My heater is not working?

Do the heater hoses get hot? It sounds like a blend door is not working but to be sure lets run down this guide which will help us pinpoint the problem.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-heater-not-working

Please run down this guide and report back.

A few days ago I was driving the van, I live in the north so its been anywhere from -25c to -37c. The heater was working fine than it started to blow cold air. It went from switching back and forth from cold to hot, no its blowing cold air 90% of the time. The engine is not over heating at all. The coolant levels are fine. What are some possibilities?

Check thermostat at 1st and replace if needed

open hood and check coolant in the radiator when engine is cool
open radiator cap and check coolant start engine and check if low add as needed and check for leaks


start and warm engine
locate heater hoses by the firewall and check if both hot and if so and have no heat
suspect blend door issue in the HVAC



my 1st suspicion would be low on coolant and would recheck the level in the radiator

I recently changed the radiator in my 97 Grand Caravan. Everything ran fine for a couple of weeks and then I started having a problem with engine temp running high and the heater putting out cold air. The only time the heater puts out warm air is when the engine temp climbs near the overheat mark. I changed the thermostat and the radiator cap. What are the next steps to figure this out?

Recheck the thermostat and check for heater core blockage and if it has a heater control valve check that too-could also be a air mix/blend/mode door problems to include vacuum devices/actuators

WHy can't I get heat?? I have changed the thermostat and had the heater core flushed. Still nothing but cold air. Pleanty of antifreez also.

hello, I'm not sure why it only blows cold air. The blower motor is blowing fine in all speeds, right? Did the heater work ok? and all of a sudden quit? do you have front and rear heat/ac or just front? and do the control for temp. feel ok? see if you can feel the heater hoses going into the interior from inside the engine compartment for heat? ok, you have a 3.3L there may be a problem with the door actuator if heat is available at both hoses. Is it a 3.0L?

WHY
I've done everything!!! Thermostate,,flushed the heater core,,,,,,,,,,,, NOW WHAT????

updated 1/13/10

I have hot hoses, but still no heat.

Nov 2, 2020 at 8:42 AM (Merged)

The hoses come out of the engine, if they have no heat, the interior won't either. If the thermostat was replaced for a no heat condition its best to make sure these hoses are getting hot, the water pump may not be circulating any hot coolant. Bring it back. The core inside, the control door, there's more to the climate control, it may be this, ok? With 180,000 it may be the engine letting air enter the system also, after replacing the thermostat, testing for heat is the first step, checking the heater hoses and controls is next.

on the fire wall behind the alternator is a wire plugged into a resistor($40.00), Disconnect it, pulls right out .and new one slides right in, if you catch it in time you wont burn out your blower motor.
*****Make sure to disconnect battery terminal first.

1996 heat on passergers side cold driverside luke warm on driverside ,new stat ,checked heater hoses both hot check mixing door .

If both heater core hoses are hot, then the heater core is hot too. That leaves the blend door (mixing door). Something isn't working right with them. Check that again.

My fiance has a grand caravan that works fine for a while, runnibg and with heat, then for no apparent reason, there is no heat, and it starts to leak, looks like from the overflow, but can't get it to do it for me. It only leaks when the heater starts blowing cold air. Would flushing the cooling system be worth it, as I've replaced the thermostat and rad cap. Thanks

Check the radiator if its clogged-up and water pump functioning properly

Last fall I flushed the radiater, running the water for about an hour, using a bottle of the radiater flush. I got a little bit of heat but in the morning It wouldn't even get slightly warm no matter how far I drove but in the afternoon it would be warm. For about a year now I have had only fan, no heat. My air conditioner when it run, it hums. I have only over heated twice but not bad, I stopped immediately. I have repaced the thermostat and I believe the heater core. The radiater soes have rust build-up, the hoses see, fine. I have a 18 year old son that does try to help but for the most part I try to get the job done myself. My ex is a mechanic but most of the time he has too much to say lol. thank you Debbie sorry I wish I had $ to donate but right now I am living on 130 a week so I truly appreciate any help you can give to me. I can offer answers of other sort in return?

If I understand correctly, the temperature gauge will read in the "normal" range, you slide the temperature lever to "hot", but you still get cool air. If that's correct, there was a common problem caused by rust buildup on the pivot for the temperature blend door. The door sticks in one position, but the temperature slide **** appears to be working. In fact it is not. The cable attaches to the door's lever through a three-fingered clip. That is the self-adjusting feature, but when the door binds, the cable just slides through that clip and doesn't move the door. The clue is you won't hear the nice "thump" when you move the lever fully one way or the other. Another clue is the two heater hoses going to the heater core will be hot. If that sounds like what you have, I can describe the repair procedure. You'll need a rag, a can of spray oil with a stem, (Chrysler's "Rust Penetrant" is recommended), a can of "Spray White Lube", (also from Chrysler), and a drill and about a 1/8" drill bit.

