6 Symptoms Of A Bad Heater Core You Should NOT Ignore
Are you having issues with the heater in your car? It can be uncomfortable to deal with a cold cabin when it’s freezing outside. If you suspect the heater core is the culprit, keep reading this article to learn the symptoms.
purpose
The heater core’s purpose is to warm the car’s cabin using heat from the engine’s coolant. When the engine runs, hot coolant flows into the heater core. The blower motor then pushes air through the heater core, allowing the warm air to circulate into the cabin.
Location
On most vehicles, the heater core will typically be located on the passenger side behind the dashboard. Some cars may also have two heater cores, so make sure to check your owner’s manual.
The heater core can fail in two different ways: it can either develop leaks or get clogged.
symptoms
no heat inside the cabin
The first symptom is noticing no heat inside the cabin. You set the temperature to the hottest setting and the air still blows cold or maybe slightly warm. If the heater core is clogged or leaking, it will prevent the proper flow of hot coolant. When this happens, the heater core's performance will suffer, resulting in poor heating inside the vehicle.
coolant leaks inside the cabin
The second symptom is noticing coolant leaks inside your cabin. Since the heater core is located behind the dashboard, if it starts leaking, the coolant could start dripping on the floor. One way to figure out if the heater core is leaking is to use a white napkin to clean it up. If the napkin smells sweet and the color matches the coolant, you most definitely have a leaking heater core.
a Sweet smell inside the cabin
This leads us to the next symptom - noticing a sweet smell inside the cabin. When the coolant is leaking inside the car, youll notice a sweet smell similar to maple syrup. It’s important to fix this issue right away because inhaling the coolant can be harmful to you or other passengers.
Foggy windshield
The fourth symptom is a foggy windshield. If you notice the windshield gets foggy when driving and no amount of air seems to make it go away, the heater core could be the issue. This can happen if the heater core has developed a leak. The evaporated coolant can travel through the vents and make the windshield foggy. Try wiping the windshield with a cloth, if it’s just smudging instead of wiping clean, it’s time to look into your heater core.
Low coolant level
The fifth symptom that can happen is a low coolant level. If the heater core is leaking, over time you may notice the coolant level getting lower and lower.
Overheating engine
Now low coolant leads to the last symptom - an overheating engine. The purpose of the coolant is to absorb the heat from the engine. If coolant levels drop, it will struggle to absorb the required heat. As a result, the engine will start overheating.
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