heater issue

[bowlofturtle]

Hey guys i'm having a minor issue with my heater. I have ice cold AC but luke warm heat. Seems like the heater is warmer on low then on high. When on the highways i turn off the heater and leave the vents open. At times that is warmer then what my heat produces. I've gotten a new radiotor and fluid , new t-stat. and thats about it. What could be the issues what are ways to test it. I'm assuming its my heatcore but how can i test it. Maybe its my blower motor.

[bowlofturtle]

can't anyone help me. It just seems like a heater issue most likely a common complaint.

[alex86]

my problem i had with mine was that it was given me no warm air or lukewarm heat when i turn on the heater. i finally got that fixed by the mechanic which he found out that the little slider that controls the cold air and hot air was not opening all the way to let enough hot air go thro. he had to manually open it from behind the center console. the main prob was that the slider control is busted or no longer working. this may not be the same thing but it could be. i would go to mechanics and find out if not already

[bowlofturtle]

yea i thought about that as well. Anyone know how can you test tha manually or something?

[burchard]

Go under the hood, check the coolant hoses going into the heater core in the firewall. When the car is warmed up and the heat control is open, both should be warm/hot. If the one that is comming out of the heater is cooler, check if the heating control switch is oppening the coolant valve. To locate this part get somebody to move the switch inside the car and you look at the valve close to the firewall (driver side). Sometimes the switch-valve connection is loose and does not open the valve completely.

[amerikim]

Neighbour had his similar complaint but found out his core was clogged. He said his mech used a high pressure hose (not sure if air or water) and blasted the crap out.

[bowlofturtle]

heater cores are expensive part right? If my heater core is pluged i rather replace it. But from what i hear they can be very expensive. I gotta check the hoses. I'm assuming its on the passanger side of the firewall more or less right? I dont know where my heatcore is beside the fact that its more likely in my dash near my evaptor

[ShawnM]

Heater cores arnt all that expensive for the part. Its the labor thats a killer. Most cars require the dash to be removed. Havent done one in a Camry yet but im pretty sure the dash has to come out. If you want a copy of the procedure stop by the shop any time.

[bowlofturtle]

I have accesss to alldata but i dont like there diagrams too much. 99% of heatcores are right by the blower motor and evap. which is inside the freaking dash. I don't really wanna attempt to do it. Seems tough.

[toysarefun]

Well.., your getting some heat right?, it sounds like you have partial blockage in the heater core. Was your cooling system flushed?, or did the heater core problem start after you got a new radiator and coolant? Can't you hear the blower motor running? With the help of a friend it is easy to test the heat control, by visually looking at it work. You should be able to push air or water through the heater core in both directions easily cleaning it out.

[bowlofturtle]

i get some heat. Luke warm heat even on full blast. I have no idea how the heat was before the new raditor. Because they raditor blew like 2 days after i bought the car in last june. I know the coolant is new. And Since the June till now i have had to replace that extra coolant tank about 3 times. I dont know what a blower motor would sound like. But I dont here much aside from the engine.

[88 LE]

Originally Posted by bowlofturtle

I gotta check the hoses. I'm assuming its on the passanger side of the firewall more or less right?

Its closer to the drivers side.

This is what your looking for:

I dont know where my heatcore is beside the fact that its more likely in my dash near my evaptor

Yup, its behind the dash.

[em_]

i have the same fuckin problem on my 94 and my father on his 93 i really doubt that the heater core is blocked and even if it is i'm not having it changed. i will try today to see if i can open the valve more

from my knowledge if the heater core would be blocked the engine would overheat ... no ?

[88 LE]

Originally Posted by em_

from my knowledge if the heater core would be blocked the engine would overheat ... no ?

Nope.

Theres a valve (see pic I posted above) that controls the flow of coolant thru the heater core.

So even if the valve is closed or the heater core is clogged, coolant still flows thru the rest of the cooling system.

[em_]

ok thanks

this problem sucks since here is very cold -25c a couple of days evety months of the winter and if the heating doesnt work it's a big issue