What can you do with a bad heater control valve?
What can you do with a bad heater control valve?
By adjusting the heater control valve, you can allow more or less heat into your car’s interior. The heat can be used to keep you and your passengers warm during cold weather, to clear your windows of ice, snow, or condensation, or both. Some vehicles use a blend door, which is a motorized partition between the heater and the fresh air/AC systems.
How does a heater control valve work in a car?
In some cars, the heat is regulated by a heater control valve that controls the flow of hot engine coolant from the engine to the car’s heater core. On older vehicles, the valve is operated by a cable, while newer vehicles used a vacuum actuator controlled valve. A heater control valve can fail in several ways.
How to check the temperature of a heater control valve?
Then check the temperature of the hose on the inlet and outlet sides of the heater control valve. The inlet and outlet hoses should be the same temperature. If the inlet side is warmer than the outlet side, the valve isn’t opening or opening fully. Remove the vacuum line from the vacuum motor and check for engine vacuum.
Why is my heater control valve not closing?
However, even if the heater control supplies vacuum the mechanical portion of the valve can fail, preventing the heater control valve from closing. Or, rust or sludge in the cooling system can block the valve and prevent it from closing fully.
Can a car not have a heater control valve?
Not all vehicle are equipped with a heater control valve. If a valve is not used, coolant continuously flows though the heater core.
What are the symptoms of a bad heater control valve?
Symptoms of a Bad or Failing Heater Control Valve. 1 1. Heater doesn’t work. One of the first symptoms of a faulty heater control valve is a heater that fails to produce warm air. If the heater control 2 2. Leaking coolant. 3 3. Erratic heater behavior.
What to do if your heater control valve breaks?
On a cable operated system, the cable can break or detach from the control levers, leaving the valve in the fully open position. Adjust the heat to the full on position with the engine at operating temperature. Then check the temperature of the hose on the inlet and outlet sides of the heater control valve.
Then check the temperature of the hose on the inlet and outlet sides of the heater control valve. The inlet and outlet hoses should be the same temperature. If the inlet side is warmer than the outlet side, the valve isn’t opening or opening fully. Remove the vacuum line from the vacuum motor and check for engine vacuum.
