When your car stops blowing heat, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time and money trying to fix it. Not all repairs require a lot of time and money. Having heat in your vehicle is not just for comfort. You need heat to defrost the windshield in the winter. So, if you are looking to fix the heat in the car real quick, here is how to do it.
Quick Fix For No Heat In Car
To perform a quick fix in a car with no heat you need to check the coolant level and add coolant if needed. Then, check the thermostat and replace it if it’s not working properly. If you still have no heat, you should verify that the heater control valve is working properly and that the heater fuse is not blown.
1. Check the coolant level
Coolant extracts heat from the engine and transfers it to the heater core that acts as a heat exchanger and this is how you get heat in the car. Because the heater core sits higher than the radiator, if there is not enough coolant in the radiator, the heater core will not get any coolant and you will have no heat in the car.
The heater core is essentially a small radiator that circulates the hot coolant from the engine through narrow tubes. This coolant passes through a finned chamber that acts as a heat exchanger. It transfers the engine heat to surrounding air that is then blown into the passenger area via vents to warm it up.
The heater core is directly connected to the vehicle’s cooling system. So, when the engine is running and heated coolant has been circulated, warm air will be distributed throughout the cabin.
To check the coolant level, open the radiator cap and check the level of your coolant. If you are low on coolant, adding more coolant to your radiator will fix the no-heat problem.
Is there any gunk in the radiator? See how to flush your cooling system
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2. Check your thermostat
If your vehicle is unable to reach the proper operating temperature, the thermostat is stuck open. The cooling system is a closed pressurized system. Once the coolant reaches the needed temperature, it is up to the thermostat to open and let the coolant circulate through the cooling system.
If your thermostat is stuck in an open position, the coolant will circulate all the time and it won’t be able to get hot. To check the thermostat, follow the main radiator hose that goes into the engine. There are usually two bolts, one on each side. Remove the bolts and install a new thermostat.
Replacing a faulty thermostat will allow your engine to reach the proper operating temperature and you will have heat in your cabin.
3. Check the heater control valve
A very common reason why your vehicle has no heat is that the heater control valve is not working properly. The heater control valve could be operated by vacuum, cable, or electronic. In all cases, the heater control valve should open and close in synchronization when you switch the heating controls inside your cabin.
If the heater control valve is faulty, it will not open and let the hot coolant run through the heater core hoses and you will not have heat in your cabin. In this case, you will have to replace your faulty heater control valve to get heat in your car.
The heater control valve is located on top of the two heater core hoses on the backside of the engine. You can check if this valve is operational by adjusting the heater from the panel inside your cabin and see if the heater control valve moves (opens and closes).
4. Check if the heater fuse is blown
The car’s heater is equipped with a fuse that safeguards the entire system from electrical overload. If the heater fuse is blown, you will have no heat in the car. Replacing a blown fuse will fix your heat problem. To check for a blown fuse, open the hood and locate the fuse box. On the inside of the fuse box cover, you will see information on where exactly to find the heater fuse.
Once you’ve located the heater fuse, pull it out. Check the metal strip that connects the two pins in the fuse. If the metal strip is broken, you will need to replace the fuse and that will fix your no-heat problem.
How Do I Know If My Car Thermostat Needs To Be Replaced?
A thermostat in a car keeps the engine at an optimal temperature to ensure it runs efficiently. It does this by regulating how much coolant flows through the radiator and engine. This way it keeps the engine from getting too hot or too cold. The thermostat is also responsible for preventing overheating by allowing coolant to flow when the engine gets hot, before switching back to circulation mode when the desired temperature is reached.
If your engine is constantly struggling to reach the optimal operating temperature, it means that the thermostat is stuck in an open position and has to be replaced. When the thermostat is in the open position, it constantly allows coolant to circulate and the engine isn’t able to heat up enough.
On the other hand, if the engine temperature is constantly higher than normal, it means that the thermostat is stuck in a closed position and isn’t allowing the hot coolant to get away from the engine. In this scenario, it is best if you replace the thermostat to prevent engine overheating.
The lifespan of a car thermostat varies depending on the make, model, and type of your car. It’s important to replace it at its recommended life cycle. Failure to do so can lead to serious engine damage. Fortunately, most car owners can expect their thermostat lasts from five to seven years on average with proper maintenance.
