Car Heater Malfunction And Maintenance: Here’s What You Need To Know

Maintenance of your car heating system is quite simple and easy to do. Doing it on a regular basis can not only help to up the performance of your car, but can also help to prevent overheating, which is one of the most common causes of heater malfunctions.

Here are five of the most common causes of car heater failure.

Common Causes of Heater Malfunctions

  • Low level of antifreeze or water in the radiator as a result of a leak in the cooling system.
  • A non-functional thermostat that doesn’t allow the engine to warm up properly.
  • A non-functional blower fun.
  • Coolant containing rust participles; one that is blocking the core of the heater from circulating air into the cabin.

Different types of repairs may be required depending on the complexity of the problem. But before we get into all that, take a quick peek at the infographic below highlighting the common causes of a car heater failure in more precise detail.

[Infographic created by Plates4Less Private Number Plates, UK]

Car Heating System Maintenance Tips

  • Check the air filter

You may need a brand-new air filter for your car every 12,000 miles or 12 months (whichever comes first).

You may pay a mechanic to replace the air filter on your behalf or do it yourself at home within ten minutes. The filter should typically be located under the hoof of the car.

On the other hand, you can extend the life of your filter by simply hitting it with some compressed air to clear out debris.

  • Change your antifreeze

This procedure should be done every 30,000 miles.

The first step is to release the pressure cap on your radiator. Do not usncrew the cap if the engine is hot, and don’t forget to wear safety goggles when working with pressurized units.

Now take an antifreeze tester and dip it into the radiator. It should show you the temperature at which the antifreeze should be effective.

If the temperature in your area is well below the efficiency point, change the antifreeze immediately.

  • Check for simple issues unrelated to the heater core or the coolant

For example, if there’s a broken fan, you can expect no heat being blown into the car at the time of operation.

You can detect this easily if the airflow is extremely weak.

  • A stuck thermostat?

Occasionally, the only problem with the engine lies with a stuck thermostat.

In this case, there’s no issue with the coolant or the heater core, but with the mechanism controlling the flow of coolant.

If your car’s taking more than 5 minutes to produce heat, this can be a sign that your thermostat is stuck.

  • Check the level of your coolant

Low coolant level may result in a malfunctioning heater. Thankfully, this issue can be easily solved by replacing the coolant in a matter of a jiffy.

So that more or less sums things up. We hope you had a good and productive read.

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