heating and frosted windows

[omiimiish]

Hi,

I bought my first toyota 1 1/2 years ago, (1990 Camry wagon) so this is my 2nd winter. First the car does not heat up in the cold (northern wisconsin) so I put cardboard in front of the radiator to allow the water to heat up. This gets the engine temp up to produce heat.

But, we can not generate enough heat to keep the windows defrosted. The will completely freeze up anytime the outside temp is low. The car seems to produce some of the vapors that are freezing. This occurs even with the heater fan on high and the temp on high.

Is this a heater core issue? I do occasionally add fluid to the radiator but not a lot.

thanks
dave

[malayan]

keep an eye on the temp if your gonna leave the cardboard there! It has to be really cold for that not to overheat the engine.

Anytime I have moist air coming from the defroster it usually is the core. Have your mechanic pressure test the cooling system with the heater on hot .

You can also look under the carpet in front of the console and see if it has been leaking down the wall there. But sometime just a pinhole will fog the windshield and not show a dripping leak.
I ALWAYS use the AC when defrosting (if the AC works)because it dry's out the air and makes defrosting twice as fast.

Yes! the frost will freeze on the inside of the window as well.

[Mike Gerber]

If it is actually freezing on the inside of the windshield, it is not coolant from the heater core. Remember, the coolant mixture is designed not to freeze. To prevent this from happening I would turn the selector lever to a point midway between recirculate and fresh air. If your system doesn't allow this setting, try it on fresh air. If you are leaving the selector on recirculate, the condensation is actually coming from your breath and freezing on the windshield.

Also, your car should eventually give good heat no matter what the outside temperature. If it hasn't been done I would change the thermostat and bleed the cooling system of all air. The thermostat may be opening up too early or may actually be stuck in the open position.

Mike

[fredk]

put a good thermostat in it

[Dave's]

2nd Mike G. Also, if equipped with AC try turning it on even though you're using hot air. This will help dry the air.

[BHSmout]

Here's a tip from the frozen prairie wastelands north of you where it is actually colder. If you want to keep your front windshield clear enough to see through, set your heater control on defrost but lower your sun visors.
This creates a boundary layer of hot air trapped by the visors and the windshield will defrost faster.

Regards,

Brian

[omiimiish]

thanks for the replies

I tried the adjustment on the recycled air and using the AC, it worked better, but it was only -7 last night. I will try the thermostat and system flush, and maybe even a heater core. I get foggy windows even in warm weather as I am thinking about this.

I use the sun visor trick when I drive bus, it works.

thanks,
dave

[GregElliott]

The heater core job is FUN! haha

[nuron]

BHS, nice tip--I've been doing that for the last couple of days, let's get more haha. I need to stop my doors from getting frozen stuck to the rest of the car, should I try a light coating of oil on the door seal?

[Dave's]

^ Use a silicone spray. I spray a cloth and wipe it on. (CRC, jig-a-lube, pryoil to name a few)

[GregElliott]

White lithium grease cures all.