When Your Car's Heater Isn't Working
by admin on Dec.05, 2008, under Car Maintenance, Car Tips
When Your Car’s Heater Isn’t Working
Depending upon where you live, you might rely on your vehicle’s heater to keep you warm while driving. When it fails to produce warm or hot air, the drive can be unpleasant. The problem is that a lot of factors can contribute to your heating system not working the way it should. In this article, we’ll briefly explore some of the components that make up this part of your car. Then, I’ll offer a few suggestions regarding why it may be malfunctioning.
How Does It Work?
When you drive your car, the engine goes through internal combustion. As it does so, it produces enormous amounts of heat. If this extra heat were to remain inside or around the engine, it could cause the engine to fail. Your car has a cooling procedure that removes it before it can do any damage. A portion is pushed out through your vehicle’s exhaust while the remainder is absorbed by a coolant (usually a blend of water and antifreeze).
As the coolant absorbs the excess heat generated by the engine, it becomes warmer. The warm fluid travels to the radiator, allowing some of heat to dissipate along the way. As it dissipates, the temperature of the coolant declines and by the time it reaches the engine, it’s cool enough to absorb more heat from the internal combustion process.
Inside your car’s dashboard sits a heater core. It functions similarly to your vehicle’s radiator (though it’s much smaller) and has a number of tubes through which the hot coolant circulates. Near the core sits a fan that blows across it when you turn your car’s heating system on. That warm air is what eventually blows out of the vents.
Why Isn’t It Working?
One of the most common reasons why your heating system may not be working is due to the level of coolant in your car’s engine. There’s a plastic tank into which you can replenish the supply, but you should also check for leaks. After all, putting more of the fluid into the tank won’t solve the problem if it’s leaking out somewhere.
Other factors that could be causing a problem include a thermostat that won’t close properly, a heater control valve that needs to be replaced, or a faulty vacuum feed. In most cases, unless you have experience with performing mid-level car repairs, you should have your mechanic inspect the heating system. It’s easy enough to tell whether the coolant is low, but looking for leaks or defective parts can be much more challenging.