Running errands in the cold cannot be helped and is not a big deal for most. After all, we got our car heater to make the trip bearable. But what happens if we turn the heater on and cold air (instead of hot) comes out? You might ask, “Why is my car heater not getting hot enough?”
Common causes are thermostat problems, heater core issues, jammed heater flaps, air bubbles, and low coolant levels. Some of these reasons are partly due to the age of your vehicle, while others are a result of poor vehicle maintenance.
To better understand why your car heater is not getting hot enough, below are 14 common reasons:
- Heater core problems
- Insufficient or contaminated coolant
- Defective blower motor or resistor
- Faulty thermostat
- Clogged radiator
- Coolant/cooling system leaks
- Failing water pump
- Damaged heater hoses
- Airlock in the cooling system
- Broken heating controls
- Blend door actuator failure
- Plugged air filters
- Closed or clogged vents
- Stagnant antifreeze through the heater component
It makes a big difference if you know what telltale signs to look out for. Not only will this knowledge help you nip car heater issues in the bud, but it also guarantees you a toasty, comfortable ride.
Car Heater Not Blowing Hot Air – 14 Reasons Why
1. Heater Core Problems
The heater core is, perhaps, the most important part of a car’s cooling system. Its brass/aluminum tubing material disperses heat by allowing hot coolant from the engine to circulate through the cabin. At the same time, the heater core ensures the car heater and defroster function well. Because of how crucial its role is in balancing heat inside your vehicle, having a bad heater core (especially during winter months) can be troublesome, as it can lead to having a dysfunctional heater.
- Cold air coming through the vents when the heater is on
- Little to no heat coming out of the blower fan
- Noticeable difference in airflow
- Unusually rapid coolant usage
- Sweet-smelling, fruity odor
- Fogging inside your car
- Overheating engine
The above indicators should tell you of a possible heater core issue (some of them are sure-fire signs of damage). But ideally, the clever thing to do is pre-emptively check for any signs of coolant, ethylene glycol, or fluid leak even before these symptoms manifest. While you are at it, see if the heater hoses are warm to the touch, and verify if you have blown head gaskets as well.
Doing these checks will help you determine early on if the engine coolant is not circulating correctly, the air is stuck in the vent lines, or your heater core is clogged and requires either a flush or complete replacement. More importantly, these preventive measures can save you $500-$1,000 worth of heater core repair expenses.
2. Insufficient or Contaminated Coolant
As with most vehicles, your car uses coolant to cool down the engine when the weather is warm or blow warm air inside the cabin during colder climates. The coolant capacity of each vehicle varies depending on the make and model. But the water-antifreeze ratio is usually 50:50. Your car heater should work fine if both requirements are met.
However, this is not always the case. So, if you are wondering, “Why is my car heater not getting hot enough?” you may want to look into coolant-related causes. Either you have insufficient coolant in the radiator, or your coolant level is up to spec but contaminated. If the coolant level is low, your car will not send enough to the heater core to create warm air. Similarly, a contaminated coolant will wreak havoc to your vehicle’s cooling system, blocking the heater core from circulating warm air into the cabin and clogging the car heater and radiator with rust.
To ensure neither of these situations happen, make sure to regularly inspect your car’s overflow reservoir (an empty overflow reservoir indicates low coolant levels). Refill the radiator through the overflow reservoir if there is no coolant (never through the radiator cap!). Check for cracked cylinder heads, faulty head gaskets, or any breach in the cooling system that may result in coolant contamination by transmission fluid or oil.
3. Defective Blower Motor or Resistor
The blower motor is vital to your vehicle’s heating system. It is in charge of taking the heat produced by the said system and blowing that hot air across the heater core, through the ventilation system, and inside the cabin. If this component fails, you will be left without a proper climate control system – this not only compromises comfort while driving but also affects useful functions like window defogging, which could lead to visibility problems and potential road hazards. Unlike most items in this list, a faulty blower motor is caused by a wiring issue rather than a leak or component damage. Otherwise, you may be looking at a defective power relay or blown fuse.
4. Faulty Thermostat
The thermostat serves as a gatekeeper of sorts and is responsible for keeping the coolant inside the engine until the right time when it can be released into the cooling system and the vents. If broken, this component will not be able to regulate engine temperature. This translates into a lack of heat from the car’s heating system, and the Check Engine Light may also trigger in the process. Moreover, it can also lead to your engine running too cold, posing a considerable problem when on the road.
A stuck-closed thermostat would cause the coolant inside the engine to freely circulate through the entire cooling system without being warmed up first, resulting in an overheating engine and your car heater blowing cold air despite being on. Conversely, a stuck-open thermostat would cause the engine temperature to stay low and the car heater to take longer to warm up (or not at all). The latter is also a likely indication of a heater core problem.
5. Clogged Radiator
It is normal for heater radiators to clog over time and should come as no surprise to car owners, especially those with really old vehicles. But avoid disregarding early signs of obstruction. When a radiator plugs up, it becomes more difficult for the coolant to pass through its bearings – leading to the car heater not getting hot when it needs to.
A clogged radiator would have specific symptoms pointing to its direction and should never be confused with a vehicle taking a minute to heat up before it can blow hot air inside the cabin. You would know that your radiator is clogged if your coolant is visibly leaking, thicker, or darker than usual. You may also have bent radiator fins, damaged water pump, or insanely high gauge temperature readings.
6. Coolant/Cooling System Leaks
Leaks are naturally a part of this list, given that it takes a usual 50:50 ratio of antifreeze and water to make your vehicle’s cooling system effectively perform. Unless there is damage to the cooling system components or contamination in the coolant composition, this ratio is not easily disrupted. But when it does get upset, leaks are bound to be one of the first signs to manifest.
