Edmunds Answers questions

Why does my heater blow

smdotson1 — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:51:08 GMT

cold air when I'm stopped and only hot air when I'm moving?

1989 BMW 735il is always overheating since I changed the thermostat and waterpump. How can I fix this problem

putitallin1 — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:04:53 GMT

Heat gauge comes down sometime when put in neutral and revved up. Is this a pressurized stystem and how can I get the air out of it?

radiator had leak,so put in bars leak and wrong antifreeze,now ovrheats.Should i flush and renew proper antifreeze

mariesrle — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:51:44 GMT

for golf 111 hatchback

Thank you for yopur answers.

chicagoart — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:28:10 GMT

The blower motor keeps running at full speed when the car is running or when the car is turned off. So would it be the resistor? Help again please...

2001 Aztek heater works out all vents but when switching to defrost it does not come out????

shazam2068 — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:59:11 GMT

Floor vents work with heat and cool, panel vents work also but when switching the knob to defrost nothing comes out hot or cold. What is the issue here?

Its the interior fan that keeps running after the car is turned off.

chicagoart — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:46:08 GMT

The only speed is high. It continues to run.

2001 Hyundai Elantra. When Fan is switched on for Defrost, the engine stalls. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!popop

popop — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:37:01 GMT

2001 Hyundai Elantra, 100K+ miles, good overall condition, taken care of.

This car belongs to a female friend of mine. When she selects either partial or full Defrost and switches on the blower, it stalls the engine immediately, even on the highway. Once the blower switch is in OFF postion, the engine will start and run normally. Passenger compartment heat settings work fine in all selection comninations and blower speeds; only Defrost settings or those including DEFROST do this.n

I personally performed all possible combinations of selecting DEFROST and Blower settings, all with the same results. I'm recomending to her that this issue be taken on by professional service people, but I would like her to be armed with some information prior to taking the car in.

I tried to locate an OBD port as well (I have a reader) but could not find one, nothing in the manual either.

Thanks for any/all feedback. This really has me stumped.

popop

after changing the battery in a 2002 chevy trailblazer when i turn on the heater the car has a rough idle

bigmarv — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:30:06 GMT

after changing the battery in a 2002 chevy trailblazer when i turn on the heater the car has a rough idle and will die

I got 05 2500w/plow and have blown AC pump 2X this winter w/plow on dealer says mech fail no common prob any ideas

052500hd — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 01:12:19 GMT

My 05 chevy 2500 has blown the ac oil&dye out twice this winter from the ac compressor and the deal fixed it and said meachanical failure of the exact same part and there is no other problem to look into. Has anyone had a simular issue that was resolved differently? Please let me know so that I can let the dealer know what to do the next time I blow this again when the plow is on.

How do I fix the dual climate control

bpanell — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:07:50 GMT

Both sides are working independantly but have the same problem. If I want heat I have to turn it to 90 degrees. If I set it to 89 or below it goes cold and wont regulate. Why wife always goes to sleep in the truck cause it gets to hot. I cant set it lets say to 74 it will freeze you out. This is winter. In the summer A/c stays pure cold from 60-89 so it freezes you out. tired of the extremes. whats wrong do you think

The heating system keeps going out in my 93 bonneville. The fuse keeps blowing & when i change it it starts workin

93pony — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:44:35 GMT

The heating system in my car seems not to be working, it does'nt blow, it wont even come on. I would check the fuses & it seemed as if once i would change the 25 fuse it would start blowing again. This time when it went out i checked the fuses & all were fine but the system nore the defrost wont come on at all. What could this problem be?

I have wet carpet front passenger side.

cajun2wheels — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:49:25 GMT

I have wet carpet front passenger side. It seems to be coming from under the front passenger seat from what appears to be a heat exchanger for rear passenger compartment heating. Is there two heater cores?

How long can I keep unused anti-freeze in its original store bought container before it "goes bad"?

gurch3 — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:58:55 GMT

I have 2 unopened bottles of anti freeze in the garage and just want to know how long I can keep them to use in the car...or if the liquid ever 'goes bad' and shouldn't be used in the car.

