With winter just around the corner, people living in cold areas will rely on their car heater to keep the inside warm and cozy. If you own a car, then you need to ensure that its heater is working. Have you just turned on the heater to find out cold air blowing from the car heater?
It’s a sign that the area around the heater core has gone bad. The major sign of a bad heater core is that you get a blast of cold air when you turn on the car heater. The core is a small radiator, and the fan throws air inside the cabin with its help.
Unlike the car’s air conditioner that relies on engine power to operate, the car heater serves its purpose without consuming any fuel. So it doesn’t affect fuel efficiency.
The coolant in the engine is responsible for picking up the heat produced by the engine. When this heat-carrying coolant passes through the heater hoses, the car heater’s core works as a heat exchanger and picks up the heat. When the air is making its way to the vehicle’s cabin, it picks up the heat from the core and turns into warm air.
If you experience cold air blowing for the car heater, then check the coolant level. A low coolant level might be the reason for cold air blowing from the car heater. That’s because a low coolant level doesn’t carry enough heat to provide it to the heater core.
Sometimes, you keep the” set and forget” feature turned on for quite a long time, and the computer system gets tired of meeting the climate needs, which results in its malfunctioning. At times, a mere change of the feature brings it back to its normal working state.
If none of these reasons is causing cold air to blow from the car heater, then the heater core and ancillary components are likely reasons. When the heater core is clogged, it completely disrupts the airflow and prevents it from blowing.
The diverter or door in front of the fan compartment might be stuck or closed, resulting in improper airflow.
In vehicles with automatic temperature control, there might be some malfunctioning in the system. Getting it inspected can help identify if it’s working fine or not.
The heater core location is inconvenient to access because it requires you to remove the dashboard, so it’s better to visit a professional to get it inspected.
Diagnostic and fixing of such problems is often a complicated process because of several technical aspects. If you are not aware of your car engine’s technical aspects and functions, it’s better to seek professional assistance.
We hope that you don’t have to encounter cold air blowing from the car heater when you step into your vehicle on one of the coldest days this winter.
