13 Sep Your Car Heater: Why Is It Time For Fall Auto Maintenance?
Summer is coming to a close. Before you know it, the weather will turn crisp and wet, heralding the return of pumpkin spice season. While I’m looking forward to cooler temperatures, I dread the idea of sitting in a chilly car waiting for my car heater to kick in. Did you know that scheduling routine auto maintenance can actually improve the performance of your car heater? Yep, it’s true. Your HVAC system (especially the heater core) relies on fresh engine coolant to operate the car heater effectively.
Cooling System Basics
A combustion engine generates an enormous amount of heat. If the engine isn’t cooled sufficiently, it can sustain serious damage. The majority of newer vehicles utilize liquid-cooled engines. They use engine coolant (water + antifreeze) to limit corrosion and maintain appropriate engine temperatures. The coolant moves through the engine and other cooling system components, absorbing heat. It eventually enters the radiator, where the super hot liquid cools down. This process repeats in a continuous cycle while the engine is running.
How Does My Car Heater Work?
For your car heater to provide warmed air into the cabin, some of the hot coolant diverts into the heater core. The heater core is a mini radiator in the HVAC system that circulates the hot coolant from the engine cooling system. When you turn on your car heater, the blower motor moves the warmed air across the heater core, through small ‘blend-doors’ and into the cabin.
Blend-Doors
Cars with automatic climate control use sensors to monitor the cabin temperature and humidity. The sensors control when the blend-doors and outside air flaps open and close, maintaining the desired temperature inside the car.
Dual-zone climate controls allow the driver and passengers to set different temperatures. These HVAC systems independently operate blend-doors on both sides of the dash (plus front and rear seating) based on the selected temperatures in each section of the car.
Car Heater & HVAC System Maintenance
Your car’s heater relies on a properly operating cooling system. Let’s review which components play the biggest role in maintaining this goal.
Engine Coolant
Old and dirty coolant can prevent the cooling system from operating correctly. Without adequate levels of clean coolant, the HVAC system may stop working. Simple auto maintenance, like a coolant fill or coolant flush, can help a struggling cooling and HVAC system.
Cooling System Thermostat
The thermostat in your vehicle’s cooling system mounts between the engine and the radiator. It works as a valve, opening and closing at specific temperatures, controlling the coolant flow. A faulty thermostat may cause your engine to run too hot or too cold. Temperature fluctuations in the engine are inefficient and may decrease fuel economy. Regular auto maintenance can spot a bad thermostat before it causes engine damage.
HVAC Heater Core
Your vehicle’s heater core transfers the heat from the hot coolant into the interior cabin. The heater core contains small channels or tubes, so it gets clogged with rust, scale, and particulates when the coolant is old or dirty. Even low coolant levels (resulting from a coolant leak) may create issues with your heater core. The heater core may have cracked if you smell a sweet aroma inside your car. Check near the floor mats for leaking coolant. In most cases, damaged or clogged heater cores are irreparable and require replacement.
Blower Motor & Fans
The blower motor controls the fan settings of your climate-control HVAC system. When you turn the dial in the dashboard for the heat or AC, the blower motor adjusts the air volume accordingly via a mechanical switch or electronic module. A broken blower motor will deliver weak airflow or even none at all. A service technician can track down if the airflow issues are due to a worn blower motor or another faulty component.
Blend-Doors, Actuators, Sensors
The HVAC system blend-door determines where the airflow comes from. Most newer climate control HVAC systems use an electric motor to control the blend-door’s position. When you change the climate control system temperature, the blend-door actuator moves to the appropriate position. The blend-door actuator may contain an electronic sensor that continuously monitors the door’s position.
Auto Maintenance in Ann Arbor, MI
While it may not feel like it right now, fall is right around the corner. Driving your vehicle in the chilly weather of Ann Arbor, MI, without a functioning heater can be miserable. At Ron’s Garage, you can trust our team of experienced service technicians to perform a detailed inspection of your car’s cooling system and HVAC. We can determine the condition of the heater core, coolant, and other car heater components. We will then recommend the necessary auto maintenance or repairs to get you back on the road.
Schedule Your Car Heater Repairs
Call (734) 961-4701 or visit us online to schedule your car heater repairs today.