Why is My Car Heater Blowing Cold Air?

For any of you Lower Mainland residents who have endured our harsh Canadian winters without owning a vehicle, you know just how deep set our winter chills can be. A simple 20 minutes outside in the cold and you’re shivering for the rest of the night it seems.

However, owning a vehicle doesn’t always mean staying warm and dry during the winter months. Especially when your heater vents are pumping out cold air when your temperature is turned all the way to maximum hot.

There are a number of reasons why your car vents may be blowing cold air instead of hot. We will cover the different reasons why that might be in this blogpost, and how to resolve them.

Car Vents Blowing Cold Air When Heat Is On

When you first start up your vehicle on a cold winter’s day, it’s expected that it will take a few minutes for the car to warm up. Thus, it will take a few minutes for the warm air to start filling your vehicle. However, if it’s been more than 10 minutes (depending on the outside temperature) and your vehicle is still blowing cold air, there could be an issue with your heating system.

The Most Common Reasons for Cold Air Instead of Hot Are:

• Lower than normal coolant levels
• Malfunctioning heater controls
• Failed or malfunctioning thermostat
• Clogged heater core
• Water leaks
• Broken blend door actuator

Your vehicle’s heating system is comprised of various components and systems that all work cohesively to produce either hot or cold air, depending on your temperature selection.

Possible Signs Your Car Heater Needs Servicing

If you’ve noticed that your vehicle doesn’t warm up as quickly as it used to on cold days, you may need to have it serviced.

Additionally, if you notice that the air coming through your heater vents is colder than it is hot, or isn’t as warm as it once was, you may need some of your car’s heating system assessed by a mechanic.

Why Does My Car’s Heater Blow Cold Air Instead of Hot?

Things like the radiator, coolant, water pump, and thermostat must all work properly and in unison to provide accurate heat or cooling control in your vehicle.

When even one of these components starts failing, your vehicle’s climate control will fail to work properly. Thus, producing cold air instead of hot. Similarly, your vehicle can also produce too hot of a temperature as a result of malfunctions as well.

Low Coolant Levels

If you notice cold air blowing out of your car’s vents when you’ve got it set to hot, it could be caused by low coolant levels. Check your coolant, or have a mechanic check it if you’re not that familiar with vehicle maintenance. This is one of the most common reasons that people have reduced heat capabilities in their vehicle’s heaters.

Failed or Malfunctioning Thermostat

Just like in your homes heating system, every vehicle has a thermostat to regulate and operate the temperature settings in your car.

If your thermostat is failing or has already failed, you may notice that the air coming from your vents is either very cold, or excessively hot. This is because without a thermostat to regulate the appropriate temperature that you’ve selected, your heater will typically go to one extreme or the other (hot or cold).

The thermostat is also responsible for making sure that your vehicle heats up or cools down in a timely manner. When it fails, it can cause your engine to not reach the appropriate working temperate at all. Thus, creating a malfunctioning heating system as a result.

Faulty or Clogged Heater Core

The heater core is exactly what it sounds like; the very component that heats the air that comes out of your car’s heater vents.

When your heater core is failing, has failed, or is simply clogged, it can prevent the already heated air from entering your vehicle’s cabin. This is why you’ll notice a drastic drop in the temperature of the heat settings you’ve selected.

Broken Blend Door Actuator

The blend door actuator may sound super futuristic and fancy, but in reality, it is simply the component that is responsible for directing the flow of air into your car.

This means, that even if your heater core isn’t failing, and your thermostat is fine, the heated air can’t be directed appropriately, which results in a drop in temperature in your vehicle.

This is why it’s important to have a professional mechanic assess your vehicle for any type of temperature fluctuation. They can properly discern if you are in need of a major repair, or a minor one.

For any major heating issues that need repairing, you need to consider the age and value of your car before committing to a large mechanic’s bill. This is when many people turn to the scrap car removal services of More Cash For Scrap.

We buy vehicles with heating issues, mechanical issues, and electrical problems. And we always pay MORE cash for scrap cars than the other guys!

