Heat isn't very warm.

[88 Fox GT]

Does anyone here have good heat in their car? Last two Foxes I've owned have had ****ty heat. My heat isn't very warm at all. I figured maybe the cable wasn't getting pulled over far enough so I took out the controls and disconnected the cable and pulled it all the way out and it's still not very warm.

I know I probably have a small heater core leak because when I first turn the heat on, I smell antifreeze for a little bit and it quickly goes away. There's never any coolant on the floor so it's not leaking that bad. Is this why my heat sucks? Am I **** out of luck unless I replace the heater core? Maybe the thermostat is too cold of a temp? I could take it out sometime and have a look at it because I have no idea what kind it is.

 

[cardudeusa]

My heat works fine for Florida once the car warms up. I have a flow restrictor inline to keep from pumping to much coolant through it. Also, like you said about the t-stat, could be a 180 or lower I would definatley check that.

 

[Roland69]

does your blower move much air or is the temp gauge going up much....

 

[MikeC]

Make sure the heater core restrictor is not clogged.

 

[Roland69]

or the evap core is free of crap like dust and feathers, dog hair....I clean out the evap core on a car atleast once a week and they complain they don't have good heat or the blower motor isn't strong but when we take it apart the blower motor blows awsome but the evap core stops/slows the wind.

 

[90mustangGT]

Either the blend-door is not going all the way, or your not getting proper flow through the heater core. Heater cores become clogged very easily, because the passages are very small. Using a garden hose, make sure water flows through the core easily. Sometimes, a backflush will fix this. There should be little force required to get the water to flow through, you should not need to hold the garden hose right on the heater hose. Another possiblility is the door is not moving as is should. Look under the dash as you turn the heat on, it should move. I can't remember on a fox if it's visable from outside. Another possiblity is clogged passages in the vent box.

 

[Deleted member 87397]

Your stat could simply be stuck open part of the way causing coolant to flow all the time.

 

[grey5.0beast]

my heat is awesom, i have a 180 t-stat. I'd definately pull the tstat just to check it out, can't hurt

 

[8950HO]

Start with the thermostat since you don`t know whats in there.

The 190-195* thermostats will give the most heat.I had a 180* in for one winter and the heat was not that good compared to a 195* high flow stat.

 

[sgarlic]

Shouldn't matter which t-stat as long as it's not stuck open. Either way, it's not like you're going to be getting 160* air blown on you versus 195* air. The temp of the air that you get is going to be significantly less. I ran a 160* in my Beretta years and years ago back in WI winters, and never had any complaints about the temp of the heat.

If you aren't getting sufficient heat, but you have an accurate gauge telling you you're at correct operating temperature, I would suspect as said earlier, a blend door issue, or insufficient flow or blockage to the heater core.

Replacing them really isn't that tough, just takes a while.

 

[Snikt89GT]

Either the blend-door is not going all the way, or your not getting proper flow through the heater core. Heater cores become clogged very easily, because the passages are very small. Using a garden hose, make sure water flows through the core easily. Sometimes, a backflush will fix this. There should be little force required to get the water to flow through, you should not need to hold the garden hose right on the heater hose. Another possiblility is the door is not moving as is should. Look under the dash as you turn the heat on, it should move. I can't remember on a fox if it's visable from outside. Another possiblity is clogged passages in the vent box.

You should post some more pics of the chick in your avatar

 

[Roland69]

he has

 

[88 Fox GT]

or the evap core is free of crap like dust and feathers, dog hair....I clean out the evap core on a car atleast once a week and they complain they don't have good heat or the blower motor isn't strong but when we take it apart the blower motor blows awsome but the evap core stops/slows the wind.

How to I go about cleaning this out? I guess I'm not sure exactly what it is. Is it the thing behind the little door that opens and closes under the glove box?

 

[Nick12269]

i agree with sgarlic... if your engine is heating up normally and running at proper temps i would go to the heater core. check for restrictions of any kind and try what 90mustanggt said about the garden hose. ive never been in the evap case on a mustang so i dont no how difficult it would be to get at the blend doors but im sure it involves taking the dash out? goodluck