How to Diagnose Your Car's Heater Problems Before Old Man Winter Rolls Around

If you're steaming away in the cockpit of your car during a typically hot Australian summer day, then the last thing on your mind will be your car's heater. Those chilly mornings from last season may be a distant memory, but you may nevertheless remember that some issues appeared to be developing. Remember, summer is going to end soon and you need to be prepared, so what should you do right now to make sure that you're not caught out?

How Everything Is Supposed to Work

The internal heater that helps to regulate the temperature in the passenger compartment is part of a larger system that harvests energy from the water that's used to cool the engine. This heated water is first of all passed through the primary radiator, which sits at the front of the vehicle. Most of this water will be cooled as it is forced under pressure through the radiator ducts and as the car drives along. However, some of the hot water can be diverted into a secondary radiator that is located in between the cabin and the engine bay. A secondary fan will blow warm air from this water in through the ducts to your seating area.

Could It Be Simple?

If any part of that system plays up, then you're likely to encounter a problem, but firstly, you should suspect an issue with the thermostat, which is a simple device used to open and close access to the secondary radiator. If it is only partially open then it may not be allowing a sufficient amount of water to radiator number two, restricting the temperature.

Dealing with Sludge

A certain amount of sediment will also build up within the pipework and this could compromise the second heater. This "gunk" is often made of tiny pieces of rubber that come from within the piping system, but it may also be a result of sediment that can be traced back to the coolant.

If an internal build-up is suspected, the system will need to be flushed and this is quite a significant task. To be effective, it will need to be flushed several times and you may also need to use compressed air to get rid of stubborn deposits. This needs to be done carefully, so that no internal damage is caused accidentally.

How to Proceed

It's always best if you leave this type of major task to a qualified mechanic, as they have the correct equipment on site to make it a lot easier. Talk to a local car service.