Bad Blower Motor

The blower motor is exactly what it sounds like. It blows the air into your vehicle’s cabin. When the blower isn’t functioning properly, it can limit or stop the flow of air through your vehicle’s air vents.

This symptom of a bad blower motor will usually first appear like a heating issue, as the temperature doesn’t feel as warm as it should. However, the real problem isn’t the heating system itself, but the blower that aids in directly the flow and strength of flow into your car.

Water Leaks

Water leaks are usually a pretty significant sign that your heating system needs attention. Although it’s normal to see some water on the ground under your vehicle particularly during summer months when A/C is used frequently, seeing large amounts daily isn’t a good sign.

Water drips from under your car as a result of condensation from the heating and cooling system of your car. But when it starts to be excessive and regular, there could be an issue.

As water leaks while the heater is running usually signifies that there is a leak somewhere in a hose. This causes coolant levels to drop as well, which can make your engine overheat. When your engine isn’t functioning properly, your heating system will often follow.

If you notice a drop in temperature coupled with pools of water under your car, you may be in for a very serious repair bill.

How Does a Car Heating System Work?

The heating system of any vehicle is a complex system that has many working parts within it. Each component is equally important in maintaining a properly functioning heating system. This is why it’s always recommended that you have a professional mechanic assess and repair your car when something to do with the heating system appears to be failing.

1. Hot engine coolant circulates through the heater core, promoting the heating of air into your vehicle’s cabin.
2. The blower (or fan) in front of your heater core pushes the air into the heater core, thus raising the temperature of the air that will enter through your car vents.
3. The blend door actuator then directs the heated air to the appropriate place, depending on your selected settings.
4. The heater fan then blows the air directly into the selected aread of your car, based off of what you’ve selected it to do through your heater controls.
5. The heater core uses the coolant from the cylinder head and returns it directly to the pump.

When you’re faced with a major repair like a new engine, a repair or replacement of one or several of your heating system components, you have to properly assess whether or not it’s worth the investment.

If you drive an older vehicle, or one that has really high kilometres due to daily commuting, you may want to consider buying a newer vehicle, instead of repairing your current one.

Cash for Cars with Mechanical Issues

If you are one of the unfortunate people to be suffering from a failing heating system, or a failing engine, talk to our team of scrap car buyers today before anything else.

We have been buying scrap cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans since 2005, and we always pay MORE cash for scrap cars than any other scrap car removal company in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

This is just part of why MORE people choose our scrap car removal services over any other!

What Determines How Much Cash I Get for My Scrap Car?

There are a variety of factors that we consider before making anyone an offer on a car. Every vehicle has a different history, has different mechanical issues, and different values.

First, we’ll get the details of your car over the phone. Then, we’ll check realtime metal weight data at various scrapyards and car recyclers whom we work closely with. They can always offer us MORE cash for our scrap cars than they would the general public. Which is another good reason to use a professional scrap car removal company like More Cash For Scrap.

Then, we’ll make you an offer based off of all the information you’ve given us. Our used car buyers will take the time to explain to you what your junk car is worth and why, so that you will know for certain that you are truly getting MORE cash for scrap cars with us.

How Can I Scrap My Car for Cash?

Simple; call More Cash For Scrap! We offer MORE cash for cars in ANY condition than any other local scrap car removal company around. Plus, we provide free towing, roadside vehicle pickup, and the best customer service in the industry. No other junk car buyers can say the same!

Provide us with the make, model, year, condition, and location of your junk car. We’ll make you an offer right over the phone. If you accept our offer, we’ll dispatch our free towing service to come collect your car at a time that is most convenient for you.

Once our driver arrives, he’ll load up your vehicle onto our flat deck, then pay you cash in hand before leaving. It’s that easy!

Contact Our Scrap Car Removal Specialists Today

Give us a call, send us an email, connect with us on social media or via text, and we can help you scrap that junker in your driveway once and for all.

No matter what issues your car may have, we’ll buy it and offer you MORE cash for your car than any other scrap car buyers will offer you in the Lower Mainland.

Talk to us today and find out why we have been Metro Vancouver’s top scrap car removal company since 2005.