Your furnace blowing cold air could be caused by hot air escaping through holes in the duct work that carries the heat throughout your building. While idling, the heater blows but doesn't produce hot air. Average repair cost is $580 at 11,050 miles. Submitted: 9 years ago. If you're having trouble getting the ice off your car, this will help things along. Driving. Here's what to do if your vehicle is struggling to turn up the heat. Related: Tips for Starting Your Car in Subzero Weather. Chrysler Town and Country blows cold air, Chrysler Town and Country heater blows warm air, or. This is a two-for-one space saver as this jump starter from Anker also serves as a battery back for smartphones. If the heater isn't blowing any air, skip to the next section. Dealer said coolant leading from radiator and to replace it including hoses is $1250. Heater intermittently blowing cold air. About a week ago, on a chilly morning, I noticed that my heater fan was not blowing on any speed, regardless of what I tried. Thermostat is $600. JHinman06 [OP] New Member. It's always good to have some extra juice on hand. We have adjusted the temperature in the cabin to see if this makes a difference, and it does not. Fixing this can be as simple as a fluid flush. While idling, the heater blows but doesn't produce hot air. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, How to Clean Your Gross, Gunk-Filled AirPods, How to Zip, Unzip, and Encrypt Your Files. Post Reply. Fly or Drive: Comparing Costs of Road Trip vs. Air Travel. Ford Offers to License Its Police “Surveillance Mode” Camera Tech to Other Cop-Car Makers, Ford’s New Cars Will Automatically Watch for Pedestrians, Tesla Wants to Pay Hackers a Full-Time Salary to Break Its Cars. CSI: Car Smell Investigation, 2020 Hyundai Palisade Edition, Tips for Starting Your Car in Subzero Weather. On cars with automatic temperature control, a “set-and-forget” feature that is supposed to maintain a constant temperature, the computer that controls the system might be malfunctioning. While you may be getting hot coolant/antifreeze into the heater core, the heater fan, the part that actually blows the heat into the cabin, can break or suffer an electrical short. When the heater is blowing cold air, one or both of the hoses connecting to the heater core do not warm up. This coolant is then routed through a “mini” radiator called a heater core. My 08 Milan has started to blow cold air when heat is needed. (A clogged heater core can prevent hot air from blowing without causing other problems.) Heater valve is jammed/faulty . A car’s cabin will heat up as the engine’s coolant heats up. I will show in this video. Car heater works intermittently? Answered in 20 minutes by: 10/7/2011. If hot coolant isn’t circulating through the heater core, perhaps a valve isn’t opening to allow that flow, or the core itself is leaking or clogged, or perhaps developed an air lock if air wasn’t properly bled following cooling system maintenance. Anyone have this happen? This will make it incredibly difficult for the engine to heat up in cold temperatures since it’s constantly being cooled. We have had bigger issues to deal with lately with intermittent stalling on the interstate. 19 Posts . A condenser has coils and a fan to push the air through the coils and thus cool the refrigerant. I do notice that if I run the car at faster speeds I can get the air temperature to increase, but that is usually temporary, especially if I come to a stop and just idle. Started happening intermittently, now seems only cold. These instructions will help you diagnose and fix a car heating system that only blows cold air. My car has 118000 miles. When you put all the way to hot-cold-hot again, the solenoid can get loose and start working again for a while. When winter arrives, the last thing you want breaking down is your car's heater because not only is a frosty car inconvenient—it's also dangerous. A/C only blows cold air intermittently. The heater’s warmth is derived from the coolant circulating around the engine to cool it down. October 12, 2020. I have 2002 T&C, 3.3 V6, that problem is the heater, it will blow warm air, but blows cold air at the lower vents by my feet. Sometimes it will leak water on the front passenter side under the console … read more This can almost be more maddening than the AC just not working at all, but fortunately a car AC that’s intermittently cold in Chino, CA can be solved with Blend door is jammed/faulty . The cooling system thermostat also may be failing to open, preventing coolant from circulating. When it's really cold out, the heater blows air that is barely warm. If your furnace starts blowing warm but then quickly turns cold, the flame sensor may need attention. Here's how: Turn the ignition switch to the ON position. It’s not always easy to diagnose heater problems. A condenser’s job in a vehicle is to cool the warm refrigerant that was used to make the air cold in the evaporator. If the heater is blowing cold air and the car is overheating, it is likely that the problem is related to the engine cooling system as well. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments. If one or more of these issues is present, your vehicle may blow out cool air rather than heat: Not enough coolant in the engine; Problems with the heater core; Clogged or broken heating controls; Dysfunctional thermostats Car Questions. This procedure should be done any time the A/C-heater Control is replaced, or if the battery is disconnected or replaced. This genuinely becomes a safety hazard because heat is needed to remove ice and fog build-up on your windshield—not to mention that extreme cold for extended periods is extremely dangerous. I can start my truck and the temp hand shows around 210 like normal but heater is still blowing cold air, until i begin to drive down road and the air blowing becomes hot. A broken heater in the winter is far worse than malfunctioning A/C in the summer. Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. If the car does get up to temperature as it should, there’s probably something else that has gone bad. Wondering if possibly connected to air condition issue. Any suggestions? Joined: Jan 18, 2015 Member: #146633 Messages: 4 Gender: Male Versailles, KY Vehicle: 06 Reg Cab 4 Cyl. No, your car didn’t get confused and turned on heat by accident. Just had it flushed and no change. If the holdup is by the heater core, then that’s one reason why hot air isn’t blowing. The A/C only blows cold air once in a great while and only for a short time. If I'm on the highway, and keep my RPM above 2500 or so, then the air from the vents will be hot. Luckily, unlike many systems on the modern motor car, heating systems are more or less built around the same design as they were 20 years ago - which is ultimately a basic one. September 28, 2020. why does my heat not blow hot air until i start driving 1 Answer. Faulty Heater Fan. Sometimes it can cost up to four figures if you have a bum heater core, other times it’s as easy as a broken switch or dial on your dash. CARS.COM — Why does your car heater blow cold air? So what happens if your car heater zonks out in mid-January? Whatever it may be, consulting forums specific to your car and speaking with a mechanic should help set you on the path of being warm and happy again. Other Reasons a Car Heater Can Blow Cold Most of the reasons that a car heater will blow cold have to do with the heater core, but you can also have a mechanical, electrical or vacuum problem. What could be the problem? 11. If your car gets stuck and your heater doesn't work—you're in serious trouble. The passenger side of the car is getting no/some heat. 0. While driving the air is cold and at times it starts blowing warm air. Fan blowing but no warm air coming out the vents. Air blows cold. The 2016 Hyundai Tucson has 30 problems reported for a/c intermittently blows warm air. If your car's blowing cold air when the heat's on, your car's engine coolant could be running low. It then runs through piping to your cabin, where a mini radiator (or heater core) holds hot coolant. If you let it sit and idle for a while, it will start blowing hot, but it will also sound and smell as if antifreeze is boiling over. The driver’s side is blowing almost uncomfortably hot air. WHY MY CAR HEATER DOES NOT BLOW HOT WARM AIR. 4. After driving for about 10-15 minutes at highway speed it doesn't do it. Thermostats are a common wear item, and typically break open, so it’s always allowing coolant to flow through the engine. F-150, heater will blow hot, then cold and then heat gauge will rise to extreme high, will boil over then gauge will drop to normal. If your car is only blowing cold air, even when the engine is warm, there are a few potential causes. We took it back to the shop and they noted that the compressor was shutting off for some reason. A few weeks after that the ac would intermittently start blowing warm air. I can set the temp at maximum, in either auto or manual modes and even though the car is obviously warmed up, I get lukewarm or cold air. How Does Your Car Heater Work? The first time I noticed, the heat dial was always in the red. Have an expert inspect your ducts along with the furnace. The ventilation fans blow air over the matrix and into the car. why not blowing hot air? If neither of those is the cause, then the heater core and ancillary components are likely culprits. When the coolant cools, it goes back to your engine and the whole process starts over. First, check the coolant level when the engine is cold. Some days it cold all the time no issues. Slowly the defroster will sometimes defrost the front windshield and sometimes I can feel some heat on my feet when I have the heater on, but nothing is blowing. Cold Air Blows Intermittently So you went for a road trip or a long drive, and after 30 minutes of driving realized that your AC suddenly stopped working or switched to blowing warm air. Meanwhile both passenger’s side vents are blowing cool air. Opel made a car in Europe some years ago called the Astra which was a divil for doing this and you had to undo the reservoir and hold it high with the engine running to get the air out of the heater core. If it’s really low, it might not be able to warm the heater core, even if it’s doing an adequate job of preventing engine overheating. If you notice that it initially vents out cold air, but over the drive goes to warmer air, then the problem is likely a frozen expansion pipe. What is intermittent cold air? It takes much longer than normal to get heat in the cabin and will never blow warm air if I'm in traffic or spend a lot of time at idle or low RPMs. The heater blows cold air intermittently regardless of the temperature setting. A different reason for the heat to not work would be a lack of coolant going through the engine. How we test gear. Another way to determine why you are faced with a problem of car air conditioner blowing hot air is to see when the unit blows warm air. It might blow comfortable cold air for 30 minutes and then go back to blowing warmer air. car heater does not work, blowing cold air. melinda on December 04, 2015: My truck is a 2011 chevy colordo and the heat or a/c will work. The core, a type of heat exchanger, gets its heat from liquid engine coolant that circulates through it by means of heater hoses. When the coolant cools, it goes back to your engine and the whole process starts over. Sometimes it’s both hoses, other times the hose going in is hot but the other hose is cool. Car Questions; Ford Repair; Ford F-150: My Ford F-150 heater is working intermittently. It's almost as unpleasant to have a heater that's not giving out enough heat. The A/C only blows cold air once in a great while and only for a short time. If the fan has broken, then there certainly won’t be any warm air from the heater core coming your way. If I am running defrost it is basically the same hot for a little while and then cold untill i turn it off for a little bit. Sometimes it blows out hot air and sometimes it is cold air. Replacing a thermostat is a relatively easy DIY project on some cars but can be difficult on others. Your furnace blowing cold air could be caused by hot air escaping through holes in the duct work that carries the heat throughout your building. Also, while driving suddenly it stops heating and just blows out cold air. Have an expert inspect your ducts along with the furnace. Topic starter Greetings; The wife's 2008 RX350 is having intermittent issues with the heater. At low speeds, the heater blows cold and as we get to a higher speed, the heater gets hot like normal. This will cause plenty of other issues, but there won’t be enough coolant to sufficiently warmup that heater core as well. The coolant return heater hose should be slightly cooler than the coolant supply heater hose. | Yahoo Answers. 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