Heater problem
1995 Dodge Caravan Front Wheel Drive Automatic 160000 miles

Hi,

The heater blows when you turn all the switches to heat, but no hot air ever comes out. The car never overheats, but the temp guage does go to a normal level. I have watched the water in the radiator to make sure that it was flowing.

Do not know what else to look at.

Tamra

Tamra, Make sure both heater core hoses are getting hot with the heater on and the engine running at operating temp. If one is cooler than the other, there is a good chance the core is plugged and may need flushed or replaced.

Let me know what you find.

Joe

Heater problem
1994 Dodge Caravan 4 cyl Wheel Drive Type unknown Automatic 175000 miles
----------------------------------------------------------------
It is the middle on winter in Michigan and the heat in my ma's van is out. I would like to fix it myself but I am not sure where to begin. Do you have any suggestions on where to look and what to check/change. I am hoping it is something simple.

Thanks

Is it blowing cold air or no air blowing
at all
let me know
cool air :check coolant level and or
check / replace thermostat

Cold air.

check /replace thermostat
check heater hoses under hood
they should be hot both if you have one hot and one cool flush heater core
1st check /replace thermostat
let me know

Thanks for the help, I will let you know. If I can send a donation I will. Do you have a mail process?

i have a 1994 dodge caravan and there was no heat coming out. so i changed the thermastat and its still blowing cold air out. now i don't know what else to do?

have you checked to see if the heater core is plugged

could also be you heater hvac blend door.

Heater problem
1994 Dodge Caravan 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

Ive flushed the heater core and replaced the two hoses running to it but my heat still dont work. What else could be the reason?

This is my check list for no heat hope that help
1- Check coolant level and add if needed
2- Start and warm up the engine, does engine reach operating temp? if not check and suspect thermostat, if it does go to next step
3- Check heater hoses by the firewall both should be hot, if so problem is inside the HVAC box and check doors and actuators, if not check if have any restriction between engine and heater core by the firewall if not isolate and flush heater core

what can i do to fix my heater or is it a problem that a mechanic has to fix

Hi:
What seems to be the problem with the heater?

Joe

Hello JacobandNicolas. Thank You very much for responding to my question yesterday,I apologize for not getting back to you before now,I was pleasantly surprised when I check my email and you guys had replied so quickly. I truly appriciate you taking your time to help me with my vehicle issues. The problem Im having is that my 1994 Dogde Caravan has no ac and or heat. I really need my heater to work because its now snowing outside and it is very cold . When I turn on the heater all I get is cold air. Again I Thank You for your help and will be waiting to hear back from you.

Hi:
I'm glad to be here for you, and I hope I can help. To get started, do you mean the blower motor isn't working or it does work but all you get is cold air? Also, when you drive, does your engine temp gauge show that the engine is running at a normal operating temp?

Let me know.

Joe

Heater problem
1994 Dodge Caravan 184000 miles

I have a 1994 dodge caravan and it was/is leaking antifreeze. I put some sealant in and thought it would work. It makes a hissing sound and overheats at random times. It's like it will be fine for a while then out of no where it will over heat and the temp dial will accelerate then suddenly go down after a short amount of time. Then the engine will sound like bacon frying in a pan. The leak comes and goes. The heater does not work...I should say t comes and goes.

From the details of your engines symptoms, it might be a serious situation. Lets look at the fact you are losing coolant. Do you have any visual leaks? Such as cracked hoses, leaking radiator? Is there a smell of coolant/antifreeze inside the Van? Are the windows fogging up from the inside when you start your van in the early morning. You will also need to check if the cylinder head gasket is still sealed. Is there engine coolant in your oil? Is the oil dipstick a milky brown when checked?

My Caravan does not have any heat coming out of the vent. Only cold air. The rad has been flushed and it has a new thermostat. As an added piece of information, the coolant -- over a period of time drops but there is no sign of leaks under the van. Any ideas what to do to restore the heat.

because your coolant was changed , you have to make sure that u bleed the system . air pockets=no heat . Also have your engine coolant temperature sensor checked for faultiness , if bad, replace it.
let me know the outcome.

What is the right way to bleed the system?

one way is to look on top of the coolant inlet cover where the thermostat goes, there is might be a little bleed screw in which you have to slightly open when the car is on and has reached operating temp. with the heater on full blast. the other is to take the coolant cap off before your start your car. then you do the same thing as the other way and turn your heater on full blast and as the car reaches operating temp. youll see the coolant bubbling and releasing air as this is happening. youll notice that the coolant is getting slightly lower and that is when you add a little coolant at a time until you get to the correct level. usually when it stops bubbling thats when all of the air has been purged. I have to caution you , if you don't really know what your doing you should have someone help you and wear the proper protection equipment so that u don't get scolded or splashed in your eye.

I have done what you suggested and there certainly was quite a lot of air bubbles. WOW. Unfortunately, I never got any heat from the heater. So I am not sure what my next step should be.

I've flushed the heater core (both hoses were hot, but tried it anyway) but still get no heat, thinking that was the problem. Coolant is topped off. But the air only blows cool from the top vents, nothing from the front vents and very little from the bottom vents. Any ideas?