[Extra Krispy]

since it has been cold up here in CT, the heat in the car is needed but it is very sporadic. When the car stops at a light or something no heat comes out just cold air. even when im driving sometimes the air will turn cold for a few minutes and no matter how long the car sits warm air wont come out till i start driving. anyone else have this problem and whats wrong?

 

[Extra Krispy]

i just noticed the other thread about the heat on here right after i posted but if anyone has any other suggestions feel free to post

 

[rensoyka]

First thing to do is make a test drive without the climate control on "auto" for either control. Set the temperature at hot or warm and the fan on medium and the vents on floor and see if the heat is okay. If so, the problem is with the climate control system and not the heating/cooling system.

 

[Stitch]

you may have too much anti freeze for colant and not enough water

 

[2003SVT/CBR1100]

or worse, not enough coolant at all...

 

[Extra Krispy]

First thing to do is make a test drive without the climate control on "auto" for either control. Set the temperature at hot or warm and the fan on medium and the vents on floor and see if the heat is okay. If so, the problem is with the climate control system and not the heating/cooling system.

going to try it now....thanks!

 

[Farage]

you may have air stuck in the cooling system

 

[iROCK6sic6]

you may have too much anti freeze for colant and not enough water

that doesnt make any sense...
first check the level, of thats ok maybe you need to bleed the system of air

 

[Stitch]

that doesnt make any sense...
first check the level, of thats ok maybe you need to bleed the system of air

why would it not make sense? where do you think the hot air comes from? anti freeze doesn't get as warm as water does. If you have too much anti freeze then your engine is always gonna run cool, hence, no heat.

 

[VTEC_Inside]

why would it not make sense? where do you think the hot air comes from? anti freeze doesn't get as warm as water does. If you have too much anti freeze then your engine is always gonna run cool, hence, no heat.

lol... Really, how would anit-freeze not get as warm as water if they are heated by the same source? lol...

The engine heats whatever is running through it for coolant.

You could run straight water or antifreeze and as long as the system is full you wouldn't have any problem with heat.

The reason you mix the two is to end up with a fluid that has a lower freezing point and higher boiling point than either of them has on their own.

 

[Stitch]

ok

 

[FullEffect256]

woah...vtec inside... ure completely wrong.

guys... water has the best thermal properties for taking heat away from things... it's the best thing you can put into your cooling system to keep your engine cool.

the reason you you mix in the antifreeze is to raise the boiling point and lower the freezing point of the water... also helps deal with corrosion in the cooling system..

neways... too much coolant could be the issue, but isn't likely... air the in the system is more probable

 

[simon]

My coolant level is good, but I have the same issue with heat. Is bleeding the system a dyi deal or should i just make the dealer deal with it for warranty work?

 

[Extra Krispy]

havent checked this is in while but like simon said would bleeding the system help? its getting cold and i need some heat!

 

[MadMax]

Thermostat stuck 'open'.

Change it. Cheap, and quick fix.

 

[Extra Krispy]

ill give it a go, thanks!

 

[satinsilverk20a2]

lol chris u ddint tell me u had heat problems too

 

[JPSlick]

just to clear up the above statemenet about anti-freeze and water....
Normally Anti-Freeze you buy in a store is 50/50 (anti-freeze and water)

If you simply just put 100% anti-freeze (aka not a 50/50 mix) you would have a tough time cooling the car down....cuz all the anti-freeze is designed to do is make sure the water Doesnt Freeze....hence the name anti-freeze

The water in the mixture is designed to keep the car cool

For those of you who live in climates where freezing isnt an issue you could theoretically only run 15% anti-freeze and 85% water and it would help cool your car better....

Most race cars tend to just run almost 100% water....as they dont need to worry about their coolant freezing....

Yes there are other factors of using coolant as someone else said above it helps raise the boiling temp and and helps with the breakdown of internals (ie corrosion of plumbing etc)

to get your temps even run cooler (or to ease cooling) additives like the product "water wetter" help but they recommend running something more then 50/50 cuz the more water the better it is at lower the temp

to answer the thread-starters problem:
it sounds like a heatercore problem but im not to sure...get back to us if the heat works without using automatic climate control cuz then thats a different problem

also if you bring the RPM's up do you notice your heat gets warmer? cuz it should

 

[minouuupak]

lol i think it's funny how the question went from what could be causing it to the chemical breakdown/function of anti-freeze

 

[Extra Krispy]

lol chris u ddint tell me u had heat problems too

well i didnt really find out till the last time i was home (like 3 weeks ago) cause i didnt need the heat in the summer.....lol