In our last blog post, we talked about how harsh winter weather is on your automobile but what about you? Can you imagine getting into your car, turning on the heater, and only having cold air blast out of the vents? That would not be good! Cergizan’s Auto and Truck Repair lists the five signs of core trouble in your vehicle below because if the heater is out, chances are the heater core is the problem.
Sweet Odor
The heater core uses hot coolant to warm the air before it blows into the vehicle cabin. If the core is leaking, which is a common problem, you might smell a sweet odor coming through the vents when you turn the heater on. Coolant smells sweet and musty, a little like old candy or fruit.
Window Fog
The core also heats up the air that blows out of your windshield defroster. If the core is leaking, your windshield and windows may fog up. This happens when hot coolant leaks from the defroster and vents into the cold cabin and evaporates on, i.e. steams up all of the windows.
Cold Air
As we said in the introduction of this blog post, one sure sign you’ve got core problems is cold air blowing through the vents. Cold air usually means the heater core doesn’t have any hot coolant in it, i.e. it has leaked out. The air blowing through the vents could also be lukewarm eventually becoming cold.
Coolant Hog
If your automobile has suddenly become a coolant hog, this, too, suggests a coolant leak somewhere. The heater core can develop leaks over time; the average life of the core is about 10 years. If your vehicle is older than that, you could have a leak in the heater core or another part in the cooling system.
Overheating
Finally, if your heater core is failing or clogged, you might have cold air in the cabin but your vehicle’s engine is overheating. The core circulates coolant back into the radiator for recirculation. If it’s leaking or clogged, it might not pump enough coolant into the radiator and your engine will overheat.
Cergizan’s Auto and Truck Repair is located in Chesterton, IN, and we’d be happy to inspect your core if you suspect there’s a problem. Set up an appointment by calling us today. Our ASE-Certified technicians will find the heater core problem and fix it so you can be on your way nice and warm.