I have a 1997 Saturn SL2 and the cooling fan only seems to work when the air compressor is on. Any suggestions?

ckamen — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:33:30 GMT

I have replaced the fan motor, the sensors and the relay switch. The fan will not come on at all unless the air is running. When temp gauge reaches half way it starts to overheat.

2001 Chev Malibu. Not overheating but coolant blows out the overflow on the reservoir bottle. No heat. What's wrong? Thanks.

jca1595 — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:54:35 GMT

recently replaced head gaskets in doing that there is a new thermostsat water
pump etc... no heat

What are the benefits of a passenger car radiator flush?

samjones5134 — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:03:26 GMT

Radiator Flush Service?

Can anyone tell me where to find the plug on the engine block to drain the antifreeze from the engine?

ghossman — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:29:40 GMT

where are these plug located

My heating element stopped working but the AC still works.

dwhelan2 — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:27:39 GMT

A local garage quoted me a price of $1000 to fix it- he said the element needs to be replaced- it is not in the dashboard. Will the dealer provide me with a much different price?

When I test my heater coil with water should I get a flow out the other en?

majbsj — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:02:31 GMT

when i hook a hose up on my heater coil should i get a flow out of it

Blower fan trouble - no power to it?

eddie_b — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:33:20 GMT

i am having trouble with blower fan in front.no power to fan???????????any suggestions?

2000 Cadillac Catera Heater Won't Work

skotrick — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:22:13 GMT

My 2000 Cadillac Catera has been in the garage for a week and they say that they still do not know why my heater will not work. At first they said that the heat door motor is going bad and they have to rip out the dash and the next time I called they said they had the dash ripped apart and there was alot of this in it and they were not sure yet. The heater worked fine last year and the air conditioner and then all of the sudden they both quit working. Does anyone have any ideas what could be the problem?

I just talked to Barr's Electric and they told me now that the heater on my 2000 Cadillac Catera won't switch modes but they don't know if they can fix it and I will probably have to take it to a Cadillac Dealership? I don't understand why? Does anyone have any advice? THANKS!! This is the second garage I have taken it to now.

Defogger takes forever to work, plus rear defogger hardly works at all.

dpalka — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:32:44 GMT

For about a week now, my defogger will not defog unless I crank the fan up to the highest level and keep the interior super hot. Let me back up and say that when I first turn it on, it takes forever to clear the fog and then unless I keep the fan and heat on high, the windshield will fog right back up again. Also the rear defogger doesn't work as well as it used to.
What is going on, and is it worth getting fixed? My car is 13 years old and runs great, but I've already sunk enough money into it this year and am loathe to put more into it for something that might cost more than the car is worth.
Advice?

In regards to a car's heating/cooling system, where can I locate the blend door or actuator?

Dondon11 — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:52:32 GMT

My sons' car heater just gets warm. The thermostat has already been changed, & we got advice that it might be the "blend door" or "actuator" (not that I know what or where these are!). Also, he found out this summer that his AC wasn't getting cold-just cool!

Coolant flush T-fitting.

tony78 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:31:25 GMT

i live in calif.,,ya i know your sorry. they outlawed the sale of those fittings here many moons ago,,because of the groundwater pollution caused by waste coolant runoff going into streams,lakes and ocean.
I was not aware that these devices were still sold in the continental u.s.
personally i would recommend that an owner use a power flush type of system be cause in order to comply with most laws the antifreeze/coolant would need to be collected and disposed/recycled in an environmentally friendly way.

After we got the transmission fixed, the front heat doesn't work anymore. Is this simply a wire or a bigger problem?

lcalkins — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:14:54 GMT

the heat was working perfectly fine until we got the transmission fixed, and now the back heating system works but only cold air comes out of the front vents. Is this simply a wire to hook back up or a bigger issue?

Where did my heat go?

taropat — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:46:20 GMT

replaced blower motor and resistor but only works when i use remote starter when i put truck into gear the heater quits

What's the best and easiest way to change the heater core on 1999 Lincoln Town Car?

tank32 — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:06:32 GMT

anti freeze leaking on c.converter

How do I remove excess coolant from the overflow reservoir?

fredgwynn — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:09:24 GMT

Have overfilled the reservoir in adding coolant.

