Two Likely Reasons Why Your Car Heating System is Giving You the Cold Shoulder
You dust the snow off your vehicle and scrape the ice from the windshield. After letting your engine warm up for the usual amount of time, you turn up the thermostat, anticipating that warm, comforting heat. But then it hits you – a blast of cold air. You wonder, what happened to my car’s heating system?
How the Car Heating System Works
Your car heating system depends on an essential element called the heater core. The heater core acts as a heat exchanger, distributing heat into the cabin of the car. The car’s engine provides the original source for this heat, which increases as the engine operates.
Heat is conveyed from the engine to the heater core by way of a liquid called coolant. Coolant serves a dual purpose in that it first pumps through the engine to cool it and protect it from overheating, and then recycles the heat it removes by sending it into the radiator and circulating it to the heater core.
At least this is what happens if the heating system is functioning as it should.
Two Common Heating System Problems
If your car’s heater is blowing cold air, there are two issues that are often to blame:
- The coolant is not properly flowing through the heater core
- The air from the blower motor is not being directed through the heater core
In the case of coolant flow issues, the problem can often be attributed to a plugged heater core.
If the problem is air flow, it could be a malfunctioning, or stuck blend door. These doors are flaps inside the ducts that open and close to allow heat or stop heat from coming through the vents into the passenger compartment.
If your car is not warming up to you, take it in to your auto pro to have it checked for these issues.
