block, through the pipes and further into the radiators for cooling. And in our case, for heating the interior.
It is an “impeller” that is inserted into a metal cylinder through which liquid passes. The impeller rotates, thereby pushing antifreeze (TOSOL) through the system. If there were no pump, then cooling the motor would be extremely ineffective, it would quickly overheat.
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Very often, the pump is driven by a belt drive from the crankshaft of the power unit.
The main breakdowns are:
- Sometimes the crankshaft belt breaks, the pump does not rotate and does not circulate the coolant through the system. Accordingly, the stove does not heat. However, the power unit will also overheat.
- The pump itself is jamming. It does not rotate, or the internal part of the “impeller” does not rotate.
- Eats the inside. Due to the “crappy” quality of the metal, the internal impeller can be eaten away by aggressive antifreeze or antifreeze. Therefore, purely physically, the pump pulley rotates, but the liquid pumps through the system very poorly. Again, the stove does not heat.
For all reasons, the pump needs to be changed. I’ll say right away that the first “bells” may be a whistling sound in the engine compartment, a hot hose before the pump or heater, but a cold one after.
Blown engine head gasket
The thing is that the motor is not a monolithic structure; it has a block head and the block itself.
They are connected through a special gasket. If this gasket is broken (and this happens, for example, due to poor broaching), then the coolant will go into the cylinders or the muffler ( white thick smoke will come out ).
Thus, there will not be enough coolant in the system (possible air pockets) and therefore the stove will heat poorly! It is urgent to change the head gasket, otherwise you can kill the engine through overheating. These are probably all the main reasons when the stove does not heat well! On a personal note, I would like to note that in most cases this is a thermostat malfunction (about 70%). So the first thing to check is to change it.
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Checking the Thermostat
Let's check it out. Since the temperature indicator on the instrument panel is very, very average, it is almost impossible to determine the exact temperature of the coolant from it.
Therefore, we add a regular ELM327 adapter to the diagnostic block.
Note. You can use other adapters (for example, K-line) or a regular on-board computer if it is installed in the car.
Our task is to get the real coolant temperature out of the brain (ECU).
Here is a screenshot from the diagnostic program that clears things up
This is a temperature graph. We started driving on a straight road at a coolant temperature of 75 degrees. In a very short period of time the temperature dropped to almost 65 degrees. Then we stood at the intersection for a while and the temperature rose to 72 degrees. Then we drove through the yards and the temperature rose and fell, depending on whether we were driving or standing.
In general, the dependence of the coolant temperature on the speed of the car is clearly visible. It is this fact that indicates a malfunction of the thermostat.
Therefore, we will change it.
Five reasons for a malfunctioning stove
So, we figured it out, thanks to the fan, air enters the cabin. And if there is no airflow, then, first of all, you need to check it. By the way, an idle, jammed fan makes a characteristic hum. If cold air comes in, the fan works, but there is no heat, then the matter is different.
Low coolant level
It may make sense to check the coolant level in the cooling system. If it is not enough, the stove will not receive the required amount of heat, since it is located just below the upper level of the cooling system, and only warm air will enter the cabin.
Violation of the tightness of the heating system
If you have to constantly add coolant, then the problem must be looked for elsewhere: you need to check the radiator and pipes for leaks. But there could be a more serious problem, such as a damaged engine head gasket.
Blown cylinder head gasket
By its nature, the engine is not a solid structure; it consists of a cylinder head and, in fact, a cylinder block, connected by a gasket. If it is broken, then the coolant penetrates inside the engine, enters the cylinders, oil and muffler (hence the thick white smoke from the exhaust pipe).
As a result, the stove does not receive enough heat. In addition, a broken engine head gasket is a serious malfunction that entails a lot of problems. In general, the gasket needs to be changed urgently!
Debris in the heater radiator
But it also happens that the stove radiator is simply “clogged” with debris, for example, scale, particles of sealant, etc. In this case, you won't have to worry about it, and it's easier to buy a new radiator than to clean and rinse the old one.
So, the fan is working, the coolant level is normal, the heater radiator has been replaced with a new one, but the heater still doesn’t heat, or does it heat, but not well? Here the problem should not be looked for in the stove. The engine thermostat may not be working properly.
Faulty thermostat
The operating principle of the thermostat is quite simple. It drives coolant through different circuits of the engine cooling system, depending on the heating temperature. When starting the engine, the coolant circulates in a “small circle” and does not enter the heater radiator.
After heating to a certain temperature, the thermostat opens a “large circle” into which the stove radiator enters. And if the thermostat is faulty, then the “large circle” of the cooling system will be closed, and, accordingly, cold air will blow from the stove. The solution is to change the thermostat!
These are perhaps the most common malfunctions in which the stove may not work properly. In any case, it won’t hurt to go to a car service center, where a technician will conduct an inspection and find the real reason why the stove is not heating.
