1993 Toyota Tercel insufficient heat

1993 TOYOTA TERCEL
200,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
Avatar
[email protected]
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
car is in great condition. engine rebuilt 12000 mi ago.
new water pump, radiator, thermostat, radiator cap,
changed heater core and readjusted all controls. temperature gauge never reaches half way. cooling fan works ok. heat will turn cold while driving. have also tried blocking radiator with cardboard. i live in dc, so it doesn't get extremely cold here. please help i also noticed that i can remove radiator cap at any time. not enough pressure, but have not had system pressure tested.
Jan 20, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
RASMATAZ
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 75,992 POSTS
Engine heat or cabin heat? could be caused by thermostat stuck open recheck it-
Jan 20, 2009 at 1:45 PM
Avatar
[email protected]
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
thermostat was replaced 2 days ago to no avail.
Jan 20, 2009 at 5:09 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
[email protected]
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
[quote:b2bb7038a8="[email protected]"]thermostat was replaced 2 days ago to no avail.[/quote:b2bb7038a8]
Jan 20, 2009 at 5:45 PM
Avatar
RASMATAZ
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 75,992 POSTS
Check the heater control valve
Jan 20, 2009 at 7:22 PM
Avatar
[email protected]
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
this particular model has no heater control valve to direct the flow of water through the heater core. i believe water flows through the heater core at all times and heat is directed to the passenger compartment by opening a heater door using the heat control lever on the dash.this lever was re-adjusted after the heater core was replaced.
Jan 20, 2009 at 9:21 PM
Avatar
[email protected]
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
[quote:9de3c99479="[email protected]"]this particular model has no heater control valve to direct the flow of water through the heater core. i believe water flows through the heater core at all times and heat is directed to the passenger compartment by opening a heater door using the heat control lever on the dash.this lever was re-adjusted after the heater core was replaced.[/quote:9de3c99479]
Jan 20, 2009 at 9:54 PM
Avatar
[email protected]
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
problem solved!
the tip was the fact that the radiator would not build up pressure. after the radiator tested ok, the only other suspects were the radiator cap and the thermostat. i went to the dealer for a replacement thermostat, and learned that the car calls for a 2 stage thermostat in a particular heat range. the aftermarket thermostat was not sufficiently rated.
thanks anyway for the help, guys.

i tried to post a donation, but your protocol does not allow for DC residents in the list of states.
Jan 21, 2009 at 1:13 PM