What is gurgling noise under dash on the passenger side. Dealer says it's normal for that car. Still in warranty.

floorman23 — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:06:26 GMT

I have a gurgling sound under dash on the passenger side when either heat or ac is on. First dealer said they would have to research it. They did, said they had to order part. Long story short, they installed new part noise is worse and now they say that's just the way that car is.

Cooling fan wont turn off.

biguy — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:05:54 GMT

The cooling fan won't turn off and it kills the battery.

How to replace the heater blower motor in a 2005 Chevy Astro van?

jelco — Thu, 28 May 2009 10:16:35 GMT

The blower does not work in any setting. However,the rear blower works just fine. jelco

Toxic smell in heater/ac vent. It burns my eyes and makes me cough like asthma.

j1999mits — Sat, 30 May 2009 03:00:15 GMT

My car vents are emitting a toxic smell. It burns my eyes and makes me cough like asthma. It isn't gas or antifreeze. Reminds me of paint thinner or chemical of some sort. It's effects last after leaving the car. Worse with heat.

Why does my car's engine race high when the fan/ac is on in the defrost position?

marty_may — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:46:05 GMT

I've noticed when I run my car's air conditioner (at any time) or when the AC or just the fan is on and it's set to defrost (the air is directed to the windshield) my engine races when I press the clutch to shift gears. I don't have a tachometer, but I'd guess it races 600-1000 RPM too fast.

Another, possibly related, symptom is the heater will blow warm air after a few minutes of the engine running, but the heat seems to last for only about 20 minutes and the air gets significantly cooler. It also seems to lose heat if I change any setting related to it...fan speed, vent direction (feet to face, etc.). It will sometimes get warm again, but not always.

Thanks, I know this is a slightly off the wall question. I appreciate any help you can provide.

Can we use another antifreeze other then the OEM like DEX COOL or Prestone All makes?

generalrl — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:16:37 GMT

Do we mix this Antifreeze 50/50 or use it staight?

i have 2006 dodge ram 2500.. when i turn heat/ a/c fan on the first three speeds do not work.. high speed works??

dzlsmoke — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:55:27 GMT

I have tried two different motors with the same results.. is there a fuse problem, switch what?

kiawah...thanks for the temp sensor idea on the 94 lexus..where is it??dashmounted?? tks marty

plage — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:58:11 GMT

see 94 lexus quest 1/22/08 fm 0480bp@ec.rr.com

I have a 1999 Ford Mondeo 2.0 LX with Air/Con.Once the heating is on, it stays on hot whatever. Ideas on cost???

jemblok — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:01:38 GMT

The centre dial gives air flow direction so we keep this on the middle setting (closed) as much as possible, and the right hand dial (fan speed) on zero, and the left dial (heat setting) makes no odds whether it's on hot or cold.

Occasionally you have to turn things on to clear the windows and once it's been on once there's no going back. Even putting all the dials back as above, there's still a sort of latent heat coming through which you can't control and for a journey of more than 5 minutes it becomes unbearable.

It's quite an old car so I don't want to spend a fortune on repairing as the car's not worth that much. Any ideas on what specifically could be wrong and if there are any simple fixes?

Many thanks

Is this a stupid question? Today I started my car and since I was having the idle air control valve problems before

rondi1 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:15:28 GMT

Since I was having that problem before I decided to look under the hood and I got nosey and loosened the antifreeze cap and it spat up at me a bit!......should I expect this? Or am I just too paranoid?

I really don’t know that much about cars but I want to learn and I appreciate all your answers. Thanks....

Loosing coolant. Had radiator/hoses checked under pressure & no leakage noticed. Temp gauge constantly fluctuates.

pauline1969 — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:27:52 GMT

I am having to constantly add coolant/water to the radiator & overflow chamber. Have checked radiator/hoses & cap under the 13lbs of pressure & cannot see or hear a leak.There is no puddle under the vehicle, but liquid has to be going somewhere! Oil looks good, not cloudy, so its not there..exhaust seems normal. Have added a whole container of coolant (and corresponding ammt of water)over the last two weeks, and radiator still down & overflow empty!Where else could it be going? How much fluid will my radiator & system hold-did have thermostat replaced & thinking they did not properly fill up my coolant system.Why temp gague going from the N on Normal up to the half-way point & back down again when driving?