Despite what many owners think, this situation can be tricky since leaks can surface anywhere, making them unpredictable and their visibility difficult. Thankfully, checking for damage in your car’s radiator, water pump, and hoses (among other things) can help you narrow down the leak source.
7. Failing Water Pump
Water pump issues share a common symptom with a clogged radiator, specifically extremely high engine temperature readings. This indicator may happen sporadically or alongside recurring engine overheating. During this occurrence, the pump can no longer circulate hot water or coolant throughout the engine block and heater core. Ultimately, the heater core will not heat up, rendering the car heater inoperable. Worst-case scenario, a bad water pump left unaddressed may lead to more serious engine damage.
8. Damaged Heater Hoses
Heater hoses deliver the coolant from the firewall through the car heater and should be urgently inspected when the latter does not get hot enough. These components will not do if one or both of the heater hoses are damaged, as they are responsible for transferring excess heat (in the form of engine coolant) from the engine into the heater core and vice-versa. Typically, compromised heater hoses need to be immediately replaced. Otherwise, continued use will eventually lead to a complete failure of the entire engine and cooling system if left unaddressed.
9. Airlock in the Cooling System
A leading cause of engine overheating, the airlock is more likely to occur following a car heater issue triggered by a coolant leak. This trapped air is often found in the heater core (the high point of a vehicle’s cooling system) or the radiator. Eventually, it turns into a gel form of sorts, creating a blockage for the coolant to circulate freely through the engine and the car’s entire cooling system. It takes about fifteen (15) minutes to half an hour to bleed the cooling system and eliminate the affected coolant, as well as any trapped air inside.
10. Broken Heating Controls
Non-working heating controls are among the least suspected reasons behind your heater not blowing hot air inside the car. However, this set is one of the first things you should look into if your coolant levels and heater core check out. After all, heating controls are part of your vehicle’s climate control system and are partially responsible for keeping you warm while you drive.
When broken, it can trigger the temperature gauge to behave erratically, making it difficult to determine your car’s engine temperature and for your vehicle to send the coolant through the heater core in response. The heater control valve, in particular, acts as a heat switch and is found under the hood. If this does not work properly, it can lead to your car heater not working, but A/C works. That said, make sure to replace the control buttons or the heater control valve if found defective.
11. Blend Door Actuator Failure
A/C blend door actuators are small electric motors that move the vent doors on the driver/passenger sides inside a car. They are part of your vehicle’s HVAC system that helps regulate temperature and airflow by mixing hot with cold air to achieve the desired temperature. Like any other car part, these motors are subject to fail at some point or after a certain period of use. Depending on how bad these components have failed, actuators could lead to your car heater blowing warm air, not hot. Either that or hot air may completely stop coming out of the vents.
12. Plugged Air Filters
It is imperative to clean air filters if you were to maintain the efficiency of your vehicle’s cooling system – and the reason is not just for comfort and keeping toasty in cold weather. Alongside car heater problems, a clogged air filter causes window fogging problems and contributes to lower-than-normal fuel mileage. Both of these issues hinder your ability to get to your destination in one piece and without interruption. Furthermore, a dirty air filter may give you the impression that something is wrong with your car’s climate control system simply because airflow is restricted.
13. Closed or Clogged Vents
Fins or louvers that are jammed, shut, or stuck-closed hinder your car heater from producing hot air and releasing the same into the cabin. Hence, they should be part of your inspection even if the symptoms you are experiencing do not directly point to them. Doing so will save you from prematurely diagnosing the more challenging items in this list. Or, at best, you may discover that the fins and vents in your vehicle just need a little bit of thorough cleaning.
14. Stagnant Antifreeze Through the Heater Component
Finally, we have non-moving coolant causing your vehicle’s car heater not to get hot enough. Similar to the effects of a defective thermostat, antifreeze that is stagnant and not flowing through the heater component disrupts the balance that your vehicle needs for its climate control system to work effectively. It is highly unlikely for the engine coolant to freeze up on its own. Antifreeze becoming stagnant is associated more with heater control valve or water pump issues – components responsible for circulating the fluid through the vehicle’s cooling system.
In some cases, your car heater may only work when driving or in motion. This is expected since the engine coolant temperature naturally becomes hotter on the engine before reaching the radiator, causing the car heater to momentarily work fine during specific situations. At any rate, you should thoroughly examine your vehicle and determine the problem source of your car heater malfunction – whether or not it is blowing out wrong-temperature air frequently.
Conclusion – Why Is My Car Heater Not Getting Hot Enough?
To recap, here are fourteen (14) of the most common reasons your car heater is not getting hot enough:
- Heater core problems
- Insufficient or contaminated coolant
- Defective blower motor or resistor
- Faulty thermostat
- Clogged radiator
- Coolant/cooling system leaks
- Failing water pump
- Damaged heater hoses
- Airlock in the cooling system
- Broken heating controls
- Blend door actuator failure
- Plugged air filters
- Closed or clogged vents
- Stagnant antifreeze through the heater component
This guide (although non-exhaustive) aptly sums up the usual culprits behind car heater breakdowns. While some items mentioned in this article only result in cold air blowing out of car vents, others lead to a total loss of car heater functionality.
That said, owners should tend to their vehicles at the first sign that their heaters are not working properly. Being prompt in resolving these issues will help save you from a lot of chilly rides and prevent minor problems from escalating into expensive, elaborate repairs. If all else fails, seeking assistance from a professional mechanic will always be the best route to take.
Kris is an avid off-roader and outdoor enthusiast who loves to brave the elements and take on challenging terrain. He also enjoys sharing his passion and knowledge with others so that they, too, can appreciate the ride.
About Kris