For those who want to understand this issue down to the last detail, I suggest watching the video:
DIY thermostat replacement
So, first of all, drain the coolant. How to do this is shown in detail here - Replacing the coolant
Note. If you have not changed the coolant for a long time, then it is better to drain it all and after replacing the thermostat, add fresh one. And if the coolant in your car does not require replacement, then you can only drain about three liters. This is enough to replace the thermostat. And then just add these three liters.
Now we cover the belt of auxiliary units with a bag or oilcloth so as not to smear it when disconnecting the pipes
Place a rag on top to absorb any spilled coolant.
Note. Since we have no electricity in the city, the work had to be done in daylight outside under wet snow. That's why wet spots are visible in the photo.
We wear rubber gloves so as not to come into contact with the coolant.
Unclench the clamp and disconnect the small pipe from the thermostat.
Note. This car does not have the original clamp installed, but a worm clamp. It can be seen in the photo.
We do the same with the large pipe.
Now unscrew the two thermostat mounting bolts. One at the top
And the second one below
With a little effort, pull the thermostat towards you and remove it
Wipe the thermostat seat thoroughly. Especially if someone put sealant there before you
Unpacking the new thermostat
Don't forget to put a new gasket on it
Carefully install the thermostat on the engine. We tighten the two mounting bolts. We mount the pipes and fill the coolant into the expansion tank.
After replacing the thermostat, the engine temperature returned to normal. You can see a test drive with the new thermostat in the video
The stove does not heat, six main reasons. What to do
Today a very relevant article (especially in winter) is that the car’s heater does not heat, or heats very poorly! Why does this happen and what are the main reasons for this? After all, a normal working car should warm up the interior within 10 - 15 minutes (unless, of course, you have a turbocharged engine). If after 15 minutes you have barely warm air (or not at all), and all the glass inside is frozen, then this is not “good”!
Read my tips below...
First, let's think about how a car warms up? As we all know, during operation the internal combustion engine heats up very much, this happens from the friction of the pistons against the cylinder walls, as well as from the combustion of the fuel mixture. If you do not cool the engine, it will quickly fail (the pistons will simply jam). A whole cooling system has been made from pipes, pipes and radiators, which prevents the power unit from overheating. So one of the radiators is located inside the cabin, under the instrument panel. Without going into complex technical details, this heater radiator (warmed up by engine coolant) warms up your interior. And in order for the heating efficiency to increase significantly, there is a fan nearby (which has several operating modes, faster slower) that blows on this stove, due to which warm air flows intensively into the cabin (both on the windows and on passengers). And if something disrupts this work process, then cold air enters the cabin, that is, the stove does not heat. Now let's talk about the main reasons
There are about five reasons for poor heating of the stove.
Fan doesn't work
The most common reason is that the fan does not work, the stove does not blow, and, accordingly, warm air does not flow well into the cabin, or rather does not flow at all. Of course, the heater radiator will heat up, but for heating the entire cabin, this is extremely insufficient.
The fan or the electronics that control it need to be replaced. Or look at the fuse, often it simply blows and needs to be replaced .
Insufficient coolant level
This is now unlikely, because many modern cars have antifreeze level sensors. However, such cases do occur (say, in cars of previous generations). Imagine - the antifreeze or antifreeze (maybe due to leaking radiators or pipes), the heater does not receive enough heated liquid, and it is practically cold, the fan is blowing, and the air from the heater is cold (it simply does not heat). You need to add coolant to the level ( read how to do this here ). Also, if radiators or pipes are leaking, then the leak must be eliminated.
It is worth noting that when the coolant leaks, “air plugs” may form, so even if you add antifreeze - antifreeze, you need to wait a while for the air to come out.
Heater radiator is clogged
There may be several reasons:
The first is improper mixing of antifreeze and antifreeze . For example, in G13 you filled in, say, G11 or even antifreeze, then a sediment may appear that will quickly clog all the thin radiator pipes.
Secondly, they poured water. Water not only causes rusting of metals in the system, but also forms scale on the walls.
Third, they eliminated leaks in the heater radiator or main radiator using all kinds of sealants. On the one hand we heal, on the other we cripple. The passages in the radiator of the stove can be clogged with excess of this sealant, the liquid cannot circulate normally in it, and therefore heat it up, which means the stove does not really heat. True, your engine may show high temperatures, at the limit level (the main thing is not to overheat it). You need to either flush the system, clean the heater radiator, or simply replace the radiator.
Engine thermostat faulty
Now about more complex breakdowns. If everything is fine with the stove itself, the fan works, but the stove does not heat well, then the problem may be in the engine thermostat.
The thermostat serves to regulate the so-called “cooling circles” of the engine. When we start the engine, the coolant circulates in a “small circle”; the engine and the interior heater are involved here. Thus, heating of the liquid occurs much faster. After the liquid has warmed up, the thermostat opens a “large circle” and the heated liquid has already flowed to the main engine radiator, which is located under the hood. This is done in order not to overheat the engine if the liquid is overheated.