Our 97 Saturn wagon has a low coolant light that keeps coming on.

denver4050 — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:51:17 GMT

we have a 97 saturn wagon with the twin cam 1.9 engine , recently we have had the low coolant light come on - we fill the overflow tank and this basicly takes care of the light . as i can't see any leaks on the driveway or road we can't figure where all the coolant is going ( evaporation? ) maybe a bad sensor?? any help would be great , Thank You in advance.

Vern

Why do I need to keep refilling my coolant?

patrick51 — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:56:14 GMT

I need to keep refilling my coolant for my car every 3-4 weeks or so because it starts to get lower. Is this normal?

If AC recharge kits hurt people and systems so frequently, why are they allowed to still sell them?

cricket240 — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:21:00 GMT

I wonder if they hurt people and systems so frequently, why are they allowed to still sell them? My other question, is, I want to save the money of having someone tell me if it is empty, or if there is a leak, or if the compressor is bad...so I want to go into a car shop with some info...therefore, is the gauge they sell safe? That way I can know if it is really empty?

I need a routing diagram for the drive belt. I have the Chiltons but shows diagram for different motor. Need 2.4L.

sheilaav1970 — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:28:15 GMT

My engine is missing the sticker that has the diagram - Of Course!! The one in the chiltons is for a different size motor! please answer asap I am stuck without it!

I just replaced my ac compressor and now my rear ac blows hot and my front blows cold.

mikemc1972 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:18:51 GMT

I just replaced my ac compressor and now my rear ac blows hot and my front blows cold.

What about the high pressure in the low side. The AC leak must be in the condenser. Suzuki Esteem.

2000suzest — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:19:40 GMT

response to your answer last night.

My air conditioner wants to blow out all three vents at once instead of selected one. How do I fix?

unihrt6711 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:49:34 GMT

My air condition wants to blow out the defrost, front and floor board all at one time. I turn the switch to change it and it does not change to where I want it to blow. Someone said their is a air control door that controls it but we do not know where to find it. Car stays to hot since air does not blow on you from front vents but everywhere a little air.

A/C compressor kicks on and off.

rebel0878 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:22:46 GMT

My compressor continued to kick on and off, the charge is good, I found out that my digital climate control panel was bad, I replaced it. I also changed the pressure switch on the compressor and the relay. Still kicking on and off. If I remove the relay and jump it out the compressor will stay on and I have cold air. Im lost as what else to do. Also it blows colder when Im moving than when sitting idle.

A/c compressor kicks on and off.

rebel0878 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:30:06 GMT

Checked the charge and its good what else would make my compressor kick on and off. I changed the climate control panel, relay, and pressure switch. Whe I remove the relay and jump it out the compressor stays running.

Why does my heat and A/C not work properly?

jthambright — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:27:23 GMT

My heat started acting up last winter. I would start the car and start the defrost in the morning. When I came back out a long period later, the cabin would still be cold and no defrosting occurred. When I drove the car to work the heat began to warm up and get to a comfortable level. I also started to notice the temperature guage rising above normal when I went on long trips (over an hour). Before it got too cold I flushed the radiator to see if this was the problem, but did not fix it. Summer has come and now the A/C does not work. Attempted to recharge the A/C since it had been 4+ years since we bought the vehicle. This did not work. I get warm air from the vents. When I turn on the A/C I get a noise that I assume is the compressor kicking on, so it appears that it is working. I have not taken a PSI check on the system yet though, but if the pressure is NOT correct I assumed the compressor would not come on?!?! Since they are faults that occur seasons apart, I did not make the connection until now. Is it possible they are related problems... Would a vacuum hose leak or disconnect cause both of these probblems? If so, where is it and how do I troubleshoot it. If not... What are some recommendations for troubleshoot or rectifying these problems?

How do I access an answer to my car question here?

joecosta — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:19:15 GMT

I have an answer to my question on my 2001 sable ac problem, how do I view it? sorry to sound stupid!