BUT, depending on time or the quality of the coolant, the thermostat may fail and not close the “big circle”, but always circulate the liquid through it. Sometimes an absurd situation even happens when the small circle is (even) slightly blocked and weakly heated antifreeze flows into the stove (which should warm up the interior). Your stove is blown to the maximum (maximum speed), but the air comes out cold or barely warm. And since at -20, -30 degrees it takes a very long time to wait for the “big circle” to warm up (and it may not warm up thoroughly at all), then your stove will not warm the interior.
The only solution is to replace the thermostat! Moreover, the faster, the better; nevertheless, the glass in your cabin will also not thaw, which is fraught in winter, because visibility deteriorates.
Engine pump faulty
An engine pump is essentially a mechanical (sometimes electric) engine pump that pumps hot fluid through the system. That is, from the power unit block, through the pipes and further into the radiators for cooling. And in our case, for heating the interior.
It is an “impeller” that is inserted into a metal cylinder through which liquid passes. The impeller rotates, thereby pushing antifreeze (TOSOL) through the system. If there were no pump, then cooling the engine would be extremely ineffective, it would quickly overheat.
Very often, the pump is driven by a belt drive from the crankshaft of the power unit.
The main breakdowns are:
- Sometimes the crankshaft belt breaks, the pump does not rotate and does not circulate the coolant through the system. Accordingly, the stove does not heat. However, the engine will also overheat.
- The pump itself is jamming. It does not rotate, or the internal part of the “impeller” does not rotate.
- Eats the inside. Due to the “crappy” quality of the metal, the internal impeller can be eaten away by aggressive antifreeze or antifreeze. Therefore, purely physically, the pump pulley rotates, but the liquid pumps through the system very poorly. Again, the stove does not heat.
For all reasons, the pump needs to be changed. I’ll say right away that the first “bells” may be a whistling sound in the engine compartment, a hot hose before the pump or heater, but a cold one after.
Blown engine head gasket
The thing is that the engine is not a monolithic structure; it has a block head and the engine block itself. They are connected through a special gasket. If this gasket is broken (and this happens, for example, due to poor broaching), then the coolant will go into the cylinders or the muffler ( white thick smoke will come out ). Thus, there will not be enough coolant in the system (possible air pockets) and therefore the stove will heat poorly! It is urgent to change the head gasket, otherwise you can kill the engine through overheating.
These are probably all the main reasons when the stove does not heat well! On a personal note, I would like to note that in most cases this is a thermostat malfunction (about 70%). So the first thing to check is to change it.
Now let’s watch a short useful video.
Source
The stove doesn't heat well. The stove does not heat. It's cold inside the car. The stove is not blowing well. These are the most frequently asked questions from car owners during the winter season. Of course, we must not forget about the main causes of this problem: - the thermostat is stuck in the open position, and the coolant circulates in a large circle, not having time to heat up to the operating temperature - 90-98 degrees, by the way, fuel consumption will increase for the same reason; — the cabin air filter is clogged, and accordingly the throughput of the hot air flow has decreased;
— insufficient level of coolant, as a result of which the cooling system becomes airy, which affects the efficiency of the heater; for the same reason, the engine can overheat, since the temperature will rise in engine components not washed by liquid; But now we will not talk about this.
A very common cause of this problem, especially on cars older than 7-8 years, is a clogged heater radiator, as a result, the throughput of hot liquid decreases, and accordingly, less heat is removed to heat the car interior.
First, about the causes of this problem:
- untimely replacement of coolant;
It's no secret that the engine cooling system consists of a number of non-ferrous metals and, of course, iron. One of the main tasks of the fluid, besides engine cooling, is to fight corrosion. The duration of operation of additives is directly proportional to the service life of the liquid. Almost all automakers have a coolant replacement interval of once every two years or every 40,000 kilometers. — use of poor quality coolant or water in the warm season, which also leads to corrosion and scale formation; — adding various additives to the cooling system to eliminate fluid leakage for a long time; If you carefully read the instructions for using such additives, you will find something like the following words: “Acceptable for short-term use; at the first opportunity, drain the old fluid, thoroughly flush the cooling system and eliminate the cause of the leak.” Our opinion is that no additives should be added at all. Now about the renovation.
1. By far the most ideal option, and also the most expensive, is replacing the heater radiator with a new one. But we will go a different way. 2. Flushing the heater radiator using a unit developed by us. Everything happens as follows: we disconnect the pipes from the heater radiator and connect our device with the miracle liquid. After flushing, which takes approximately 60-90 minutes, you need to thoroughly rinse the radiator with water. The result is stunning. We recommend replacing the coolant immediately. Sign up for this service by calling 332-33-42.
